Tag: Carrot

Spicy Carrot Dip

Note: I was sent a copy of America’s Test Kitchen The Complete Modern Pantry Cookbook in order to write this review. Opinions are mine alone.

Recently, my husband and I moved to the suburbs. One of the biggest adjustments has been having to make basically every single meal at home, where when we lived in Philadelphia, we were able to get amazing takeout whenever I was too wiped to cook or hadn’t gone food shopping.

So when I was contacted to review America’s Test Kitchen The Complete Modern Pantry Cookbook (paid link), I jumped at the chance. This book gives you more of a blueprint than tried and true recipes so that you can easily use whatever you might have on hand. The Complete Modern Pantry has a ton of information and tips to help home cooks reduce waste, save money, and get the most out of their grocery purchases.

The Complete Modern Pantry is anchored in the realization that every pantry is unique. Rather than expect all readers to have similarly stocked pantries, the recipes and suggestions in this book focus on what the ingredients do for the finished dish, instead of what they are. This book also looks to remove many of the common hurdles to creativity by empowering home cooks to:

  • Utilize a wide range of tangible variations and suggested improvisation to core Test Kitchen recipes so new ingredients don’t need to be purchased.
  • Understand key principles to everyday recipes (and some not-so-everyday) so they feel confident iterating on them based upon what is on hand in their kitchen.
  • Recognize how simple changes to a few ingredients in a recipe can make a big impact on the appearance and flavors of a dish- getting rid of the monotony of common meals.

The book has plenty of information on how to store fruits and vegetables in a way that will extend shelf life, recipes that rely on frozen items such as frozen tilapia which is cost effective are included as are tips on making the most of ingredients.

I was really impressed with a lot of the main dishes in this cookbook but I couldn’t stop thinking about this recipe for Spicy Carrot Dip that would be perfect to serve last minute guests, so I wanted to highlight it here.

This recipe uses fresh carrots, plus a bunch of spices and hot sauce to deliver a flavorful dip! I actually had all of these ingredients already on hand, making it super easy to make.

Ingredients:

  • 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more for serving
  • 1 lb carrots, peeled and sliced
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • pinch chili powder
  • pinch ground cinnamon
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce
  • 1/2 tablespoon white wine vinegar
  • fresh cilantro, chopped, for garnish (optional)
  • crispy capers, for garnish (optional)

Continue reading Spicy Carrot Dip

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Nearly a decade ago, I shared a recipe for a Bunny Carrot Cake. Although it’s super cute, I figured it was about time I shared a decidedly less creative dessert that is still perfect for Easter and spring in general: Carrot Cake Cupcakes!

These Carrot Cake Cupcakes are based off the original recipe I shared 9 years ago, but I substituted in walnuts for the raisins. They are topped with cinnamon cream cheese frosting and then sprinkled with carrot-shaped sprinkles to make them extra adorable.

Ingredients (makes approximately 30 cupcakes):

Carrot Cake Cupcakes:
  • 4 large eggs, at room temperature
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • ¾ cup melted browned butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon cloves
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 cups loosely packed grated carrots
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts (omit for nut-free)
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting:
  • 2 (8 oz) packages of Cream Cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (1 stick)
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 (16 oz) packages powdered sugar
  • Easter-themed sprinkles, if desired

Kitchen Tools Used:

Continue reading Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Carrot Ginger Soup

Like much of the east coast, Philadelphia got hit with a blizzard last weekend. Which meant I had a whole weekend to make a bunch of meals, like this Carrot Ginger Soup!

This Carrot Ginger Soup from Cooking Light is comforting and creamy without any cream! The hint of curry powder brings such a nice warmth to the dish.

It makes 12 servings, so it’s a great recipe to stock your freezer. I love it as a side to my sandwich or salad for lunch!

Ingredients:

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (or margarine to make dairy-free)
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 7 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth to make vegetarian)
  • 4 cups diced carrots (~1.5 lbs)
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • the juice from 1/2 lime
  • 1/4 teaspoon curry powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

Continue reading Carrot Ginger Soup

Gluten Free Coconut Cardamom Carrot Bread

Bob’s Red Mill has been providing gluten-free flours, cereals, baking mixes, and grains for over 30 years. The company is so committed to it’s gluten-free promise that they even have a separate gluten-free packaging division to ensure their products are purely gluten-free.

