This carrot and sweet potato vegetable spread is one of the mildest spreads and will be love by both kids and adults. Chose whether you want to keep it plain or add some garlic and spices. Homemade vegetable spreads make it easy to incorporate more vegetables into your diet.
What are vegetable spreads
You can think of vegetable spreads as an enhanced vegetable puree specifically made for your toasts. It has a consistency that is relatively thick and smooth, similar to baby food. Vegetables spreads can be made solely from vegetables and oil or they can contain added seeds, nuts and/or spices.
Why you should start eating vegetable spreads
Toast or bread is usually eaten with dairy and meat products (e.g., cheese, dairy spreads, cold cuts). Some people will have a salad as a side but most don’t. As a result, these meals are very poor in vegetables. An easy way to bring more vegetables to the table is by preparing homemade vegetable spreads, which equal 1 of your 5 servings of fruit and vegetables for the day.
Vegetable spreads are great for kids and adults
Vegetable spreads are a great way to make your kids eat more vegetables. Spread some on their bread with or without another topping they like. Nonetheless you want to avoid or adapt the quantities of certain spices. This mild carrot and sweet potato spread is a great one for kids, as it is slightly sweet (if you don't add the garlic, nutmeg and cumin).
They are however also a great addition for adults, who tend to eat too little veggies every day. Discover 4 different ways to add vegetable spreads to your eating routine below.
4 ways to eat vegetable spreads
- On bread or toast: whether you have a slice of bread/toast/sandwich for breakfast, lunch or dinner, you can simply top it with a layer of vegetable spread. You can eat it is as is, or pair it with some of your favorite toppings.
- As a dip: simply serve it as a dip with some crackers or raw vegetables.
- As a salad topping: Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable spread to your salad or dressing.
- Pasta sauce: simply thin the vegetable spread with water and heat it to use it as a delicious pasta sauce that is loaded with vegetables.
Time-saving tips
Making vegetable spreads usually consists of roasting vegetables in the oven, then blending them. Therefore it is fairly easy to make several spreads at a time. This allows you to have more vegetable to chose from when topping your breads. You can freeze individual portions and defrost them during the coming weeks, to save some time. Read my tips on how to store and freeze vegetable spreads below.
How to store vegetable spreads
You can store you vegetable spreads in a clean, air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. I recommend using glas jars, such as clean jam jars or Weck jars. You can also buy a set of baby food containers for easy portioning.
Can I freeze vegetable spreads
Of course and I highly recommend doing so. Think of your vegetable spread as baby food. You can freeze it for up to 3 months. However, make sure you use freezer-proof containers to freeze your spreads.
The best way to defrost it is to leave it in the fridge over night or on the counter top for several hours.
Carrot and sweet potato vegetable spread
This carrot and sweet potato spreads is one of the mildest spreads and will be loved by both kids and adults. You can chose whether you want to keep it plain or add some garlic and spices.
- Without added spices: very mild vegetable spread that is slightly sweet and will please a majority of people.
- With garlic: adding garlic makes the spread more flavorful. By baking half a head of garlic in the oven you get an intense, almost caramelized garlic taste.
- With garlic and spices: a hit among cumin lovers. The spices gives the spread a more Mediterranean touch.
Serve it with gluten free bread
This gluten free oat and seed bread goes really well with any vegetable spread. It’s a 1-bowl, no-knead recipe you don't want to miss!
The recipe
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The recipe
Carrot and Sweet Potato Vegetable Spread
Ingredients
- 400 g sweet potato
- 300 g carrots
- olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
Optional
- ½ garlic head or ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin or 4 spice
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Peel the carrots and the sweet potatoes. Cut them in half and then in thin slices. The thinner the slices, the quicker they will cook.
- Bake for 25 minutes.
- Blend the vegetables with their oil, the spices and a splash of water. Use a powerful blender or a hand mixer.
- Transfer to clean glas jars and close the lids.
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