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Tag Archive: Carrots

Vanilla Rosemary Carrots

Written on November 12, 2012 by Wannabe Chef in Side Dish

A lot of my meals lately have revolved around roasted vegetables. Some of my meals have been just roasted vegetables on the days I didn’t feel like cooking anything else; that’s healthy, right?

A while ago I saw this recipe for vanilla carrots. The photos on that blog make everything look delicious. I finally got around to making them last week and they did not disappoint at all. These aren’t sweeter than regular roasted carrots, but the vanilla and rosemary add an interesting savory flavor to them.

Don’t use an oil that has a lot of flavor like coconut or peanut oil. Instead use something like vegetable oil or refined olive oil that will let the flavor of the vanilla come through.

Vanilla Rosemary Carrots

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 50-60 minutes

Ingredients(Makes about 4-6 servings):

1lb carrots
3 Tablespoons oil
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon salt

Method:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Peel, trim, and wash the carrots.
In a large tray, toss the carrots together with the olive oil, vanilla extract, salt and rosemary until they’re covered.
Lay the carrots out in a single layer on a baking tray.
Roast for 50-60 minutes until the carrots are fork-tender and serve hot.

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Gluten-Free Carrot Bread

Written on September 4, 2012 by Wannabe Chef in Breakfast

I’m a sucker for sweet breads. So far this Summer we’ve made banana bread and zucchini bread. That got me wondering what other fruits and vegetables you can bake into bread?

As unglamorous as they are, carrot desserts are some of my favorites; I’ve had carrot cakes at multiple birthdays throughout the years. Some people think they sound too healthy to make a good dessert, but if you slap enough cream cheese frosting onto anything it will taste good, right?

This bread isn’t quite as sweet as a carrot cake or carrot cake muffin would be; I like that because the last thing I need in the morning is a sugar coma. Instead it’s rather spicy with jewels of sweetness from the raisins. You can swap in toasted walnuts for the coconut for a nuttier flavor and added crunch. Of course you can also add white chocolate chips and cream cheese frosting; it’s all about how decadent you want to go.

Gluten-Free Carrot Bread

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 50 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 1 loaf):

1 1/4 cup almond flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup tightly packed shredded carrot
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 6oz container plain yogurt
4 extra large eggs
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Method:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, beat together the almond flour and brown sugar to make sure there aren’t any clumps.
Add in the carrots, oil, yogurt, and eggs and mix completely.
Toss in the raisins, coconut, salt, baking powder and spices and mix again.
Pour the batter into a greased 9-inch loaf pan.
Bake for 50 minutes or until the center of the loaf has set.
Remove from the oven and let cool completely before cutting into slices.

It didn’t take me very long to mix some powdered sugar and cream cheese and spread it onto a hot slice. It didn’t take me long at all.

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Salt Roasted Beets

Written on August 22, 2012 by Wannabe Chef in How To, Side Dish

Salt is something that a lot of people don’t understand; too much can make anything a disaster, but just a touch on fruits and vegetables always helps to make them taste sweeter. When you eat something with natural sugars that’s been seasoned right, it touches more taste sensations on your tongue and you’ll enjoy it more.

Salt roasting is a technique I learned last Summer when I was interning in a restaurant. It was something that the lunch crew trusted that I couldn’t possibly screw up so I did it quite a bit whenever we got more beets in. Since then I’ve done it at home whenever I have the chance; you really can’t screw it up! Beyond the ease, I swear it makes the vegetables taste like candy.

This may seem like it’d be a hassle to clean up after but it’s really not. Just put the pan with the burnt salt under the sink and run hot water on it until the salt dissolves.

Salt Roasted Beets

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 1-2 hours

3/4 cup coarse grain salt
Beets, tops trimmed and peel on

Method:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Lay the salt out in a single layer on a roasting tray.
Wash the outside of the beets. If your beets are large you can cut them into quarters or leave them whole. The larger they are, the longer they’ll take to cook.
Lay the beats on top of the salt and place them in the oven.
Roast for 1-2 hours until you can poke a fork through the skin with some ease.
Remove from the oven and begin peeling off the skin while still hot. You may want to use gloves or a towel to keep the beets from burning your hands. Brush off any remaining salt on the outside.
Serve hot or chilled.

