Marinated Carrot Stix

When we went on our mission trip to Russia we went to dinner at a Russian's family home.  Let me tell you that was one delicious meal.  My hubby says he doesn't remember it being that spectacular and that maybe I just think it was because our meals up until that point weren't that great or filling but trust me it was yummy food and I gorged myself.  I will never forget the food or the friendly family who served it to us.  Surprisingly it was kinda like good ol' southern cooking, there were mashed potatoes and something similar to steak, and a whole bunch of other goodies but the point of this whole spill is that there were some carrots that were amazing and as soon as I got back home I started looking on the internet for something that I thought would be similar but to no avail.  When I was flipping through my new treasures (cookbooks) I saw this recipe which I thought might be similar so I had to try it.  Sadly, they weren’t as good as the ones I remember eating in Russia but they were good and it’s a healthier way to eat carrots than my usual butter/brown sugar combo!

I did not know what salad oil was and it shows up in lots of these old recipes so thank goodness for the internet because I googled it and found out it’s just a normal tasteless oil like vegetable or canola NOT olive oil.  So, I used canola oil.  I also used the precut match stick carrots; I think my package was 12 oz.  I don’t remember seeing different options on size so whatever you get should be good.  I did not drain the marinade nor use parsley (I didn’t have any).

The first night we ate them with one of my childhood favorites, chicken fried steak and they were a nice complement.  However, I think they were better with my chicken casserole (post to come later) the next day.  I was able to eat them two days after I originally made them and they were still yummy.

Recipe taken from – Heart of the Home (1982)

8 small carrots

3 Tbsp vinegar

3 Tbsp salad oil

1 small garlic clove, crushed

¾ tsp seasoned salt

Minced fresh parsley

¼ tsp salt

Peel and cut carrots into thin, short, 3 inch sticks.  Place in shallow dish.  Mix other ingredients except parsley and pour over carrots until well coated.  Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight, turning sticks, occasionally.  Drain off marinade, arrange carrots in serving dish and sprinkle with parsley.  Yield: 6-8 servings.

Tired of the same ol’ side dishes then give these carrots a try to find a new stand by side dish!