ecobites.com

Making your life greener - one bite at a time.

Lovingly prepare carrots in salads, juice, dressings, dips, cakes, muffins, biscuits / cookies....add to stir-fry, saute, bake, soups, casseroles, fried rice, pasta and grain dishes.

Carrot (julienne) straws or sticks combine beautifully. lightly steamed with orange juice, honey, ginger and parsley. Carrot combines well with another root vegetable, parsnip straws with a dash of organic honey and toss through toasted sesame seeds.

Roasted Carrots (or other roots)

If it is mid-winter, and your roots are stored in their protective coating of earth, they might need peeling as thinly as possible, and are very good roasted. Scrape and trim carrots, and cut into sticks. Put the carrots or other roots such as parsnips, potatoes, celeriac, beetroot into a roasting tin all cut into the same size pieces. Sprinkle with virgin coconut oil, and toss to cover. Sprinkle with celtic salt and a little vegetable or other stock and a good squeeze of lemon (orange is good with carrots too). Roast at 200C/Gas 6 until the veg has begun to colour, stirring them around from time to time. The liquid should cook off.

Whole hulled millet with carrots and onion

Sometimes you can get very bored with the conventional grains of the West. So here is an easy introduction to millet, an African staple, and a very ancient food. This recipe makes an excellent hot dish to serve with salad and cheese. Millet may be roasted before cooking, and this is how you do it. Measure your millet in a glass measuring jug to the 12 fl oz level (about 9 oz or 255 g). Heat a cast iron frying pan over a medium flame. Put in the millet and stir to toast. It is done when it smells roasted and some of the seeds turn light brown. Some might even burst open like popcorn. Take off the heat. In a heavy casserole pot melt 3 tbspns organic butter or coconut oil. Add a couple of large carrots peeled if necessary and julienne (into matchsticks), plus a finely chopped onion, a stick of cinnamon and 5 cloves. Cook for 5 mins, until the onion has browned at the edges. Add your pre-roasted millet, pinch of celtic salt and 22 fl oz or 6 dl water or stock. Bring to the boil. Put the lid on and turn heat low for 30 mins. Then, take the lid off and pour in 2 fl oz (1/2dl) boiling water stirring quickly with a fork. Cover again and cook for another 10 mins. Turn the heat off and let the pot sit, covered and undisturbed for another 15 mins. Remove spices before serving.

Coolslaw

Finely slice red cabbage. Grate a couple of organic carrots (no need to peel), grate red onion to taste. Chop a sprig or two of parsley finely. Add a handful of organic sultanas if liked. Mix together and dress with half mayonnaise and half organic plain yoghurt, seasoned to taste with a pinch of cayenne.

Grated organic carrots and fresh shredded coconut + organic sultanas and toss through orange juice and dressing for a great Carrot Salad. Another salad favourite is to combine julienne carrot + celery + red capsicum and toss through dressing, sprouts and herbs.

Carrot and Cumin Soup

Roughly chop your scrubbed but not peeled organic carrots. Peel and chop two red onions. Cook both gently in organic butter / coconut oil with garlic, saffron, cumin and celtic salt to taste, until soft and aromatic. Add a glass of white organic wine and stock to cover, and bring to the boil, cook until all is soft and liquidise. This can be made in advance and reheated. You can serve bits of roasted tomato floating on top, or garlic sippets (the old English word for croutons). Rub some slices of best-quality organic bread with garlic, cut bread into cubes, spread on a baking sheet and sprinkle with a few drops of organic olive / coconut oil and bake. To my taste, doing it like this is more delicious because you don’t get the sensation of the inside of a crouton delivering a great deal of oil when you bite it.

Organic Vegetable Stock

There is nothing like making a good batch of this useful stock, reducing it, and freezing it in old ice cream tubs to make you feel virtuous. In a large pot, put any vegetable trimmings, slightly squashy tomatoes from the bottom of the fridge, a couple of sliced organic carrots, a couple onions, 3 or 4 cloves, an organic orange cut in half and roughly squeezed (peel and all), mushroom stalks and peels (or a couple of mushrooms if you can spare them), outer celery stalks, parsley stalks, thyme sprig and bay leaf. Cover with filtered water. Bring all to the boil and skim off any scum. Simmer for one hour (not a precise art). Strain, taste for flavour. Reduce by boiling if you like. Cool. Freeze. Or use immediately in risotto, soups or sauces.

Organic Carrot Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper, and spray with non-stick baking spray.

2. Bring the carrots and 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons apple juice concentrate to boil in a medium saucepan.

3. Lower heat and simmer until tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Puree in a food processor until smooth.

4. Add the raisins and pulse until finely chopped. Let mixture cool.

5. Combine the flour, wheat germ, baking powder, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl.

6. Add 1 1/4 cups apple juice concentrate, coconut oil, eggs, egg whites, and vanilla, and beat just until mixed. Fold in the carrot puree and applesauce.

7. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans.

8. Bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the pans, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.

9. When cool, frost with topping of choice.

Celebration Toppings:

Blend mashed banana + lemon juice + arrowroot + yoghurt (sheep milk has a nice creamy texture) + brown rice syrup (optional)  / add fresh beetroot juice for a nice pink colour and decorate with fresh flowers.

Process 2 cups mashed banana + ¼ cup arrowroot + ½ cup carob powder.

1 cup organic dates + 1 tablespoon carob powder + 1-2 cups sesame seeds…soften dates in water, grind sesame seeds very fine, mix all together, blend until smooth.

Mix ½ cup water + ½ cup sweetener of choice + 3 tablespoons arrowroot in small pan, stir frequently until it boils and thickens, stir in 3 cups fresh coconut + small amount of coconut oil.

Organic powdered cane juice – sold as organic icing sugar.

Process 8oz organic cream cheese + 1 cup organic butter + honey to taste + lemon juice (1 or 2 lemons) + lemon peel.

60gms unsalted organic butter, softened + 1 teaspoon lemon rind + 1 teaspoon vanilla + 1 tablespoon organic icing sugar or honey…cream butter, lemon rind, vanilla and lemon juice, gradually beat in icing sugar until thick and smooth.

Cream 310 gms organic butter + 2 1/4 cups organic icing sugar & beat 4 egg yolks (one at a time) & beat ½ cup mashed strawberries, add ¼ cup strawberries. Refrigerate until firm to spread.

Celebration Frosting…Cream 125 gms organic butter cubed and softened + 125 gms melted organic chocolate, Beat over ice until thick.

(Makes 1 double-layer 9-inch round cake)

If you don't want as many raisins, substitute 3/4 cup raisins and 3/4 cup walnuts or use other organic dried fruits, dates, muscatels, cranberries, currants) This makes a good birthday cake for small children!

Thierry's Power Juice

4 carrots
beetroot with greens
5 - 6 leaves of Romaine or other leaf lettuce
3 - 4 leaves of spinach 2 apples

Scrub organic carrots . Clean and cut beet into slender wedges, and wash & dry lettuce and spinach leaves.  Juice half of the carrots, and the beet, then you may use the remaining carrots and apples to help push the lettuce and spinach through the juicer.

Carrot is the perfect base for your fresh juice or perfect by itself, you may like to dilute with water to start your baby on.

Carrot Cocktails

Carrot + coconut / Carrot + celery + apple / Carrot + beetroot + apple / Carrot + apple / Carrot + pineapple / Carrot + celery / Carrot + orange or any citrus combination.....