Superfood: Carrots

Updated February 02, 2011

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Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Fonda Shaia

You can improve your vision and fight off certain cancers by eating more carrots. Let us show you how.

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Carrot Ribbon Salad with Lavender-Ricotta Dressing

Credit: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Claire Spollen

Carrot Ribbon Salad with Lavender-Ricotta Dressing Recipe

Pour a homemade dressing of ricotta cheese, buttermilk, lemon rind, lemon juice, and honey over carrot ribbons to make this simply delicious salad.

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Steamed Carrots with Garlic-Ginger Butter

Credit: Randy Mayor; Styling: Cindy Barr

Steamed Carrots with Garlic-Ginger Butter Recipe

Carrots ARE good for your eyesight—it’s not just a myth. Carrots contain beta carotene, a pigment that converts vitamin A in the body and helps improve vision. The beta carotene in carrots is also an antioxidant that can help reduce the risk of certain cancers. In addition to the beta carotene, carrots are a good source of fiber, potassium and vitamin C.

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Carrot Cake Pancakes

Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Leigh Ann Ross

Carrot Cake Pancakes Recipe

Filled with toasted walnuts, shredded carrots, and all the spices found in carrot cake, these light buttermilk pancakes are a guilt-free breakfast pleasure that provides disease-fighting vitamin A as well as heart-healthy and monounsaturated fat.

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Carrot, Apple, and Ginger Refresher

Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Cindy Barr

Carrot, Apple, and Ginger Refresher Recipe

Get a daily dose of vitamin A from carrot juice plus calcium from the yogurt when you sip on this easy smoothie. It’s an easy way to have a nutrient-packed breakfast or snack.

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Soybean and Carrot Salad

Credit: James Carrier

Soybean and Carrot Salad Recipe

Pump up the protein in this vitamin-packed salad by combining shelled soybeans and shredded carrot.

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Radicchio, Endive, and Carrot Salad

Credit: Randy Mayor; Leigh Ann Ross; Kathryn Conrad

Radicchio, Endive, and Carrot Salad Recipe

Sweet carrot balances the bitter notes from radicchio and Belgian endive and also helps protect you from infections because of the high beta carotene content of carrots.

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Carrot-Pineapple Slaw

Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Cindy Barr

Carrot-Pineapple Slaw Recipe

The sweetness in this salad comes from nutrient-packed carrots, pineapple and raisins, and makes it a delicious match for lean meats like grilled pork tenderloin.

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Carrot Soufflé

Credit: Randy Mayor; Melanie J. Clarke

Carrot Soufflé Recipe

Because this dish contains no beaten egg whites, it is not a true soufflé, but it gets this name because of its light airy texture. It’s similar in color and flavor to sweet potato casserole.

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Curried Carrot, Sweet Potato, and Ginger Soup

Credit: Rita Maas

Curried Carrot, Sweet Potato, and Ginger Soup Recipe

Carrots and sweet potatoes are two of the top sources of the antioxidant beta carotene (which converts to vitamin A), so get a double dose of disease-fighting power with this spiced soup.

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Creamy Carrot Soup

Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Melanie J. Clarke

Creamy Carrot Soup Recipe

A mere 2 tablespoons of heavy cream adds amazing richness to this carrot soup without adding a lot of fat.

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Carrot Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Carrot Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

In this light version of a traditional carrot cake, the fat is reduced by using a decreased amount of butter, replacing some of the whole eggs with egg whites, using less sugar, and substituting reduced-fat cream cheese for full-fat cheese in the frosting.

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Carrot Cake with Toasted Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

Credit: Howard L. Puckett; Lydia Degaris-Pursell; Martha Condra

Carrot Cake with Toasted Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

Ground oats add fiber to this flavorful cake recipe and the fat content stays low because some of the oil is replaced with baby food carrots.

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Oat Bran Muffins

Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Fonda Shaia

Oat Bran Muffins Recipe

Start your morning off with a muffin that's not only packed with vitamin-packed carrot, but also fiber, iron, and vitamin E.

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Superfood: Carrots

1 of 13

Carrot Ribbon Salad with Lavender-Ricotta Dressing

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Steamed Carrots with Garlic-Ginger Butter

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Carrot Cake Pancakes

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Carrot, Apple, and Ginger Refresher

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Soybean and Carrot Salad

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Radicchio, Endive, and Carrot Salad

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Carrot-Pineapple Slaw

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Carrot Soufflé

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Curried Carrot, Sweet Potato, and Ginger Soup

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Creamy Carrot Soup

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Carrot Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

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Carrot Cake with Toasted Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

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Oat Bran Muffins

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