What do you do with your beets? Well they make a good salad, for one, especially if you keep those beet greens. Vegetables roasted in salt don’t need any further seasoning so you can just pop them in your mouth.

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Tangy Kale and Carrot Quinoa

Written on May 2, 2012 by Wannabe Chef in Side Dish

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from living off meal plan in a dorm room, it’s how to get savvy with the foods and cooking tools available. I could probably count on one hand the number of times I made a meal on an actual stove the past few months, and I can’t wait to move back to somewhere where that’s more convenient.

I haven’t had a chance to run to the store and the day I made this it was pouring outside, so this was truly a winging-it meal made with whatever I had lying around. Quinoa’s a great pantry staple and cooks perfectly in any rice cooker(which is what I cooked this in, although I wrote the recipe for a stove since I figured that’s more common). Add some vegetables and a source of protein and you’ve got a meal.

Another example of ingenuity? The eggs I ate this with were baked, not boiled! I picked that up from this post I found on Pinterest. If you ask me I’d much rather toss eggs in an oven for 30 minutes and get other stuff done than stand over a stove waiting for water to boil. You could also serve this with baked tofu, tempeh, or chicken on top and it’d be just as good.

Tangy Kale and Carrot Quinoa

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 2 servings):

3/4 cup dry quinoa
1 1/2 cup water*
2 cup kale
2 large carrots, shaved into thin strips
2 Tablespoons mustard
1 Tablespoon agave
1/2 teaspoon salt

*This is the ratio with water I usually cook my quinoa in. If the brand you’re using tells you to do differently, follow the box’s cooking instructions.

Method:

Rinse the quinoa and then combine it with the water in a small pot. Cook for 15 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed and the quinoa is light and fluffy.
Turn off the heat and add the kale and carrot strips into the pot. Cover with a lid for 5 minutes until the kale and carrots have steamed.
Add in the agave, mustard, and salt and mix everything together. Serve while still hot.

The agave and mustard aren’t too strong or overpowering but give this just the right amount of flavor to be light and refreshing. Next time I might add toasted cashews and eat this all on its own.

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Gluten-Free Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Written on April 9, 2012 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

I saw a lot of carrot cake recipes last week leading up to Easter while I was planning to make one for yesterday, too. I’d forgotten it’s sort of an Eastery dessert. Easter is also the time I celebrate my birthday with my extended family and carrot cake has always been one of my favorite cakes. It’s kind of an odd choice(or so I’m told), but I love it. I even asked to have it as my graduation cake after 6th grade when everyone else was choosing chocolate and chocolate fudge; it’s their loss.

I haven’t had carrot cake since eating gluten-free a few years ago and have been meaning to make this for months. Of course, when I did decide to make it things started going wrong. I realized Friday night I only had one cake pan, so a layer cake was out. I also didn’t have a grater so I had to peel and chop the carrots. I completely forgot to add the pineapple I bought just for this, and as I went to add in the walnuts I remembered my aunt’s allergic to walnuts, so I swapped in some pecans at the last minute. Still, this was one of the best carrot cakes I’ve ever had.

This recipe makes one cake layer. You can double it to make more for a layered cake. To make the cake dairy-free, use a vegan cream cheese substitute. I’d recommend something organic since vegan cream cheeses tend to have odd ingredients.

Gluten-Free Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts(or any other nut)
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 1/2 cups almond flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup maple syrup
4 eggs
6 Tablespoons coconut oil, melted
8oz cream cheese, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-2 Tablespoons milk or cream

Method:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Mix together the carrots, raisins, walnuts, coconut, almond flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
Mix in the maple syrup, eggs, and coconut oil until the batter is even.
Pour the batter into a 12-inch cake pan and spread out evenly.
Bake for 40 minutes until the cake rises and the center has cooked through.
Remove from the oven and let cool completely before frosting.
To make the frosting, sift the powdered sugar into a bowl with the cream cheese.
Add in the extract and milk and beat until completely mixed.
Spread on top and around the sides of the cake.
Garnish with extra nuts if desired.

