Tag: carrots
Back to My Lotus ROOTS (Renkon No Kinpira)


Back to My Lotus ROOTS (Renkon No Kinpira)


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We are always looking for ways to increase our veggie intake.  Part of the problem is our everyday veggies are BORING.  Let me clarify, Veggies aren’t boring, it’s our method of prep.  We should be arrested for vegetable prep neglect and indifference.  We often find ourselves nuking frozen corn or mixed veggies as we sit down to eat. Veggies are a sad afterthought.

No More

Expanding our veggie-verse has become a priority.  What we have discovered are the veggie-centric dishes such as Chinese Cucumbers, Indian Dal, Aloo Gobi, Korean Banchan,  or Japanese Tsukemono.  Make batches ahead of time so dinner on a busy night means pulling out the Tupperware from the fridge.  Win-win!

One of my favorites is Kinpira Renkon or Stir-fry lotus root.  Make a batch and store it in the fridge.  Super simple to make and a delicious accompaniment to rice.  I tweaked the recipe to include carrots and cloud ears (black cloud mushrooms).  Look for fresh lotus root in Asian supermarkets, it is mild in flavor, crunchy, and delish.   It also comes vacuum-packed, sliced, and ready to use.  If you can’t find it, Jicama might work.

Slice the lotus root and place it in water with a touch of vinegar.  Julienne the carrots, and soften the cloud ear mushrooms in warm water.  That’s it. The veggies are then sauteed’ in soy sauce, Mirin (cooking wine), and sesame oil.  Easy peasy.

Enjoy!

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Simmered Lotus Root (Renkon no kinpira)


An easy Japanese stir fry veggie dish
Course Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine Asian, Asian-American, Japanese
Keyword black fungus, Carrots, Kimpira, lotus root
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

The Star

  • 2-2.5 cups lotus root peeled and thinly sliced
  • 2 Cups water or enough water to cover lotus root
  • 2 Tsp vinegar

The Supporting Cast

  • 1/2 cup carrots julienned
  • 1 T dried cloud ear mushrooms Once soaked will yield about 1/3 cup
  • 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 tbsp mirin
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari

To Finish:

  • 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
  • dash of chili flakes or 1 small fresh chili pepper, thinly sliced, for milder version de-seed and de-vein pepper optional (shichimi togarashi is recommended)
  • 1 stalk green onion, diced optional

Instructions

  • Soak the lotus slices in cold water and vinegar for 10 minutes and drain and rinse a couple of times.
  • In a large saucepan over high heat, warm both oils. Once hot, add the lotus root slices and cook until they become soft, 4-5 minutes. Add carrots halfway through cooking time. Stir in the mirin, soy sauce/tamari and reduce heat to low. Add cloud ears when you add the sauce ingredients to pan.
  • Simmer until the marinade has almost disappeared.
  • Remove from heat, sprinkle with sesame seeds and shichimi togarashi prior to serving.

Notes

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Simmered Lotus Root (Renkon no kimpira)

Alternate recipe
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Instructions

  • Peel and rinse the lotus root. Cut it in half and then thinly slice about 4-6mm thickness. Add the vinegar to the water and soak the lotus root in the vinegary water for about 3 minutes.
  • Julienned carrots and black fungus. Set aside.
  • De-seed and finely chop the chili pepper or slice into thin rings.
  • Heat sesame oil over medium heat and stir fry the lotus root. Once almost finished cooking (about 75% and starting to look more translucent), add the sake, mirin and sugar. Cook for about 2 minutes or until liquid is mostly evaporated. Add the soy sauce and fry for 1 minute, or until most of the sauce is soaked up. Lastly toss in the chili pepper and sesame seeds. Remove from burner, serve and enjoy!
It’s Raining, It’s Pouring the Instant Pot is Not Snoring, it’s Cooking Pot Roast

It’s Raining, It’s Pouring the Instant Pot is Not Snoring, it’s Cooking Pot Roast

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It’s chilly, it’s raining, it’s just downright dreary.  How to combat this scenario?

