I had to find something quick to make for lunch today, I just had 45 min to prepare and eat my lunch so that was a bit of challenge. For a fast food dish, I can say that this was a well done project. This soup is flavorful, nutritious and light, and needless to say quick to prepare, you just need to have the ingredients handy. I always keep chick peas in my pantry. When you don’t have time to cook them, you can use jarred one.

I started with the same way as making dahl, which was my inspiration in this dish. Then you had toasted spices when the soup is cooked and mashed, and instead of cilantro I use two handful of mixed greens (added at the end). Tofu is optional, but I felt like eating tofu today so it added an extra pleasant texture.

The great thing about this soup is that it will satisfy you for the whole day, you will not be hungry around 4-5pm wanting something to chew on. I love that feeling of feeling just right.

Ingredients for 2-3 people

• 1 tbs + 1 olive oil
• 1 tbs onion + 1, chopped
• 1 inch piece ginger, grated
• 1 lb cooked chick peas
• 5 ripe tomatoes, peeled, chopped and seeds removed
• vegetable broth enough to cover the vegetables
• Turmeric
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 handful of baby mixed greens, chopped (spinach, kale, chards, etc…)
• 4 tbs extra firm tofu, cubed
• salt and pepper

Preparation

In a pot heat olive oil, then add onions and let it soften. Add cooked chick peas, tomatoes, turmeric, ginger and broth. Let it cook for about 20 minutes.

In a pan, heat olive oil. Add onion, cumin seeds, mustard seeds and let it cook until onions are brown and seeds start to pop. Add garlic and stir for about 20 seconds, then remove from heat.

In a small pan, saute tofu in a little oil until browned on all sides. Remove from heat and keep warm.

When the soup is cooked, using a hand mixer, start mixing the soup but leave some pieces do not mix to a smooth texture. Adjust with salt and pepper. Put back on heat and add spice mixture and chopped greens. Stir until the greens are wilted.

Pour soup on plates, divide 1 tbs of tofu on top of each plate and drizzle with olive oil.

]]> http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2017/11/a-la-va-vite-tomato-and-chickpea-soup-with-spices-and-saute-tofu/feed/ 1 http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2017/10/roasted-celeriac-with-mung-beans-forestiere-fricassee-and-tarragon-oil/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=roasted-celeriac-with-mung-beans-forestiere-fricassee-and-tarragon-oil http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2017/10/roasted-celeriac-with-mung-beans-forestiere-fricassee-and-tarragon-oil/#comments Thu, 26 Oct 2017 03:02:46 +0000 silvia http://www.citronetvanille.com/blog/?p=18713 Céleri-rave rôti, fricassée forestière de haricot mungo et huile d’estragon

I have been neglecting my blog recently, and I feel I should refocus my attention on it. I guess not having too much time is the reason, but maybe because as we say “j’ai la tête ailleurs” (I have my head somewhere else).

I made this recipe a while ago but then never finish writing it. I think I know where the problem is…the writing. Sometimes my recipe has no story behind it, just me wanting to test new combinations and that is it. I will not pretend that by some magic lightning, I got a magic inspiration about this recipe and a very interesting story to share. This recipe is one of those with no story.

I love celeriac, love mung beans, love wild mushrooms, love tarragon, so here we are.

I really enjoyed the whole combination, which made me feel very well nourished and happy. I always make sure that whatever I eat makes me happy.

Celeriac is a French staple vegetable, we eat it in the traditional céleri rémoulade. My mom used to boil it, slice it and serve it cold with a vinaigrette. You can do all kinds of things with celery root, purées and soups are delicious.

Ingredients for 2-3

For the celeriac

• 1 medium celeriac, peeled and sliced crosswise in 1.5 com thick slices
• olive oil for coating
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• salt and pepper

For the mung beans fricassée

• 1 cup mung beans
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 shallot, sliced
• 1 leek, minced
• 1 carrot, peeled and diced
• 1.2 cups mixed wild mushrooms
• 2 tbs vegetable broth
• 2 tbs toasted walnuts, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tbs parsley, finely chopped
• salt and pepper

For the tarragon oil

• 1/2 bunch tarragon
• olive oil
• salt

Instructions

For the celeriac

Place celeriac slices on a tray. Coat with the listed ingredients and broil under broiler (far from broiler) until both sides are golden brown. The slices need to be firm and not overcooked to be able to maintain their shape.