Camilla V. Saulsbury’s new cookbook showcases the breadth, depth and versatility of Bob’s Red Mill’s gluten-free grains. As more and more people move towards a gluten-free lifestyle (either due to allergies or other health reasons), one of the easiest ways to transition to a gluten-free diet is to embrace the many grains available that are naturally gluten-free.

The cookbook, Bob’s Red Mill Everyday Gluten-Free Cookbook, includes 281 whole-grain recipes for entrees, side dishes, baked goods, desserts, etc. that include grains such as amaranth, quinoa, millet, and teff. The book also includes a section describing the grains, their uses, and how to store them.

There are a bunch of really delicious sounding recipes in the cookbook, but I wanted to try a baked recipe because that seems to be the toughest type of recipe to make gluten-free and still maintain the same texture and taste.

This recipe for Gluten Free Coconut Cardamom Carrot Bread uses a mixture of sorghum flour, millet flour, and potato starch to make a gluten-free bread. The bread is flavored with grated carrots, coconut flakes, and cardamom.

Before sharing the recipe, I thought it might be helpful to give some information about the different ingredients used in this recipe that may be a bit unfamiliar.

 

Sorghum Flour is a good source of protein, iron, dietary fiber and antioxidants. Sorghum promotes a healthy metabolism due to its high magnesium and copper levels. The starch and protein in sorghum flour take longer than other similar products to digest, making it particularly helpful for those with diabetes. Sorghum flour adds slight sweetness to baked goods and can be added or substituted in any recipe that calls for flour. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 months or in the freezer for up to 4 months.

Millet Flour is a good source of protein, essential amino acids, and dietary fiber, as well as manganese, phosphorus, and magnesium. Millet flour helps keep the digestive tract operating smoothly and lowers the risk of diabetes and heart disease. It has a light, mild flavor and works well in sweet or savory baking. Millet flour delivers a cake-like crumb to baked goods. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 months or in the freezer for up to 12 months.

Potato Starch is used as a thickener for sauces, soups, and stews, or is used in baking with a combination of other flours (rarely by itself) and is a natural way to add moistness to many baked goods. Store potato starch in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 6 months or in the freezer for up to 1 year.

Virgin Coconut Oil can be stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator. When kept at room temperature, coconut oil will go in between being a liquid and a solid, which doesn’t affect the oil’s quality. It’s easier to measure out larger amounts of coconut oil when it is a liquid, so run the jar under warm running water before opening to liquify when measuring for this recipe.

 

Ingredients:
  • 2/3 cup sorghum flour
  • 2/3 cup millet flour
  • 2/3 cup potato starch
  • 2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder (like Clabber Girl)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup melted virgin coconut oil (you can also use melted unsalted butter or olive oil if you prefer)
  • 2 cups shredded carrots
  • 1 1/4 cups unsweetened flaked coconut
Courtesy of Bob’s Red Mill Everyday Gluten-Free Cookbook by Camilla V Saulsbury, 2015 © www.robertrose.ca Reprinted with publisher permission.

Continue reading Gluten Free Coconut Cardamom Carrot Bread

Slow Cooker Marinara

Making a large batch of marinara sauce and freezing it for later use makes dinner on really hectic weeknights significantly easier. My mom used to make pots upon pots of tomato sauce during the first snow of the season which always made the house smell oh so good, especially after coming in from the cold. We haven’t had our first snow yet, but that’s not going to stop me from trying out this slow cooker marinara from Cooking Light. The sauce can be frozen and used for months.

The original recipe used fresh tomatoes but I hate peeling tomatoes and the plum tomatoes this time of year just aren’t very attractive. So I used the next best thing, canned whole peeled plum tomatoes. If it’s summer when you make this, go for the fresh ones!

Ingredients:

  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 cups chopped onion (about 2 onions)
  • 3/4 cup sliced carrot (about 2 carrots
  • 1/2 cup diced celery
  • 1/4 cup minced garlic (a good dozen garlic cloves)
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup dry red wine (such as cabernet sauvignon)
  • 3 28 oz cans of Whole Peeled Plum Tomatoes
  • 2 dried bay leaves
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
  • 3/4 cup chopped fresh basil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Continue reading Slow Cooker Marinara

Chicken Fricassee With Tarragon

Cold weather always makes me crave comfort food. I tend to really want pasta (and would be perfectly happy eating it every day that drops below 40 degrees) but am always open to healthier comfort food options. BetterEats.com had a lighter recipe for Chicken Fricassee, which is a French stew with chicken, vegetables, white wine, and cream that when paired with some day old bread makes a fantastic comfort food option.

