Creamy Carrot Pasta

Look at those amazing colors! You know when food is that vibrant it is going to be packed with flavor. You're looking at carrot puree, cashew cream, roasted garlic, and fresh sage leaves. Simple and delicious.

Here's what you need:
1 C carrot puree : Approximately 3 large carrots and 1 cut water in a high speed blender
1 head garlic
6 fresh sage leaves plus for more garnish
1 C vegetable broth
1/2 C raw cashews
1/2 C walnuts

Here's what you do:
Cut off about 1/4 inch of the top of the head of garlic and remove the loose outer skins. Wrap in tin foil and before sealing it, drizzle with olive oil. Close the bundle tightly. Roast 350 for about 45 minutes. When cool, squeeze the cloves out using a fork or other sharp instrument.
Make the carrot puree. Add it to a medium pot. Make the cashew cream by blending the nuts with about 1/2 C water. Add it to the carrot mixture. Add the garlic and sage leaves and simmer until thick, being sure to smash the garlic with a fork.  Thin with the vegetable broth to taste. Remove the sage leaves after about 15 minutes.

Garnish with walnuts and fried sage leaves. (1/4 C oil, fry for 5 seconds, drain on paper towel)

Artichoke and Carrot Top Pesto Stuffed Mushroom

   Vegan Month of Food
"Lines and Light"
(a line of original poetry or a photo of light every day for the month of October)

Bright orange surprise under dark earth; waiting to be yanked by green hair

Day 14 - Re-purposing Food

Show us what you do with mushroom stems, stale end bits of bread, carrot tops, etc
(click HERE to see what others are sharing today)

 

Stuffed mushrooms don’t need to be complicated, unless you are making your own carrot top pesto to mix into the stuffing! Seriously, it wasn’t that tricky and since I was planning to make the carrot top pesto anyway, I decided to add some to the mushrooms. Delicious!

I also think stuffed mushrooms can serve as an entre and not only as an appetizer. That’s how we ate them and thankfully, there were plenty for the two of us.

Here’s what you need:
10 oz large white mushrooms, stems removed and minced

8 artichoke quarters, (packed in water) minced

2 scallions, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

Dried basil and parsley

Paprika

2 T olive oil – divided

2 rounded T carrot top pesto (recipe below)

2 rounded T cashew parmesan

2 rounded T seasoned bread crumbs

½ C dry white wine

Here’s what you do:

Saute the mushroom stems, artichokes, scallions, and garlic in 1 T oil. Add the herbs and paprika to taste. Salt and pepper is good here too. When the mixture is nice and soft, remove to a bowl and add the pesto, Parmesan, and bread crumbs. Divide evenly between the mushrooms, drizzle remaining olive oil over each cap and sprinkle wine over it all. Bake covered (350 degrees) for about 10 minutes, remove cover and continue baking for another 10-15 minutes. Serve warm.

Here's how to make Carrot Top Pesto:

Drop a few garlic gloves into a running food processor. This is a good way to mince the garlic. Add a 1/4 C of sliced or slivered almonds, a bunch of carrot tops (stems discarded), some olive oil and a healthy pinch of salt. Process until kind of smooth. Be ready to scrape down the sides of the processor. 

Curried Coconut Carrot Soup with Carrot Top Pesto

What glorious fall colors! This soup is a total winner. I used a combination of recipes from all over the place to create this warm, spicy, comforting (and gourmet, if I do say so myself) bowl. If you are fortunate enough to use fresh carrots, do not throw away those carrot tops! The garnish is a MUST in this soup.

I'm still all a-glow over the carrots I grew in my garden this summer and I'm already planning to expand my space for even more next year. Aren't they gorgeous?

Basically, you soften the veg in coconut oil, simmer it all in veg broth, and then season well with coconut milk, curry and ginger.

Here's what you need:
2 T coconut oil
1 C chopped onion
2 lb chopped carrots
1/4 C fresh ginger, or less to taste
4 C vegetable broth
1 can full fat coconut milk
1 T curry (hot or regular, more or less to taste)

Here's what you do:
Heat the coconut oil and add the onions. Cook on medium until onions are soft. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer until everything is well cooked. I often allow my soup to sit around with the lid on to really help meld the flavors. It's good to let it cool a little bit before blending it anyway.