For the mung bean fricassée

Cook mung beans in water until cooked about 15 min. They need to keep their shape, and not mushy. They can get easily mushy if overcooked and will lose their pretty shape. When cooked, drain and set aside.

In a pan, heat up olive oil, add shallot and let it soften for a few minutes. Add the carrots, mushrooms, leeks and broth. Cover and let cook at medium heat until vegetables are cooked. Add mung beans and stir well for a few minutes. Add garlic, parsley and nuts, and mix well until the strong garlic flavor fades away.

For the tarragon oil

Place tarragon and olive oil in a mixer and blend until obtained a nice green oil. Adjust with salt.

Place one slice of celeriac in a plate. Add 2-3 tbs mung bean mixture on top and top it with another slice of celeriac. Spoon one tbs of tarragon oil around and heat hot.

]]> http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2017/10/roasted-celeriac-with-mung-beans-forestiere-fricassee-and-tarragon-oil/feed/ 2 http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2017/08/oats-and-chick-pea-cakes-on-saute-broccolini-and-shiitake-asparagus-leek-sauce-shredded-spinach-salad-with-toasted-walnuts/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=oats-and-chick-pea-cakes-on-saute-broccolini-and-shiitake-asparagus-leek-sauce-shredded-spinach-salad-with-toasted-walnuts http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2017/08/oats-and-chick-pea-cakes-on-saute-broccolini-and-shiitake-asparagus-leek-sauce-shredded-spinach-salad-with-toasted-walnuts/#comments Tue, 08 Aug 2017 22:04:52 +0000 silvia http://www.citronetvanille.com/blog/?p=18659 Galettes de pois chiches et avoine sur brocoli rave et shiitake sautés, sauce asperges-poireaux, éffilochée d’épinards aux noix

There is nothing more than traveling that I like, and discovering new cuisines and cultures. It always inspires me and contributes to reaching new levels in my style of cuisine. I love to smell new aromas, new scents, while admiring the beauty of new countrysides. This will be my last recipe before my trip to Denmark and Sweden tonight. I hope I will bring back tons of new inspirations and new recipe ideas. I love Scandinavian countries and the simplicity of their cuisine and lifestyle.

As far as chick peas, their use is infinite. I made many chick pea cakes or galettes (whatever you want to call them, I like to call cakes smaller ones, galettes usually are flatter and larger), this one is a new version, it’s vegan and quite delicious. I wanted a dish with different textures that will enable me to feel fully satisfied after eating it. In a way, like a full meal. We have the creamy asparagus sauce, then the soft cakes, crunchy vegetables and a salad type of spinach on top, so if you think about it, it’s a full meal, and comprised of five vegetables.

Ingredients for 2

For the chick pea cakes

• 1 lb cooked chick peas
• 2 tbs flax seeds
• 2 tbs rolled oats
• hemp milk (2 to 3 depending on consistency)
• 1 tbs basil, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• salt and pepper

For the broccolini-wild mushrooms

• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 bunch broccolini
• 2 cups mixed wild mushrooms (shiitake, maitake, beach, oyster, etc…), cut
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 tbs mirin
• salt and pepper

For the asparagus-leek sauce

• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 tbs onion, chopped
• 1 bunch asparagus
• 1 leek
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• one pinch cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper

For the shredded spinach salad

• 1.5 cups baby spinach, shredded
• 2 tbs toasted walnuts, chopped
• 1 tbs lemon oil
• 1 tsb raspberry vinegar
• salt and pepper

 Instructions

For the chick pea cakes

Place chick peas in a mixing container, and crush them with a potato masher or with hands. Add all other ingredients and mix well to obtain a smooth paste. If toot hick add hemp milk. Form small round cakes (about 4 inches diameter).

Heat olive oil in a pan, then cook cakes on both sides until golden brown. Remove from pan and keep warm.

For the broccolini-wild mushrooms

Heat olive oil in a pan, add garlic. When fragrant, add vegetables. Stir well and add mirin, salt and pepper. Cover and cook at medium heat until broccolini cooked but still firm.

For the asparagus-leek sauce

Heat olive oil in a pan. Add onion, then cook until translucent and soft. Add asparagus, broth, salt and cover. Cook until asparagus are soft. Blend using an immersion blender or mixer, until very smooth. If you get fibers from asparagus, strain the mixture.

For the shredded spinach salad

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.

To assemble, first place broccolini mixture in the center of the plate. Top it with 3 cakes per person. Pour sauce around, and spinach salad on top of cakes.

