Carrots Carbonara

Carrots Carbonara.

 Carrots are one of my favourite vegetables. They're inexpensive (especially as far as Organics go,) and can dance seamlessly between sweet or savoury dishes.

Carrot sticks and grated carrots make regular appearances in my kitchen - they're great on their own and are a perfect addition to smoothies, salads, or meat sauces.  Carrot ribbons, however, had never before been part of my repertoire  - that is, until I stumbled upon this recipe by Grok Grub that had me thinking "wow that pasta looks amazing," and then "THAT'S NOT PASTA?" No, it's not pasta, it's CARROTS - they're crunchy, bright orange, and great for your eyes. 

Carrot ribbons.

Once you've peeled your carrots into ribbons and cooked your bacon, this recipe comes together in under 20 minutes, so it's perfect for dinner on a busy evening. I peeled the carrots in the morning and had them in the fridge covered with a damp paper towel until I needed to add them to the pan. 

You could serve this with a side salad, a pork chop, or on its own. If you're vegan, simply swap the bacon with sundried tomatoes and you're good to go. The portion is perfect for two people, or as a side dish for four - we even ended up with some leftovers that microwaved well for a snack the next day.

Get the recipe here.

Tweet

Warm Winter Quiche

The final product:
winter quiche and greens

How perfect is Quiche?

It’s full of protein, super versatile and it reheats well – I would consider it a fridge staple.

I feel that most people see Quiche as a Spring or Summer dish, but it’s amazing served with a side of greens on a chilly Winter evening. In most cases, all you need are a few pantry staples. Flour, oil, eggs, milk and salt are the perfect backdrop for any flavour combination. Any blend of vegetables, herbs, meat or cheese will do. Whether you want to get creative or just use up what's left in the fridge, Quiche is the answer.

Prepping some of my ingredients:
baby kale, shredded oak, eggs, garlic.

I haven’t seen this much snow on the ground in years. Of course it's snowed, but it hasn't stayed the way it has this year. This Winter feels like the real deal. I’ve been in total hibernation mode and that is being echoed in my kitchen, so I created a Warm Winter Quiche with wilted greens to amp up my energy level. Kale, Swiss Chard and Spinach are the stars of this dish, but the pan-roasted garlic and melted Oka had my kitchen smelling warm and inviting.
Toss some mixed greens with a little olive oil, salt and pepper while your Quiche is cooling. Pour yourself (and your guests) a glass of wine. Now, your Quiche is ready to slice and serve. Enjoy!

Get the recipe here.

Tweet

Baked Shrimp Mac and Cheese

Shrimp mac and cheese.

Baked mac and cheese is one of my favourite winter (/spring/summer/fall) treats. This isn't just because of the luxurious cheese-sauce, but because this basic dish is an amazing canvas for flavours. The classic noodle and cheese-sauce combination doesn't really maximize the nutritional potential of this dish, so I'm always mixing up different cheeses, vegetables, meats and grains.

The best thing about making mac and cheese is that you don't need a recipe at all (and you certainly don't need a box of chemical powder cheese.) If you are using a recipe as inspiration, you don't need to follow it to the letter, you can add more or less of anything to suit what you have in your kitchen at the time.

Bits of poached shrimp waiting
for their cheese bath.

I don't limit my definition of 'mac and cheese' to just macaroni either, I am an equal opportunity noodle-user and I think it's important to experiment. For this dish, I used a spiral Spelt-flour pasta. Spelt is an ancient grain so it's got less gluten than white or whole wheat, and it packs protein, B and E vitamins and other minerals. The crevices and curls of this noodle are like little holding tanks for sauce, which is ideal when you've got a melted blend of homemade chicken stock, parmesan rind, shrimp and aged cheddar.

Just before baking, I sprinkled ground almonds and grated parmesan (breadcrumb impersonators) over top of the pasta. When the top is browned, serve immediately with a small green salad and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc.

Tweet

Get the recipe here.