 I made a double batch.... plenty for the freezer. 

Here's what you need for the carrot top pesto:

1 small bunch or handful of carrot greens

1 small bunch or handful of cilantro

1/2 C slivered almonds

2-3 cloves of garlic

1/4 C olive oil

salt to taste

Keep blending it until you get a nice smooth consistency. The amounts given is enough for the double batch of soup I made..... You might want to reduce quantities if you're only making a single batch of soup. OR - keep the pesto in the freezer for other uses. I didn't waste any! I even used a tiny bit in some 'ranch' dressing the next day - AMAZING! 

Carrot Hot Dog (from Clean Eating Veggie Girl)

Super weird. 

Day 4: Tell about a weird food combo that you love

Today's Vegan Month of Food topic is a tough one for me. I mean, really, is there any food combo that's just too weird? It will be super fun to click around and see what everyone else in the vegan world considers 'weird.' (use #veganmofo or #vgnmf15 on instagram or twitter or facebook or google)

I kept tasting that weird little piece, just to make sure. 

I think a carrot hot dog might qualify as 'weird,' especially for you non-vegans out there. It's like combining all the totally nasty stuff in a 'real' hot dog with all the natural stuff in a carrot. Is that weird? Not too weird for me. I think it's WEIRD to eat the ingredients in a 'real' hot dog. Trust me, these little carrot weirdos are super tasty and completely free of all the 'weird' stuff you might encounter at a meat-eaters BBQ.

Naked! 

Here's what you need:

(from Clean Eating Veggie Girl)

2 large carrots, peeled, cut to the length of a hot dog bun

1/4 C soy sauce

1/4 C water

1 T rice vinegar

1 T sesame oil

1/2 T cider vinegar

dash liquid smoke

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 t dried ginger

1/4 t black pepper

1/8 t granulated onion powder

Here's what you do:

Simmer the carrots till fork tender, but not mushy. Whisk together the marinade and allow carrots to marinate for 24 hours. (Ziplock bag works great here)

Brown the carrots in a tiny bit of oil, drizzling in some extra marinade if desired. They should get nice and soft and brown, with small burned places.

Serve with the usual suspects. :) Weird, right?

Carrot Top Pesto

You should have heard me screaming with delight (literally) when I pulled these veggies from my very own garden. What a miracle to plant the tiniest of seeds and then to be rewarded with these glorious oranges and purples! I will most certainly be planting carrots and beets every summer from now on - so easy!

One restaurant meal that I want to recreate in my kitchen was one I had at Grove in Grand Rapids a few years ago. I chose it from a special and abundant vegan menu (how thoughtful of them!) and it was so creative. It was simply called "Carrots Three Ways." I love carrots, so I knew I'd love this.... and I did.

I can't honestly remember the entire meal, but I know it started with Ginger Carrot Soup. I know there was a carrot puree and there were probably roasted carrots. Probably there was a salad and some other type of veg.  So simple! Everything was so beautiful ( and orange!)

When my own garden started to produce carrots, I began dreaming of Carrots Three Ways here in my own home. One addition to the restaurant meal will be to include a carrot top pesto. Delicious!

You can see that I served the pesto over our salad. Also on the plate are grilled spicy tofu and fat free oven fries. 

Here's how to make Carrot Top Pesto:

Drop a few garlic gloves into a running food processor. This is a good way to mince the garlic. Add a 1/4 C of sliced or slivered almonds, a bunch of carrot tops (stems discarded), some olive oil and a healthy pinch of salt. Process until kind of smooth. Be ready to scrape down the sides of the processor. 

Carrot Sausages

I never thought I'd put those two words together: carrot and sausage. But somehow, through the magic of peanut butter, it works.

   

This unbelievable recipe comes from the tiny cookbook entitled "Vegan Made Simple" published by Parragon/lovefood. Anyway, it's the type of cookbook you might see on the discount table or in a garage sale. You know, the little book that no one notices because it doesn't cost $45.00 and it's not wrapped in a glossy book jacket. Check it out on Amazon and see for yourself. (As I write this, you can purchase a used copy for $3.95!) 

