Kel and I are back home after a lazy week in Florida where I gave myself permission to break most of my eating and exercise, um, guidelines. I ate what I wanted, when I wanted and in whatever quantity appealed. My pace never broke the stroll barrier and I got in some high quality pool-time where a crossword puzzle, a good book, and a bottomless soy latte were never too far out of reach. Wait a sec – - let me loosen my belt buckle. Okay.
So while I detox from my overindulgences – including waaaay too many hours in front of the TV watching the Jodi Arias trial on HLN (she is so freakin’ guilty) – Angela from Canned Time covers today’s post. If you haven’t visited Canned Time yet, please head over there after you’ve enjoyed her beautiful Carrot Butter recipe (look at those carrots!). Her photos are stunning and her recipes are healthy and creative. Thanks, Angela!
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First up, my sincere thanks to Annie for helping me so much since last fall. She is truly an inspiring, good soul who can make me laugh at life….the perfect combination.
Thanks Annie ♥
So let me premise this post by confessing that I don’t like carrots. Cooked or raw, they’ve never been a veggie that I seek out, crave or otherwise munch on. And knowing what good things are packed into these little jewels, I’ve decided to change that old habit starting today!
Carrots are one of the best sources of carotene, a strong antioxidant, but carrots also contain other phenolic compounds that are antioxidants. Most people do not realize that numerous phenolic compounds are located in the skin of fruit and vegetables, many of which are removed by peeling prior to processing. And Carrot greens, something rarely mentioned even in the Vegan world, are rich in vitamin K, we love that right?
So I needed to find a way to not just
include carrots in my diet, but find a way to enjoy these little lovelies!
Enter: Carrot Butter
I made my Carrot Butter discovery very innocently last month while chatting with Somer at Vedged Out. I’d never even heard of it before and in an on-line search, I found there are as many recipes for Carrot Butter as there are Carrot colors. Sweet, Savory, Spicy. So I’d advise to pick your favorite flavor and here’s mine:
1 Cup of Sliced Carrots, 1 Cup of Sunflower Seeds, 1/2 Cup of Agave, 1 tsp. Cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. of Ginger, pinch of Sea Salt, Nut milk (up to 1/2 Cup for smoothing)
Steam the carrots to fork tender. Drain. Combine everything in a blender or food processor and blend, blend blend. Add in more milk if it seems too thick. I used about 1/3 cup to smooth the paste out and I let it blend for over 5 minutes until really smooth. My first batch was a little too bumpy for my taste. Transfer the butter into a sealed container and refrigerate until cool. Serve as a dip for veggies, fruit, crackers or breads. Store sealed in the fridge for a week or so.
I think I could learn to LOVE carrots now. My next batch I’ll try a savory version with some garlic and a little tumeric. The sky is the limit here.
I’ve found an easy and inexpensive way to add in veggies to even more of my meals with dehydrated veggie salts. Just dry out some veggies, carrots, celery, beets, onion (my favorite on fries) grind up the dried veggies and mix them into a coarse sea salt with about a 3:1 ration salt to veggie. If you’re trying to limit salt, make a 50:50 blend. Not only does this sneak more nutrition into plain ‘ole salt but it’s a great way to use up those overly ripened, maybe not so pretty veggies that still hole so many nutrients. Dry them out and grind ‘em up!
So, I think my dislike of the wonderful Carrot is over. An inexpensive, flavorful way to boost any meal’s nutrition and taste! Thanks for the idea for the butter Somer. And much gratitude to Annie and An Unrefined Vegan for sharing and caring ♥
Plant-based lunch options are few and far between in Amarillo, Texas on Sundays. Which is why during a recent road trip we opted to go to a Natural Grocers in search of munchies. Along with some almond butter, sweet potato chips and a bag of vegan chocolate chip cookies, I grabbed a container of Thai Coconut Curry Hummus (vegan, kosher, gluten-free and organic!) by Hope Hummus. Boy Howdy! It was absolutely delicious. I’ve never seen this brand before and since I won’t be finding it in my local Walmart any time soon, I knew I had to recreate it for myself. It makes a great dip but it’s even better as a sandwich spread. (And it sure beats a meal at The Big Texan, home of the *free* 72 oz. steak.)
Lunch can present problems. I’m usually starving by noontime, but I don’t want to spend a lot of time preparing anything – and unless there are leftovers waiting in the refrigerator – a meal from scratch is the only option. That’s why a spread like this is worth its weight in gold. It’s quick and easy to prepare, is mighty tasty and very satisfying.
Three ingredients (four if you count the water). One small saucepan and about 20 minutes of your time. That’s what I call jammin’ MoFo-style.
A mere few weeks ago I was all hot for 
The first time I made this simple miso soup, I was home alone and suffering from a bad cold. All I wanted was soup (a little sympathy wouldn’t have hurt, either), but I didn’t have the desire or energy to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Miso was the perfect solution. Quick, easy, comforting and healthful to boot. You can make it as fancy or as simple as you like.
3-4″ piece kombu
Chile-Garlic Sauce
Have you signed up yet for the Virtual Vegan Potluck?? It’s easy to do – just visit the 
When I started researching stocking my pantry, I ran across a reference to powdered peanut butter. Images of astronaut food and hikers came to mind, but the idea of having a very shelf-stable product appealed to me. And then I read a description of what reconstituted peanut butter tasted like. I’d sooner help myself to a bowl of wet cement. I mean, I’d be happy to have it during a nuclear winter, but, I wasn’t tempted just yet to load the pantry shelves with it. So I gave up on that particular idea and decided to stock up on the jarred variety instead. Its shelf life is pretty decent and in our household, there would never be a problem of rotating the jars – we consume the stuff too fast.