Couch potato:  Snuggle on the couch and watch a movie or read a book. What, couch too far? Ok, stay in bed with a good book and a cup of tea.

Kitchen Diva: It’s the holidays, you’re supposed to be filling the house with the aroma of butter, cinnamon, sugar and all things delicious.  Let’s get ready to BBAAAKKKKEEEEE.

Outdoor Warrior:  Put on those stomping boots and raingear and hit those puddles!

Ok, I’m only feeling Option 1 or 2.

So, I decided on doing a combo, I spent the day baking cookies, cruising the internet and watching Netflix.  Right around 5pm my stomach grumbled and sent a signal to my brain “what’s for dinner?”

Here is the criteria for today’s dinner:  it should be easy to make, comforting and of course delicious. I pull out my Instant Pot, check off easy.  Take out the chuck roast I had bought the day before, check off comforting. Rummage through my crisper and pantry and pull out onions, carrots, potatoes, check off delicious.

Yep, pot roast on a rainy, dreary day…sounds like a plan, Stan. Sitting down at 6:30 to dinner.  Yahoo, thanks Instant Pot.

Instant Pot Pot Roast

What’s better than pot roast for dinner? Pot roast the next day!

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Pot Roast a la Instant Pot

Decide at 5pm to have Pot Roast for dinner. I know, what am I thinking? Pull out the Instant Pot and damn, by 6:30 I'm sitting down to a delicious bowl of meltingly tender chunks of beef, carrots, and potatoes over steaming hot white rice.  Adapted from Damn Delicious.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  • 1 3-pound chuck roast
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1 yellow onion chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1/4 cup dry red wine
  • 3 cups beef stock
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 1/2 pounds baby red potatoes
  • 4 large carrots cut diagonally into 2-inch pieces
  • 1/2 pound fresh assorted mushrooms sliced, optional
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1-2 tablespoons soy sauce or fish sauce optional kicks up the flavor, check for saltiness before adding

Instructions

  • Set a 6-qt Instant Pot® to the high saute setting.
  • Season beef with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Heat oil; add beef and cook until evenly browned, about 2-3 minutes per side; set aside.
  • Add onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in garlic and tomato paste until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  • Stir in red wine, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
  • Stir in beef stock, Worcestershire, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, potatoes, carrots and mushrooms. Top with beef. Select manual setting; adjust pressure to high, and set time for 60 minutes. When finished cooking, quick-release pressure according to manufacturer’s directions.
  • Remove beef, potatoes and carrots from the Instant Pot®; shred beef, using two forks.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and 1/4 cup cold water; set aside.
  • Select high sauté setting. Bring to a boil; stir in cornstarch mixture and cook, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened, about 2-3 minutes. If the mixture is too thick, add more beef stock as needed until desired consistency is reached.  If using mushrooms, sauce may be a bit thin, reduce before adding cornstarch slurry.
  • Serve beef, potatoes and carrots with juices immediately accompanied by rice or buttered noodles or a nice crusty bread to sop up the sauce.

 

 

 

 

 

 
Oh Birthday Cake, My Carrot Cake

Oh Birthday Cake, My Carrot Cake

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We celebrated Jeffrey and my brother’s birthdays yesterday.  Yes, they share the same birthday…but many, MANY years apart.  I remember sitting on the couch dreading each new contraction while my family celebrated my brother’s birthday chomping on big juicy rib-eye steaks off the grill.  The meal was cut short when I “exclaimed” through gritted teeth,  “I think I need to go to the hospital,  YOU (referring to my brother) will have to take your birthday cake home.”  That was twenty-two years ago. Wow, time flies.

24 Carrot Gold Recipe

The tradition of celebrating every birthday with Wes’s delicious carrot cake would not exist if not for a college girlfriend (his roommate’s), a classmate’s birthday, and a bag of carrots.  After finding a lone bag of carrots in their fridge, John’s girlfriend decided to bake a carrot cake for their classmate’s birthday.  Thus began the love affair between Wes and Carrot Cake (tough competition for me, lol).  He can’t recall the girlfriend’s name or the classmate’s whose birthday they celebrated.  But luckily he asked her for the recipe and the rest is, as they say, history.

