Lemony Carrot Top Pesto

If you are lucky enough to come across freshly picked carrots at your local farmers market, buy them. Especially if they still have their gorgeous lacy green tops. Make a simple carrot soup with the roots and for a gourmet finish, make a pesto with a handful of the tops. You won't regret it! I use this beautiful green pesto in all sorts of ways. You see it here smeared on a grilled cheese sandwich. Puts a soup and sandwich meal over the top.

Lemony Carrot Top Pesto

Here's what you need:
2-3 garlic cloves
1/2 C raw almonds
large handful fresh carrot tops
small handful fresh parsley or basil
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt to taste
olive oil

Here's what you do:
While the food processor is running, drop in the garlic cloves. This will chop them very finely. Add the almonds and greens and run the processor, helping incorporate all the leaves with a spatula if necessary. Add about 1/2 cup olive oil and continue to process. Add salt and pepper and lemon juice to taste. This pesto can be as thin or thick as you prefer.

This pesto freezes nicely. Use it as a dollop on soup, or mixed in dressings or over pasta.

Tomato Jam – Vegan Month of Food

Poesy and Plate
 Vegan Month of Food  2014

(check out the hundreds of VeganMoFo blogs HERE) 
My goal: cook and blog about vegan food 20 times
during the month of September. 
My theme: words and food

Spice and Cinnamon

The warm aroma of spice and cinnamon
Blends with laurel and cloves.
You taste of cinnamon,
Said she. And you,
Said he, of almonds.

Cinnamon. Cloves. Ginger. Brown Sugar. Love.

I found this beautiful poem on http://www.tweetspeakpoetry.com/ and I found this beautiful recipe on the internet. The recipe was actually posted on a food blog I read, but I have to admit, I can’t remember which one!! So sorry! If it’s *your* recipe and you are reading this, please speak up! Your jam is heavenly! It made my entire home smell warm and spicy as it gently simmered all day (I doubled the batch, so you can imagine how long it took to thicken).

Keep Stirring!

“How does one eat Tomato Jam,” you ask?

Veggie Burgers.

Black Bean burgers.

Portabella Mushroom burgers.

Slathered over vegan cheeses (see my Simple Almond Cheese).

On crackers.

On top of a pile of freshly grilled corn.

Tofu scrambles.

With any eggplant dish (on man, that will be good) .

Over grilled tofu.

On toast in the morning, especially if it has a little cream cheese on it.

On grilled bread, like a bruschetta.
Roasted Cauliflower
Roasted Potatoes

etc

I ate this .... and another entire sandwich....and another half sandwich.
 That's VEGAN cheese, my friends: mozzarella and cheddar. 

Here’s what you need:

5 pounds tomatoes, roughly chopped

1C to 1 ½ C granulated sugar

¼ C packed brown sugar

8 T fresh lime juice

2 t salt

1 t freshly grated ginger (or more)

1 t ground cinnamon

½ t ground cloves

2 t red pepper flakes

2 t hot smoked paprika

Here’s what you do:

Combine all the ingredients in a large non-reactive pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until it comes to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until it’s very thick. It will thicken as it cools. You can always check to see if it’s the correct consistency by placing a small amount in the fridge and checking it after it has completely cooled down. It should be thick enough to stay put on top of a burger.

Process in canning jars for 20 minutes.  

(printable recipe)  I found this recipe on Savory Moments. Check it out HERE.

Simple Mango Salsa

Two mangos

One English cucumber

Some minced red onion.

Some cilantro

One minced jalapeno pepper, seeds and veins removed

Season with fresh lime zest, lime juice and salt

This recipe wraps up my Cuban Christmas menu. I hope you enjoyed looking at the photos and recipes and I really encourage you to step away from the turkey and ham and 'Go Cuban' at your next holiday meal! 

One last departing look at my beautiful Cuban Christmas. 

For the rest of the recipes, simply click below:

Ropa Vieja,    Cardamom Coconut Rice,    Pineapple Layer Cake with Pineapple Curd. 

Emerald Mustard

I am a condiment gal. I dip. I dollop. I drizzle. I slather them on. In fact, I sometimes organize my entire meal around the condiment, especially if it is as special as this one. We've been eating this on burgers, in salad dressings and with grilled cheese sandwiches.  I served it at my Christmas Open House with a baked ham and everyone loved it. (Well, those who were brave enough to eat something this color!)

Jalapenos. Cilantro. Ginger. Garlic. Dijon. Agave. Try this. You will love it. Look at that color. 

From Vegetarian Times magazine.  Find the recipe here. (I cut way back on the garlic and added more agave syrup.)