Napoléon de yams et choux de Bruxelles, herbes et confiture de poivrons

Last time I was at my parents’ in France a few weeks ago, I saw this empty jar of a delicious red bell pepper jam I bought during a vacation in Seville. That certainly did bring up some beautiful memories. I remembered buying it in an open market, as being a local specialty, and served with sheep cheeses. Then I decided to read about it and do a little research on this particular jam and it seems like it’s consumed in the Pays Basque as well where they say it’s a Basque specialty. So obviously it originated in that area, as to who created it, France or Spain, I think we’ll never know.

Back in California, a few weeks later, I went to this wonderful restaurant in Healdsburg called Chalk Board (if you ever go in that area, you need to try it) and to my astonishment, my delicious grilled zucchini dish was served with red bell pepper jam! what a strange coincidence! As soon as I came home I went to buy red bell peppers and I made jam. I had no choice, this was a sign…

So the highlight of this dish and the main purpose of this dish is the red bell pepper jam, not the yams and nor the Brussels sprouts. Maybe I should just have made a post with the jam only, but then you need an example on how to eat it. Actually, this red bell pepper jam is often served with sheep cheeses, but also with grilled meats and fish. Here it goes perfectly well with this vegetable combination.

The jam I bought in Seville was more liquid, so for the next batch, I will just cook it less. This was a thick jam, so depending on your preferences, you might want to play with the cooking time. Its flavor is amazing, sweet, flavorful and spicy. It truly enhances many dishes and if you want to eat it like in Spain, try it with any hard sheep cheese like manchego, it’s magic.

Ingredients for 2-3

For the Napoleon

• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 large yams, peeled and cut 1/2 inch thick slices across
• 1 lb Brussels sprouts, shredded
• 3 tbs white wine
• salt and pepper

For the herb dressing

• 1.5 tbs mixed herbs (scallions, chives, basil, etc)
• 4 tbs olive oil
• juice of 1/2 Meyer lemon
• salt

For the red bell pepper jam

• 600 g red bell peppers, peeled and seeds removed and cut in small strips
• 250 g brown sugar
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• Piment d’Espelette

Preparation

For the napoleon

Place yams in a non stick tray. Coat with olive oil, salt and pepper and broil on both sides until cooked.

Heat olive oil in a pan, add garlic, stir until fragrant then add Brussels sprouts and wine. Cover and let cook at medium heat until wilted and wine evaporated. Adjust with salt and pepper.

For the herb dressing

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.

For the belle pepper jam

Place peppers in a pot along with the sugar. Let it cook at medium temperature until soft and the texture has thickened. Add lemon juice and let it cook a bit more. Add piment d’Espelette at the end and cook for another 5-10 minutes. At this point, the texture is syrupy and thicker, more like a coulis.

Using a rind, mount the napoleon. Place a slice of yam at the bottom of the plate, then add Brussels sprouts, then a tsp of herb dressing. Continue the process to a second layer. Serve with some red pepper jam and herb dressing.

I just realized that I took the pictures and I forgot to add the chick peas…too late!

I love this dish, I wouldn’t have thought I would have loved it so much but the cauliflower “semoule” goes so well with it. There is a little confusion when translating couscous from French into English.

For us, French people when we talk about couscous, it refers to the Middle Eastern dish (vegetables/meat stew + semoule) and not only the little wheat grains that in the US they call couscous. What people call couscous in the US, we call it “semoule” or semolina.

As usual, being a huge eater of vegetables, I thought to substitute the couscous (wheat semolina) with cauliflower. I was wondering if the flavor wouldn’t be too strong. The truth is, it was not, it was just perfect.

If you want to consume less starch, don not hesitate to use cauliflower in couscous, it works perfectly.

The vegetables need to be cut in larger pieces, over one inch, maybe 1.5 inches. I found the same harissa as we use in France in a Middle Eastern store. Harissa is a middle eastern hot chili sauce made out of roasted peppers, hot chili peppers, and many other herbs and spices. You can equally make it. If you cannot find harissa, you can use any chili based hot sauce to add at the end.