Over the years he has modified it to his liking.  Out went the nuts and shredded coconut, and in went raisins.  He doubled the luscious cream cheese frosting, because everyone knows you can never have too much frosting. He also cut the sugar to temper the sweetness.  This is a classic American cake; spicy, moist, sweet, peppered with pineapple and raisins, and finished with a buttery sweet cream cheese frosting. YUM.

One Bowl Babee

That’s how simple and easy this cake is, you can make it in one bowl and a spoon or whisk.  Wes pulls out an old tattered goldenrod Tupperware bowl (yes goldenrod, circa 1987), a whisk, and a grater when he makes his signature cake.  That’s it.   Grate the carrots on the small holes of the grater. He likes a denser cake and often throws the pineapple in without draining.  I have convinced him to drain the pineapple for a lighter, less dense cake.  Bake the cake in a 9×13 rectangular cake, or 2-9×2-inch circular pans, or even a muffin tin for cupcakes.  Throw in some nuts if you like (Wes never does), walnuts are usually the nut of choice.

Frost, Frost Baby

Tips for the cream cheese frosting:   Start with slightly softened butter but not warm, whip the butter first, add the cream cheese and continue to whip the two until light and creamy before adding the sugar.  Once the sugar is added, beat just long enough to fully incorporate the sugar, and then STOP.  Overbeating after adding the powdered sugar will cause the frosting to lose its structure.

I crossed out the above section just to show that baking and cooking is not static.  You’re always tweaking, or changing something in hopes of making it better.  I have revised how to make Cream Cheese Frosting.  I love Zoe Bakes, and her carrot cake episode has step-by-step instructions for making Cream Cheese Frosting. The frosting comes out smooth, luscious, and creamy.  This prompted me to give my favorite frosting its own post.

So there you have it, hubby’s two, no, now four, favorite recipes, Good Cookies, Carrot Cake, Foil wrapped Chicken (coming), and his famous Super Bowl Tuna Dip.   I’m not jealous, credit is like community property in California, I get half the credit, right?  In fact…

I think I will have a slice of cake right now.

Happy Birthday, Anson and Jeffrey!

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5 from 1 vote

Birthday Cake, Carrot Cake

Hubby’s carrot cake that is the fam’s cake of choice for birthday celebrations….no I’m not annoyed…not at all, lol.
Course Cake, Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword Carrot cake, Carrots, cream cheese frosting
Prep Time 23 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour

Ingredients

Cake

Dry Ingredients:

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients Part 1

  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 cups granulated sugar

Wet Ingredients Part 2

  • 3/4 cup low fat buttermilk
  • 2 cups grated carrots use small holes of grater
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 8 oz. Can Crushed pineapple in pineapple juice See notes
  • 1 cup Regular raisins Can sub golden raisins if you like.

Frosting:

  • 1 stick salted butter 4oz
  • 1 8-ounce brick of cream cheese
  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar sifted
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Cake:

  • Preheat oven to 350. Rack should be in center of oven
  • Grease and flour a 9 x 13 pan.
  • Combine the flour, cinnamon, salt and baking soda in a small bowl. Set aside.
  • Beat oil, eggs and sugar together in a large bowl
  • Add the dry ingredients to the oil-egg mixture along with the rest of the ingredients (wet ingredients part 2) and stir with a whisk until well mixed.
  • Pour into pan and bake for 45-50 minutes.
  • Bake for 60 minutes if using the 10 inch round cake pan.
  • Bake for 25 minutes if making cupcakes.
  • Cake is done when the top is a rich golden brown, a tester should come out with just a few crumbs and relatively clean.