Ingredients:

  • 2 1/2 pounds chicken pieces (breast halves, thighs, and drumsticks) – bone-in, skin removed (I used 1 chicken breast, 1 thigh, 1 leg, and 1 drumstick)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • pepper, black – to taste
  • 2 tablespoons flour, all-purpose
  • 1 tablespoon oil, olive, extra virgin
  • 1 cup shallots (about 4 large ones)
  • 1 cup wine, dry white
  • 1 1/2 cups broth, chicken, less sodium
  • 1 medium carrot – peeled and thinly sliced (about 1/3 cup)
  • 1 pound mushrooms, I used 1/2 lb baby bellas, 1/2 lb button – wiped clean and halved or quartered
  • 4 sprigs tarragon, fresh
  • 4 teaspoons tarragon, fresh – chopped
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1/4 cup sour cream, reduced-fat
  • 2 teaspoons mustard, Dijon

Continue reading Chicken Fricassee With Tarragon

Champagne-Browned Butter Chicken

My CSA share this week came with the most beautiful carrots. I am not the biggest fan of carrots but I don’t mind them mixed into a dish. These were too pretty to not use! Cooking Light had a recipe in its latest issue that sounded really intriguing: Champagne-Browned Butter Chicken. The dish is pretty simple to make, although it takes a good hour and a half so this is not a weeknight meal. But the presentation is definitely snazzy enough for company!
Ingredients (serves 2 heartily, or up to 4):
  • 2 slices center-cut bacon
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 bone-in chicken thighs
  • 2 bone-in chicken drumsticks
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
  • 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
  • 1/3 pound potatoes, cut into equal pieces
  • 1/2 poundbaby bella mushrooms, halved
  • 1/4 cup brandy
  • 2 shallots, halved
  • 3/4 cup no-salt-added chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
  • 3 thyme sprigs
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 6 baby carrots with tops
  • 1 cup Champagne
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
Continue reading Champagne-Browned Butter Chicken

Creamy Fresh Tomato Soup

Naturally, the day after I made my Grilled Tomato Orzo Salad in a Tomato Bowl pretending it was summer, the weather decided to do a 180 and veer into rainy cold sadness. Sigh. So what better way to use some of my Lipman Tomatoes than to make Creamy Tomato Soup? I found this recipe on Food Network and I had most of the ingredients already, win! I changed the recipe slightly for my tastes.
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
1 carrot, unpeeled and chopped
3 cloves minced garlic
12 plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 cup packed chopped fresh basil leaves, plus julienned basil leaves, for garnish
3 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream
Croutons, for garnish

Heat a large pot or a Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the olive oil. Chop the onion and carrot.
Saute for 10 minutes.
While waiting for the onion and carrot to soften, mince the garlic and set it aside. Roughly chop the tomatoes. Chop the basil.
Add the garlic to the pot and cook for 1 minute.
Add the tomatoes, sugar, tomato paste, basil, chicken stock, salt and pepper to the pot.
Stir well and bring to a boil.
Lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
If you have an immersion blender, at this stage, use to puree the soup. If you don’t, remove half the mixture and add it to a blender. Blend until smooth; be sure to keep the center of the top off of the blender and cover with a paper towel. Repeat with remaining mixture. Return to the pot over medium-low heat.
The soup is honestly good to go at this point. Feel free to just stop here.
To make a creamy soup, add the cream to the soup and mix.
Serve with basil and croutons.

Oh my goodness. Not only is this super easy, but it is absolutely delicious.

Because the soup is made with so many fresh tomatoes, it’s important to use tomatoes at their peak.

This is a wonderfully thick soup so it’s a meal in itself, but rainy, cold days always make me want a favorite childhood staple:

Note: The original recipe used a food mill but I don’t have one. And I was not willing to peel the tomatoes so I blended them, and it worked out great. The soup ended up completely creamy.

Exit mobile version