Ingredients for 3-4

For the vegetable stew

• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 celery stem, diced
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 turnip, diced
• 3 zucchini, sliced
• 1 small eggplant, diced
• 4 tomatoes, peeled, seeds removed and chopped
• 1 cup chick pea, cooked
• 1 tbs tomato paste
• 2 tsp ras el hanout
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 dose saffron
• harissa to taste
• salt and pepper
• cilantro for garnish

For the semoule

• 1 medium cauliflower
• 2 tbs pinenuts
• 2 tbs raisins
• 1 tbs olive oil
• salt and pepper

Instructions

For the vegetable stew

Heat olive oil in a large pot. Add onions and cook until soft, then add garlic. Add tomato paste and stir well. Add all vegetables except chick peas, and add some water. Add all spices, mix well and cover with lid. Let cook at medium heat for about 20-30 min until vegetables are cooked but not mushy. When cooked, add chick peas, drizzle with olive oil, cilantro and serve hot.

For the cauliflower semoule

Using a food processor, grate cauliflower on the same blade you would grate carrots.

Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Pour cauliflower and cook for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and drain. Keep warm. Add pine nuts, raisins. Adjust with salt and pepper.

Eat with vegetable stew and that’s what we call couscous!

I was not sure how this would end up, and did not know if it was worth posting. The funny thing, is that I finished making the carpaccio, and thought let’s not go through the posting process, of writing and editing images, etc… since today I have not too much time to play around and blog, so I started eating it. Then I liked it so much that, I made a second batch for the pictures and decided to post it.

With making recipes for the first time, you never know how the results will be, it can go wither way, sometimes you decide it’s not something you like, or you are disappointed and it ends there. No second time.

Today it was a really nice surprise. You can definitely serve this as an appetizer, it’s light and fragrant, and open your appetite for the next course.

I love daikon, after my trip to Japan, I ate a lot of them, then slowly I stopped buying them. I guess I am back into my daikon phase. Actually I prefer cooked daikon than raw, it does change its flavor end when cooked, the sweetness of the vegetable stands out. This recipe is quite simple and does not take long. You just need a mandoline, a griddle and a mixer.

You could substitute daikon with avocado and tarragon with basil. It’s all about your inspiration, tastes and mood. Now go and play…and eat daikon!

Ingredients for 3-4

• 2 daikon, 2 mm sliced with a mandoline
• 4 zucchini, 2mm sliced with a mandoline
• salt and pepper

For the roasted tomatoes-tarragon coulis

• 3 well ripe and medium size tomatoes, cut in half and seeds removed
• 1/2 bunch tarragon + leaves for garnish
• 1/2 jalapeno
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper

Preparation

For the zucchini-daikon

Heat up a grill pan at high heat. Place slices flat and grill a few minutes on each sides. Set aside.

For the roasted tomato coulis

Place tomato halves in a tray and place under broiler until the top gets darkened and tomatoes soft. Let it cool and mix in a mixer with other ingredients. Strain through a sieve. Adjust with salt and pepper.

Lay one slice of zucchini on top of one slice daikon and repeat until used all ingredients.

Top with coulis, decorate with tarragon leaves and eat cold or lukewarm.

I am not sure how to call this…it’s not a pizza, not a tart, not a galette, and not sure it fits into the flat bread category. So I decided to call it a Jeanette. Jeanette is a female’s old fashioned name, that I thought could as well fit in the food world (actually in mine it does) so here is a Jeanette. The crust is made out of whole wheat einkorn flour, topped with a garlic-herb paste, wild mushrooms, cauliflower. Originally, I had a in mind a vegan tarte flambée (flammekueche), one thing leading to another, then Jeannette was born.

Einkorn flour does not have the same texture than regular flour, therefore you will get a different type of dough. When mixed with yeast, einkorn flour will not rise as much as regular flour, and you will not get a airy and fluffy dough. It’s more dense  (which I like). So you your dough does not rise as much, don’t throw it away, it’s normal.

This became a favorite in the house and I make it once a week now!

Ingredients

For the crust

• 1 1/4 cup einkorn whole wheat flour
• salt
• 1/2 cup lukewarm water
• 1/2 tsp dry yeast

for the herb paste

• 1 cup of mixed herbs (cilantro, oregano, chives, parsley, etc…)
• 3 garlic cloves
• 4 tbs + olive oil
• salt and pepper

For the topping

• 1 small cauliflower, broken into florets
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1.2 cups mixed wild mushrooms
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 onion, sliced very thinly
• chili flakes (to taste)

Preparation

For the dough

In a mixing container, add flour and salt and mix well. In a cup add water to yeast and let it sit for about 10 minutes until yeast starts to activate. Mix and pour into flour. Using your hands knead the dough until you obtain a smooth ball. Set aside, cover with a towel and let it rise for about one hour.