Every single recipe I have tried from this gem of a cookbook has been remarkable. Asparagus Walnut Lasagne, Thia Noodle Soup, and a Raspberry Chocolate Cake are just three of the recipes that I have made. This carrot sausage recipe is really unusual, but seriously, good enough for company.

I actually bragged about this unusual meal at my workplace, and then brought some leftovers in for my friends to try. Great reviews from all the meat-eaters, and one perfect suggestion - these could benefit from some type of drizzle or dipping sauce....maybe something mustardy? With the cilantro and peanut butter, they have a slight Thai feel, so keep that in mind. 

Here's what you need (my modifications are included here)

1/3 C minced red onion

1 garlic clove, minced

1 fresh jalapeno, seeded and minced

1-2 t cumin

4 C shredded carrots

1/2 t salt

3 T chunky peanut butter

1/2 C fresh cilantro, minced

1-2 C bread crumbs (start with one cup and see if you need more)

Here's what you do: 

Saute the onion, garlic, jalapeno and cumin in a bit of olive oil.

Add the carrots and salt, cover the pan and  continue to cook until the carrots are soft. 

Add the peanut butter and stir it in until it's all melted. Remove carrot mixture to a large bowl.

Mix in the cilantro and then add the two types of bread crumbs. Use your hands to form 8 sausages. Set on parchment paper in the fridge to rest for at least one hour. 

 Carefully brown the sausages in a tiny bit of oil until brown on most sides and cooked through. 

Sesame-Honey Tempeh and Quinoa Bowl – 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

My son built this in a Tennessee river. 

Black Stone on Top of a White Stone, by Cesar Vallejo

I shall die in Paris, in a rainstorm,
On a day I already remember.
I shall die in Paris-- it does not bother me--
Doubtless on a Thursday, like today, in autumn.

It shall be a Thursday, because today, Thursday
As I put down these lines, I have set my shoulders
To the evil. Never like today have I turned,
And headed my whole journey to the ways where I am alone.

César Vallejo is dead. They struck him,
All of them, though he did nothing to them,
They hit him hard with a stick and hard also
With the end of a rope. Witnesses are: the Thursdays,
The shoulder bones, the loneliness, the rain, and the roads...

I don’t like the ‘black stone’ of evil and loneliness that crushes the ‘white stone’ of Cesar Vallejo in this sad poem. I can’t stand the thought of someone standing up to evil only to be struck down.  I wonder if Sr. Vallejo actually had to ‘set his shoulders’ toward some ‘evil’ only to find his way blocked by haters and evildoers? How sad that there are no witnesses except his shoulder bones and the rain. 

I believe this poem is a call to stand against evil when we see it and to be a witness to those that are brave enough to speak out. Don’t create loneliness.

In honor of all things Peruvian, including Cesar Vallejo and quinoa, I offer today’s excellent recipe from Eating Well. I added the green beans for an extra splash of color.

To see the recipe go to the Eating Well web site or simple click HERE. 

Sunshine Paella - Vegan Month of Food

Poesy and Plate
 Vegan Month of Food  2014

(checkout 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

Oranges , by Gary Soto

The first time I walked

With a girl, I was twelve,

Cold, and weighted down

With two oranges in my jacket.

December. Frost cracking

Beneath my steps, my breath

Before me, then gone,

As I walked toward

Her house, the one whose

Porch light burned yellow

Night and day, in any weather.

A dog barked at me, until

She came out pulling

At her gloves, face bright

With rouge. I smiled,  

Touched her shoulder, and led

Her down the street, across

A used car lot and a line

Of newly planted trees,

Until we were breathing  

Before a drugstore. We

Entered, the tiny bell

Bringing a saleslady

Down a narrow aisle of goods.

I turned to the candies

Tiered like bleachers,

And asked what she wanted -

Light in her eyes, a smile

Starting at the corners

Of her mouth. I fingered  

A nickle in my pocket,

And when she lifted a chocolate

That cost a dime,

I didn’t say anything.

I took the nickle from  

My pocket, then an orange,

And set them quietly on

The counter. When I looked up,

The lady’s eyes met mine,

And held them, knowing

Very well what it was all

About.

 Outside,

A few cars hissing past,

Fog hanging like old  

Coats between the trees.