Frosting:

  • Using a mixer, on medium speed beat butter until softened and slightly creamy.
  • Add cream cheese and vanilla, beat until well incorporated and mixture is light and creamy
  • Sift sugar over mixture and mix until combined and to desired consistency. Don't overbeat!
  • Use 1-1/2 recipe of frosting for 9x13 cake out of pan, single layer or cupcakes
  • For two layer cake double frosting recipe

Notes

For a denser cake use the pineapple without draining.  For a cakier, lighter, texture drain the pineapple before adding.  I personally like draining the pineapple, hubby has begrudgingly started to do this although he probably does leave a bit in.  Marriage is always a compromise 😉

Update!

The first of the 3jamigos got married in April of 2024!  Her request was for “Daddy” to make her wedding cake.  It turned out beautifully
What’s Up Doc? (Roasted Carrots with Avocado)

What’s Up Doc? (Roasted Carrots with Avocado)

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Though I am not a vegetarian by any stretch of the imagination we have definitely cut back on our carnivorous ways.  I find myself perusing cookbooks, favorite blogs or magazines for recipes that showcase vegetables.  This recipe for Roasted Carrots and Avocado Salad from Smitten Kitchen caught my eye and with Jamie home for the weekend, it was time to give it a whirl.

Wow.

Just wow.

Aside from being visually stunning.  This salad is absolutely delicious!  The different textures and flavors play off of each other.  The warm carrots with the cool yogurt and avocado, the crunch from the seeds against the creaminess of the avocado.  Sweetness from the citrus dressing compliments the cumin and coriander.  I could go on and on but I think you should just stop reading, skip to the recipe at the end of this post and MAKE this salad.  Really.

 

carrots

Great dishes invite imitation but often with a personal twist or tweak by each chef, this is no exception.  I found versions of this salad on NYT cooking, Jamie Oliver and the Spotted Pig.  Variations included using sour cream instead of yogurt, different spices, pumpkin seeds instead of sesame seeds, arugula for the sprouts.  Use you imagination.  I plan on adding orange segments, a pinch of smoke paprika next time and maybe some cilantro.  Can’t wait to make this dish again!

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What’s Up Doc? (Roasted Carrots with Avocado Salad)

Ingredients

For carrots:

  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons teaspoon cumin seeds toasted and cooled or ground cumin
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons coriander seeds toasted and cooled, ground coriander instead
  • 2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 teaspoon coarse or kosher salt plus more to taste
  • Red chile flakes to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 4 garlic cloves minced or pressed
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 3 pounds thin-to-medium carrots scrubbed, not peeled; mixed colors if possible
  • 1 -2 oranges cut into segments, reserve 1/2 of an orange uncut for the dressing (segments optional)
  • 1/4-1/3 cup cilantro leaves optional

To finish

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons orange juice from about 1/4 orange
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice from about 1/2 lemon
  • 1 large or 2 medium firm-ripe avocados cut in thin slices
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 to 2 cups radish sprouts other sprouts or light salad greens of your choice
  • 1/4 cup plain non-fat or 2% Greek yogurt or sour cream
  • 2 tablespoons roasted hulled pumpkin seeds sunflower seeds, toasted sesame seeds or a mix thereof

Instructions

  • Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Cover 1 large baking sheet or shallow roasting pan with foil. Pour 1/4 cup water in bottom of pan
  • Make your spice paste by either pounding the cumin, coriander, thyme, salt and peppers in a mortar and pestle until roughly ground or using an electric spice grinder or small food processor to do the same.
  • If using ground spices, combine them in the bottom of a bowl large enough to fit carrots.
  • In bottom of bowl, combine prepared spices, salt and pepper, garlic, vinegar and 1/4 cup olive oil and whisk to blend. Add carrots and toss to coat evenly.
  • Spread carrots in prepared pan, drizzle with extra marinadeand cover tightly with foil. Roast for 25 minutes covered then remove the foil and roast for additional 35 minutes, until the carrots are lightly browned and tender but not falling apart.
  • Meanwhile, combine 2 tablespoons olive oil, orange and lemon juices in a small bowl with salt and pepper.
  • When carrots are done, scatter with avocado, sprouts or greens of choice and orange segments then drizzle with citrus dressing
  • Dollop yogurt or sour cream over the top and sprinkle with seeds.
  • Enjoy!