By Mia Hanuska
I love carrots. I don’t remember when I discovered the elite, sophisticated flavors of baby carrots, but sometime last semester I became smitten with these delicious, bite-sized wonders of vitamin filled goodness. In my journey of loving carrots, I’ve learned they are an underrated vegetable and snack.
Not only are they incredibly nutritious, with close to 30% of your daily amount of vitamin-A in just one baby carrot, they taste scrumptious as well. Easily chopped and cooked into stews, soups, or salads, or pureed to make juice or soup, or even eaten plain on their own, carrots are a wonderful addition to any snack and meal. My favorite dippings for them are hummus, guacamole, and peanut butter—don’t knock it ‘till you try it, carrots and peanut butter are a pretty great combination.
As much as I love them, baby carrots’ quality will vary depending on where you buy from. I recommend the Costco two pack (each is 2 lbs of carrots) for those like me who can go through a couple pounds in a weekend, but sometimes the taste can be lacking. Trader Joes has carrots that have never failed me, and I especially enjoy the extra water in the bags to keep them fresh. If you can snag a bag from the school lunchline they have really nice cold ones, although they’re a bit dry for my taste. However, if you douse them in enough dip you will never tell the difference.
Finally, carrots are the perfect on-the-go snack. I bring full sandwich bags full of them, and have even brought a full two pound bag to a robotics competition (and finished the whole thing). They’re great to grab as you head out the door, or when you need something to munch on at night while studying. Next time you’re looking for something to hit your snacky spot, try a bag of carrots—you can thank me later.