I took my girl’s hand

In mine for two blocks,

Then released it to let

Her unwrap the chocolate.

I peeled my orange

That was so bright against

The gray of December

That, from some distance,

Someone might have thought

I was making a fire in my

hands.

Oh, how I love this poem and that wonderful woman behind the counter who remembers the joy and thrill of young love. The beauty of a half peeled orange in a young boy's hand is such a great visual image - truly like a fire. It's my favorite fruit and my favorite color. (Well, I love all fruits and I love all colors)

If you've never read Gary Soto, then let me be the first to recommend his writing to you. I use a lot of his stuff in my classroom. 

And if you've never made paella at home you will be pleased to see how simple it is. Really, it's just a baked rice casserole with lots of veggies and that extra special ingredient: saffron! If you have time and you're willing to babysit the paella while baking, you will have great success! Any heavy bottom oven proof pan will do fine for this dish. 

Sunshine Paella

Here's what you need:
1 C white rice
2 C vegetable broth + lots more to drizzle over rice while cooking
a large pinch of saffron
olive oil
2-3 carrots sliced very thin
various vegetables, sliced ; red and orange peppers, onions, green peas, artichokes
lemon slices
sliced almonds
chick peas or other beans for a boost of protein. 

Here's what you do:
Warm the vegetable broth with the saffron and set aside
Heat the pan with a generous amount of olive oil and stir the rice in the hot oil until each grain has become a bit translucent. 
Slowly pour half of  the warm broth over the rice and gently distribute the rice. 
Place pan, uncovered, in a 350 degree oven for about 5 minutes. 

Pour the remaining broth over the rice, stir gently and bake another 5 minutes.
Arrange the harder vegetables in a pleasing pattern : I was aiming for a sunshine, so I put the veg in a circle - kinda like the rays of the sun. (peppers, onion, chick peas)
Cover the pan with foil and bake for 10 more minutes

In the meantime, saute the carrot slices in olive oil and another small pinch of saffron threads.
Keep checking the paella and test for 'done-ness' by tasting the rice. I added quite a bit more vegetable broth and kept baking it and checking it at 10 minute intervals. I probably added another 1 1/2 C broth.
Never stir it!
Eventually, add the softer vegetables: lemon slices, artichokes, peas and almonds) Keep baking and checking - for a total of maybe 40-50 minutes. It can sit covered for a long time after it comes out of the oven.
Place the carrots in the center of the paella for a spectacular presentation.

Before serving, drizzle with more olive oil (optional) and a squeeze or two of fresh lemon (mandatory)

Buen Provecho!

A Modge Podge of Stuff

Just a few tidbits today – all in the delicious category….well, except one.

This delicious sandwich – Marinated and grilled portabella mushrooms, garlicky spinach, sweet sautéed onions. Served with roasted beets and fries. The bun was garlicy and toasted. (Thanks to Dawn for this excellent sandwich idea)

These delicious carrots – coconut oil, miso, maple syrup. Bake. Sprinkle with sea salt before serving. Sweet and sticky and salty. Oh my. Don’t forget to eat the humble carrot.

 These delicious ‘restaurant style’ enchiladas – truly, these three ingredients made a fantastic enchilada sauce.  (Thanks, Lisa, for suggesting this to me – a new standard in our house.)

 This weird, but tasty, cauliflower crust pizza – tasted great, but it stayed soggy in the center. We ate it like a casserole with forks and spoons. Recipes abound all over the internet. Take your pick. 

This even weirder and not tasty cauliflower crust pizza – first meal I served my hubby after his return from Japan. A dud.  (the pizza, not the husband….) 

Macaroni 'n' Cheese - VegNews

“This is the best mac ‘n’ cheese on the planet. End of story.” (VegNews, October 2008)

 I agree! This one is going in my permanent rotation of easy weeknight dinners.  My 17 year old son scarfed it down like crazy and even complimented me on it! (SHOCK!!) Seriously, I NEVER in a million years thought I would prefer a classic like macaroni and cheese without a shred of cheese in sight. Crazy. Compare this recipe with an old favorite of mine (here) and just see the difference! Ridiculous, right? 

