06 July 2008


I needed a vegetable to go with my Asian dishes, so I did a search for ginger-flavored carrots. I found one on allrecipes.com and gave it a try today.

Ginger Honey Carrots

Ingredients:
3 tbsp butter
2 tbsp candied ginger, chopped finely
1½ tbsp honey
½ tsp lemon juice
1 lb. carrots

Directions:
Melt butter in small saucepan. Add ginger and cook until soft. Add honey and lemon juice and stir to combine. Heat on low until mixture reduces a bit.

Cook carrots by steaming. I put them in a dish with a small amount of water and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave on high for 2-4 minutes, depending on how done you like them. Drain and toss with the glaze.

Makes 4 servings.


Nutrition Info:

Calories: 100
Fat/Sat. Fat: 4/1
Cholesterol: 0
Sodium: 140
Fiber: 3
Protein: 1


I didn't change much; just some quantities. The original called for 4 tbsp butter, 2 1/2 tbsp honey, and 1 tsp lemon juice. Oh, and I also doubled the ginger because I couldn't really taste it after I added the 1/4 tsp. Some people would probably like it with the full amount of honey, but I thought it was bordering on the "too sweet" side as it was. I know it's supposed to be sweet, but I don't like my veggies really sweet. And having to reduce the lemon juice was probably the result of reducing the honey.

Overall, very good. Will definitely be making again. The picture doesn't show the glaze very well.


Wednesday, January 14, 2009

****Update****

So I have been tweaking this recipe and have added something that makes it truly amazing. First of all, I don't use frozen carrots anymore. I have found I much prefer fresh. I peel them, cut them on the bias, and steam them in the microwave. I have been using those new Zip'n Steam Bags by Ziploc. I really like them. Then, I add something special to the glaze. After the butter melts in the saucepan, I add some chopped crystallized (candied) ginger. I let it get nice and soft in the butter before adding the honey. Since I added the crystallized ginger, I decreased the amount of ground ginger previously called for. Oh man, it is so good! The ginger gets all soft and adds such a wonderful flavor. Here are some pics:

Here's the ginger getting soft in the pan with the melting butter.


When the ginger is soft, I add the honey, lemon juice, and ground ginger. Then I add the steamed carrots and let the glaze reduce a bit. Yummy! In the background you can see some chicken satay I had on the grill pan. I seasoned it with Vindaloo. Awesome.

Jim thought these carrots were okay before, but now he is asking for them all the time.