For the herb paste

Mix all ingredients in a mixer and set aside

For the topping

Bring a pot of salted water into a boil. Add cauliflower. Boil for about 3-4 minutes, then remove from heat and drain.

In a pan, heat olive oil, add mushrooms and let cook at medium heat until water evaporates (about 5 minutes). Adjust with salt and remove from heat.

On a flat surface spread dough thinly (about 3 mm) with rolling pin. If too sticky add flour. Lay dough on a pizza pan, as if you are making a pizza. Spread herb paste all over the dough. Add mushrooms, then cauliflower and finally the onions. Sprinkle some chili flakes and oregano, salt and pepper.

Pre heat oven at 400F and place the Jeannette on rack closer to the flame/heat. Cook for about 10-15 min, ensuring the bottom is not burning. It needs to be crunchy and golden brown.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with some olive oil. Serve hot

Who said tofu is boring? When you start preparing it like you would prepare meat, it’s the same thing. Meat by itself is boring too in my opinion. The great thing about tofu is that it absorbs all the flavors it is exposed to. So you cook it the same way, you would cook meat, and the problem is solved.

I like to always have two vegetable dishes on my plate, mo matter what I eat, so you can play around with this recipe. I always say recipes are just there to give you ideas, it’s not something rigid, you can modulate them to your tastes.

This recipe is very simple, it would almost be an express dish, if you didn’t have to cook the spaghetti squash which takes quite sometime.

 Ingredients for 2

For the tofu skewers

• 1 extra firm tofu package, drained and cut into 1 inch squares
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 inch ginger pieces, grated
• 3 tbs soy sauce
• zest of 1/2 lemon
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2 tbs sake
• 1 tbs coconut sugar
• salt and pepper

For the spaghetti squash

• 1 small spaghetti squash, cut lengthwise
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 3 large king oyster mushrooms, sliced into 1 inch pieces
• 3 large heirloom tomatoes, peeled, seed removed and diced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tbs dry white wine
• 2 tbs mixed herbs (parsley, basil, chives, etc…)
• Salt and pepper

For the dandelions greens

• 1 tbs olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• chili flakes
• 1 bunch dandelions, cut into 1.5 inches
• salt and pepper

Preparation

For the tofu

In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except tofu. Mix well, then add tofu, coat it with marinade and let marinate for about 2 hours in the refrigerator.

Grill on a skillet until golden brown.

For the Spaghetti squash

Cut the spaghetti squash lengthwise. Wrap it in aluminum foil, making sure that it’s sealed and no air is going through the wrap. Bake in the oven at 390F for about 45 min. Remove from the oven, unwrap and remove seeds. With a fork carefully detach the spaghetti from the skin and place in a container.

Heat olive oil in a pan and add shallots. When shallot are soft, add mushrooms. Stir well. Add tomatoes, garlic and wine. Adjust with salt and pepper. Cook until water evaporates from tomatoes and tomatoes thicken. Add mixed herbs at the end.

Add spaghetti squash to the tomato-mushrooms mixture and mix well.

For the dandelions

Heat olive oil in a pan. Add garlic, chili and stir until fragrant. Add dandelions, salt and pepper. Add stir well until wilted.

Serve spaghetti squash, add tofu skewers on top and dandelions all around. Drizzle with olive oil and eat hot.

I bought a juicer a long time ago. I thought I would start juicing, then after one week, I got tired of cleaning the juicer, so that went in the basement, where all the unused “things” sit. My basement almost looks like a museum of kitchen gadgets.

One week ago, for whatever reason, I decided to start juicing carrots again and bringing back the juicer from the dungeon. A boost of vitamin A would definitely not hurt my skin. My neighbor was telling me how her forehead skin spots (almost like vitiligo) disappeared after one week of drinking carrot juice. I love those kinds of stories, involving vegetables and proven health benefits, and not reading from a magazine.

So here I am at the store buying a tons of all kinds of carrots, thinking my skin will look soon gorgeous. I bought all the possible carrots I saw on the shelves: yellow, purple, thin, fat, long and short. It seems like there is a carrot party in the refrigerator.

After one day of juicing, I remembered why that machine was left in the basement for so long…the cleaning. It’s really annoying (that’s the least I can say), and it went straight back in the basement. Now, I have a lot of carrots to play with, it is a fun toy because you can use them and their greens in so many different ways.

Like any other root vegetable, you can eat the stems. You can make many things with carrot stems, such as soups, pesto, eat it as a saute green, etc…You no longer have to throw those away when you buy carrots by the bunch.