Here’s what you need:

8 ounces macaroni

3 slices bread, torn in pieces (original recipe called for 4 slices, but I preferred 3)

2 T + 1/3 C non-dairy, non-hydrogenated butter (Earth Balance brand is super)

2 T shallots, peeled and chopped

1 C red or yellow potatoes, peeled and chopped

¼ C carrots, peeled and chopped

1/3 C onion, peeled and chopped

1 C water

¼ C raw cashews

1 t sea salt

¼ t garlic, minced

¼ t Dijon mustard

1 T lemon juice

¼ t black pepper

1/8 t cayenne pepper

¼ t paprika

Here’s what you do:

Cook the macaroni according to directions on the package. Drain and set aside.

In a food processor make the bread crumbs by pulverizing the bread and 2 T of butter. Set aside. (One comment here: these homemade breadcrumbs took this mac ‘n’ cheese way, way into the stratosphere of comfort – don’t skimp)

In a sauce pan add shallots, potatoes, carrots, onions, and water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until veg is really, really soft.

In a blender process the cashews, salt, garlic, 1/3 C non-dairy butter, mustard, lemon juice, black pepper, cayenne pepper and paprika. Add the softened veg and all the cooking liquid. Process until it is perfectly smooth.

Mix the sauce and pasta. Place in 9 X 9 ish size baking dish. Sprinkle the buttery breadcrumbs over. Bake 350 for about 30 minutes or until it’s nice and brown and bubbly.

 One Year Ago : Coconut Pancakes (really, really good!)

Burritos with Carrot Cumin Sauce

The New Year is upon us, so I guess it’s time to make public confession of all our laziness and to proclaim our sincere efforts to lift ourselves from the gutter of our sorry ways. UGH! I hate it!

I am more of the inclination to begin each and every day with tiny little resolutions….you know….

”Today I will call my mother.”

 “Today I will not eat any junk food.”

“Today I will scour the bathrooms and pick up the piles.”

“Today I will go for a walk.”

Somehow I don’t beat myself up as badly when I break these small resolutions because I can always say, “There’s always tomorrow.”  I just can’t bear that horrible feeling when, on January 3^rd, I wake up and realize that I have already broken all of my resolutions! Talk about depressing! (As if I really could ever in my wildest dreams run a 5K or learn to play the church organ!)

One thing I should learn to do in 2013 is to estimate the weight of things, in particular, potatoes. I do believe I put in too much potato in this lovely Carrot Cumin Sauce.  But no worries, “There’s always tomorrow.” And since I have resolved to go all-out-vegan for the month of January, I will be making these again real soon.

Baked Burritos with Carrot Cumin Sauce (from frieddandelions.com)

Here’s what you need:

1 large Yukon gold potato -11 ounces (….. and here you can sympathize with my heavy handed use of the potato…. )

3 C water

6-8 medium carrots (…. I had less fear/problem with the carrots…. Love them!)

1 head garlic

2 t cumin

2 t salt

Pepper to taste

1 T tomato paste

Here’s what you do:

Peel and cut the carrots into coins about ¼ inch thin. Toss with oil, cumin and salt. Place on baking dish. Prepare the garlic for roasting by removing some of the papery skins, slicing off the top, drizzling with olive oil, sprinkling with salt and wrapping up tightly in foil. Place on sheet with carrots and roast it all for 25 minutes at 400 degrees.  After 25 minutes, remove carrots and continue to roast the garlic for about 20 more minutes.

Peel and dice the potato and cook in the 3 C water until fork tender – don’t throw away the water.

Puree the carrots, potatoes, garlic (squeeze it out of all the skins), tomato paste and some of the water to create the sauce. Add as much of the starchy water as you want.

I filled my burritos with black beans and some rice. I added some tomato paste, cayenne pepper and saffron threads to my rice to make it yellow to match my sauce. 

 Be sure to put some of the sauce in the burrito as well. I think it would have been better if I had stuffed the burrito with some other veggies: diced tomatoes, cilantro, onions, green pepper, etc.

Roll them up, smother with the sauce, bake till hot and bubbly, serve with all the fixin’s . ... obviously, mine needed more! 

(printable recipe)

One Year Ago: Santa Fe Appetizer Tart 

One Year Ago: Creamy Saffron and Chicken Soup