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.

A clean and healthy meal to end the week…which I have to say has been kind and sweet. I am planning my trip to France with a few healthy recipes to bring along for my parents, and especially my mom who has diabetes. My parents who have been carnivorous all their life, have started to enjoy more of a vegetarian diet in their old days, so who’s to say people’s tastes don’t change.

I like to combine lentils with some vegetables and make it a balanced dish. The lentils and carrots are not really pureed, but have some texture, which is quite pleasant. This dish is fairly simple, with a few ingredients and spices. The tahini sauce enhances the whole dish and you need to use a lot of it.

For a vegan version, don’t use yogurt, and use more water in the tahini, it tends to thicken fast.

Ingredients for 2-3

For the lentil-carrot mash

• 60 g uncooked lentils
• 1 bay leave
• 2 cloves
• 1/4 onion
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 4 carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tbs cilantro, chopped
• 1 handful kale, chopped (optional)
• salt and pepper

For the tahni sauce

• 2 tbs tahini
• 1 tbs water
• 3 tbs plain yogurt
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• zest of 1/2 Meyer lemon
• 2 tbs Meyer lemon juice
• salt and pepper

For the roasted squash

• 2 cups butternut squash, cubed (1 inch)
• olive oil
• soy sauce

Preparation

For the lentil-carrot mash

Cook lentils in water with bay leaf, cloves, onion until tender but not mushy. Cook carrots separately. Heat olive oil in a pan, add carrots, 2 tbs broth and simmer until cooked. Adjust with salt and pepper. When carrots and lentils are cooked, mix them together and mash with a potato masher. In a pan, heat olive oil, toast cumin seeds until fragrant. Add garlic and stir for a few min, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add lentil-carrot mixture, stir well, then add kale and cilantro. Mix well to combine all ingredients and until kale is wilted. Keep warm.

For the tahini sauce

Combine all ingredients together in a bowl and mix well. If too thick add some water.

For the roasted squash

Heat oven at 400F. Place squash in a baking dish and sprinkle with olive oil, soy sauce, adjust with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven until all sides are golden brown but still firm.

Serve with lentil-carrot mash, squash and lots of tahini sauce, at least five times more of what you see on the picture!

]]> http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2015/10/lentils-and-carrot-mash-with-roasted-butternut-squash-and-tahini-sauce/feed/ 0 http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2015/05/roasted-acorn-squash-with-honey-cumin-and-coriander-tahini-and-kefir-yogurt-sauce/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=roasted-acorn-squash-with-honey-cumin-and-coriander-tahini-and-kefir-yogurt-sauce http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2015/05/roasted-acorn-squash-with-honey-cumin-and-coriander-tahini-and-kefir-yogurt-sauce/#comments Fri, 29 May 2015 06:01:47 +0000 silvia http://www.citronetvanille.com/blog/?p=16954 Courge acorn rôtie au miel, cumin et coriandre, – Sauce au kefir et tahini

This recipe is long overdue, I started it a while ago before my trip, and I decided to finish it while in France.

Vegan cuisine is starting to be popular here too, at least a lot of Vegan cooking books are seen on the shelves of bookstores. This is somehow a good news in a country which has a long history of being a big meat eater. Charcuterie (cold cuts) has been part of the country’s culture for a long time probably since the founding of the country by the Gaulois. I noticed that France is starting to have the same problem as the US as far as eating habits are concerned and overweight people. I guess it’s a sign of times.

France is a country that is reluctant to changes, and that is reflected in all aspect of its economy, lifestyle, demographic, etc… and it seems like slowly things are changing here too. Good or bad? Time will tell.

Well that may be a winter squash but I felt like eating some, and as long as it’s organic, I am fine with it. Squash is a very versatile vegetable, you can cook it in so many different ways. It needs to be well cooked but not overcooked or it tends to be mushy and lose its shape. It is definitely a whole meal in itself, and quite filling. You can use any other kind of squash, just don’t overcook it. I Usually I eat this as a meal with sometimes a salad on the side.

The roasted seeds gave this dish a Middle Eastern flair to it, and delicious flavor to the somehow flavorless squash. Try it, it’s simply delicious.

Ingredients for 2-3

• 1 acorn squash, seeds removed and sliced
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tbs pomegranate molasses
• 1 tbs honey
• 1/4 tsp crushed chili pepper
• salt and pepper

For the kefir/tahini sauce

• 1 cup kefir
• 2 tbs tahini
• 1 garlic clove crushed
• 1 tsp lemon
• 1 tbs chives, chopped
• salt

Preparation

For the squash

Cut squash on half and remove seeds. Slice lengthwise.

Roast cumin seeds, mustard seeds and coriander seeds in a pan until fragrant. Crush them in a mortar. In a small container, mix roasted seeds, olive oil, pomegranate molasses, honey, chili peppers, salt and pepper. Mix well.

Pour the mixture on squash slices, and mix well to coat squash.

Preheat oven at 380F. In a roasting pan, spread squash slices evenly and and roast in oven until squash is tender but not mushy. Turn slices after 10 minutes.

For the sauce

Mix all ingredients together.

Serve squash hot, pour sauce on top, sprinkle with chives and serve the remaining sauce on the side.