I’ll always have a soft spot(and empty stomach) for carrot cake. Since there are vegetables and fruit in this I’m going to go ahead and say it’s fine to eat the leftovers for breakfast, too.

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Miso Mushroom Quinoa

Written on March 20, 2012 by Wannabe Chef in Entree

It always really surprises me when I find out people I know in real life read my blog; I’m not sure why since I have it connected to all my social media accounts, but still it does, and the support is always amazing.

One thing I almost always get asked by friends is where do the recipes come from? There are a whole slew of answers. Sometimes they just pop into my head; other times I’ll pass over one online that I can’t ignore. Over the weekend Whole Foods tweeted their quinoa, mushrooms and peas with miso from the Whole Foods recipe blog and for once I had all the ingredients on hand and knew I had to make it.

Miso is a paste made out of fermented soybeans. It’s available in most grocery stores. A container will last you months and months and it can be used in sauces and soups.

Mushroom Miso Quinoa(adapted from this recipe)

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup dry quinoa or 2 cups cooked
1 cup sliced mushrooms
3/4 cup frozen peas
2 carrots, diced
2 Tablespoons white miso
Juice and zest from 1/2 an orange
1/2 Tablespoon fresh ginger
1 Tablespoon sesame oil

Method:

Cook the quinoa according to box directions.
While the quinoa cooks, combine the rest of the ingredients in a large pan and mix over the heat.
Toss over medium heat until the vegetables have cooked through and the liquid mostly evaporates.
Pour the vegetables into the cooked quinoa and mix thoroughly. Serve hot or cold as leftovers.

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The Best (Vegan) Quinoa Stuffing

Written on December 1, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Entree

Since I eat quinoa all the time, I get asked a lot what recipe should somebody who’s not really a fan of quinoa try to get themselves to like it. This is that recipe.

I made this last Thanksgiving and then again for Christmas Eve since it was such a hit. If you’ve never seen 80 year old aunts nudging each other to get the serving spoon for more quinoa, it’s quite hysterical. The only difference I made this year was using oil in place of butter and vegetable broth for chicken broth so that this was both vegan and gluten-free. You won’t miss the white bread in this untraditional stuffing.

If you want to save some time and chopping, you can buy pre-diced mirepoix at most grocery stores like Trader Joe’s nowadays.

The Best Quinoa Dressing

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 8 servings):

2 cups quinoa, rinsed
4 cups vegetable broth(or chicken broth)
2 medium carrots, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon parsley
1/2 tablespoon rosemary
1/4 cup cane sugar

Method:

Bring the quinoa and broth to a boil in a large pot. Cover the pot and turn off the heat, letting the quinoa sit to absorb the water.
In a pan, sauté the onion, celery, and carrots in 2 tablespoons of oil until the onions are translucent and the carrots have cooked through.
When the quinoa is fully cooked, add in the sautéed vegetables, sugar, and herbs. Mix those in while fluffing the quinoa.
Move to a serving bowl and serve warm.

I’ve never been so happy for Thanksgiving leftovers.

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Peas And Carrots Quinoa

Written on October 11, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Side Dish

I’ve never understood why there are so many pea blogs out there, and then it hit me: I can’t remember ever trying peas before. I’ve had snap peas, but never peas out of their pod—at least not ever since I’ve been old enough to remember. I used to ice my legs with frozen peas I stole from a common room refrigerator, but that doesn’t count I don’t think. I even went to London where I was promised there would be mushy peas and I never saw any. What a disappointment. So when I went to Trader Joe’s and saw a bag of frozen peas for fairly cheap I thought I’d try them out.