They don’t have a strong taste such as the mustard greens, they’re more subtle. These galettes are light and you need to eat more than two to feel replete, so eat them with a side dish other than a salad. You can add other spices but I like the combination of cumin, coriander and paprika.

Ingredients for 2

For the galettes

• 1 bunch carrots with stems
• 1 cup oats and oat bran (50-50)
• cashew milk
• 2 eggs
• cumin powder
• paprika
• coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 onion chopped
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• salt and pepper

For the carrots and edamame

• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1/3 onion, chopped
• 4-5 small carrots, peeled and cut in about 1.5 inches pieces
• 1 cup edamame, shelled
• 1 garlic clove, crushed

For the yogurt-tahini sauce

• 3 tbs Greek yogurt
• 3 tbs tahini
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• juice of 1/2 Meyer lemon
• zest of q/2 Meyer lemon
• 1 tbs cilantro, chopped
• salt and pepper

Preparation

For the galettes

In a mixing container, mix well carrots greens, oat bran and oats. Add cashew milk and eggs, let sit until the oats start absorbing the liquid and the mixture starts to thicken, and turns into a pasty texture. Add milk gradually so you will see the quantity you need. You don’t want extra milk to sit at the bottom of the bowl. That would mean you added too much. Add all other ingredients and mix well.

Heat olive oil in a pan and add the quantity of 2-3 tbs of mixture. When the galettes are golden brown on one side, turn on other side. Remove from pan and keep warm.

For the carrots and edamame

Heat olive oil in a pan, add onion, cook stirring until fragrant, then add carrots and edamame. Add 2 tbs dry white wine, salt and pepper and cover with lid. Let cook at medium temperature until the vegetables are soft but a bit crunchy. Add garlic and stir for a few minutes.

For the yogurt tahini sauce

Mix well all ingredients together and serve sauce with galettes.

If you are a carrot fan, this is your dish.

After my wonderful trip to Portland, I came back very inspired. This is a Portland inspired dish, that I ate at Coquine restaurant. Basically, there were three kinds of carrots in three different textures: a puree, roasted and shaved. So I decided to reproduce something similar which turned out quite delicious. I love the deep orange color of the dish and the very different carrot textures and flavors. It is a vegan dish, so one of those “make-you-feel-clean-meal”, at least that’s how I feel.

This dish is very well balanced in terms of textures and flavors. The smoothness of the puree contrasts with the sweet crunchiness of the fried leeks and soft lentils.

In France we have a saying “les carottes, ça rend aimable” (carrots make you pleasant), which I don’t know where it comes from, so today I have to say that I am extremely pleasant, especially that I ate two portions instead of one.

There are many different steps in this recipe but fast steps, so it’s not too time consuming.

Ingredients for 2

For the roasted carrots

• about 10 small carrots, peeled with stems (keep one inch stem)
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp honey
• salt and pepper

For the carrot purée

• 3 carrots, peeled and cut
• vegetable broth (enough to cover the carrots)
• 1/4 tsp cumin powder
• chili powder
• 5-6 tbs cashew milk
• salt and pepper

For the lentils

• 1/3 cup black lentils
• 2 cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 onion
• 1 celery stem
• 1/2 carrot
• 1 tsp olive oil
• salt and pepper

For the fried leeks

• Leek bottom (the white part) cut in 2 inches pieces, then into match sticks
• vegetable oil
• flour
• corn starch
• salt

For the shaved carrots

Using a mandoline, slice carrots very finely.

Preparation

For the roasted carrots

In a small bowl, mix oil, paprika, cumin powder, honey, salt and pepper. Coat the carrots with the mixture and broil under broiler until carrots are golden brown.

For the carrot purée

Place carrots in a pot with broth and let cook until carrots are tender. You might need to add broth if not enough during cooking process. When carrots are cooked, place in a mixer and mix until smooth consistency. Add all the other ingredients. Keep warm.

For the lentils

Wash lentils. Cook lentils in a pot of water with all other ingredients. When lentils are cooked, drain and add olive oil and salt.

For the fried leeks

Heat oil in a pan. Mix flour and corn starch. Coat leeks with mixture.

Add leeks to hot oil and cook until golden brown and crunchy. Make sure not to burn the leeks. When leeks are golden brown, remove from pan to a plate and pat dry with paper to absorb oil. Add salt and pepper at the end

Place some purée first on bottom of the plate, add lentils, divide roasted carrots on the plate. Top it with sliced carrots and fried leeks.