Peas and carrots seem to be the quintessential baby food. I’m not sure why; they’re two vegetables that just about anyone can enjoy. Dressed up with quinoa, they’re perfectly good for adults, too. And these were good. Now I see why all the fuss over peas. I can’t believe I’ve gone so long without trying them! Never again. I find their sweet, earthy pop of flavor addicting. I absolutely couldn’t get enough of this when I made it, and you won’t be able to either.

Peas And Carrots Quinoa

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 4 servings):

1 cup uncooked quinoa, washed and drained
1/2 cup cooked peas
1 carrots, sliced thinly
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon honey(optional)

Method:

Bring the quinoa and 2 cups of water to a boil over the stove.
Add in the carrots and cook until the quinoa has soaked up all of the water.
Add in the peas, salt, and honey. Mix and fluff the quinoa. Move to a serving bowl and serve hot.

More peas, please.

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Raw Pad Thai

Written on August 16, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Entree

When I shared A Day In The Life Of A Restaurant Intern, a reader wanted to know more about the raw pad Thai bowl I had for lunch. This is something I’ve been making all Summer long and honestly I never blogged about it because I didn’t think it was that exciting. Healthy? Yes. Delicious? No doubt. An excuse to eat peanut butter for every meal? Totally. But not really exciting.

I never really make this the same way, sometimes adding sesame oil, sometimes using chickpeas instead of tempeh—you get the idea. One ingredient I highly recommend investing in is miso paste. I never really knew much about it before a few months ago and certainly never would buy it at the store. Now I wouldn’t keep a refrigerator without it. The salty/savory flavor is truly unique and adds a special depth of flavor that’s crosses cultures. I’ve used this in place of garlic, onions and salt in greens and beans and it tastes just as good. It’s definitely worth the investment.

Raw Pad Thai

Ingredients(For one serving):

1 zucchini
2 carrots
1/2 cup bean sprouts
1/2 block tempeh
peanuts to garnish

For the sauce:

2 Tablespoons peanut butter
2 teaspoons maple syrup
1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
1/2 Tablespoon white miso paste
1 teaspoon siracha sauce(optional)

Method:

Using a vegetable peeler, peel the zucchini and carrots into long, thin “noodles” using as much of the vegetables as possible.
Make the sauce by mixing together the peanut butter, maple syrup, vinegar, miso, and siracha if using until smooth. If necessary add a few teaspoons of water until the sauce is runny yet thick.
Toss the sauce with the vegetable “noodles” and bean sprouts in a large bowl reserving about a tablespoon of sauce.
Plate the noodles in a bowl.
Slice the tempeh on a bias and plate it on top of the sauced noodles.
Spread the reserved sauce on top of the tempeh. Garnish with peanuts if desired.

Like I said, you can play around with the ingredients to suit what’s in your pantry. I could eat tempeh and peanut butter all day long so this is how I like it best.

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Carrots Vichy

Written on March 11, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Side Dish

I, just like George Washington, can not tell a lie: These are not Carrot Vichy. If you don’t know what Carrot Vichy is, clearly you’ve never googled it. According to Epicurious, it’s thinly sliced carrots cooked in butter, sugar, and Vichy water(whatever the hell that is) and sprinkled with parsley. Instead I made these with honey and olive oil for a lighter flavor, and swapped the herbs for what I had on hand.

(Almost) Carrots Vichy

Ingredients:

1lb large carrots, sliced thin
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons honey
1 Tablespoon dried herbs
salt to taste

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Thinly slice the carrots about 1/4-inch thick and put them in a mixing bowl.

Pour in the olive oil and honey.

Next add in the salt and herbs(I used dill; herbs de Provence would also be good here) and mix it all together. Lay out the carrots on a baking tray and cook for about 45-55 minutes or until the carrots are soft and tender.

I don’t care what you call them; these are tasty. Every other time I’ve made roasted carrots they’ve come out tough, but these were actually soft. But I guess since I used tap water these are Carrots Tap?

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