Carrot and Cashew Nut Roast - Comfort and Joy

The recent celebration of  National Cashew Day nudged me to retrieve a favorite recipe featuring cashews, Carrot and Cashew Nut  roast. I first made this recipe in the late 1990's when I was a practicing lacto-ovo vegetarian (I consumed eggs and milk, but no animal flesh).  I like the recipe because the ingredients are easy to find and the roast can be frozen before or after cooking.

The ingredients:

• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 medium carrots, cooked (retain cooking water)
• 1 1/2 cups cashew nuts
• 2 cups whole wheat bread crumbs  ( I've used regular bread crumbs too)
• 1 tablespoon tahini
• 1 1/2 teaspoons caraway seeds
• 1 tablespoon yeast extract (marmite)
• 1/2 lemon, juice of
• 1/3 cup water or stock from cooked carrots
• salt & pepper,to taste

 My steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 
2. Grease 2lb loaf pan. Set aside.
3. Measure out all the dry ingredients and a set aside in bowls. I suggest putting the breadcrumbs in a large bowl because the other ingredients will be mixed with the breadcrumbs.
4. Wash the carrots and cut the ends of the carrots off, discard. I boil the carrots over low to medium heat. I have read that others steam the carrots. It is important that the carrots be soft because the will be mashed.
5. Grind the cashew nuts in a food processor or a coffee bean  grinder. When I first made this recipe I didn't have a food processor. The coffee bean grinder was a less expensive alternative, but meant that the cashews had to be ground in several batches.
6. Chop onions
7. Chop garlic. My friend Ally gave me this wonderful a few months ago - it comes in handy!
8. I use the tablespoon of olive oil to cook the onion and garlic on medium -low heat. I want the onion to be translucent in color
9.  Remove carrots from heat and mash in a separate bowl
10. Add carrots, onions, cashews, yeast extract, lemon juice, and remaining dry ingredients to breadcrumbs. Add water/stock to mixture so ingredients are well combined.
11. Move mixture to loaf pan. Press mixture into loaf pan
12. Place loaf pan in oven. Bake for 1 hour.
13. After removing loaf pan from oven, let the pan sit for 10 -15 minutes before cutting or unmolding.

photo by TEP

photo by TEP

photo by TEP

The roast is delicious  served warm or cold. I've served it with potatoes and  other vegetables as well as with salad.

photo by TEP

I hope you enjoy the dish as much as I do. Let me know if you make the carrot and cashew nut roast.


Be well,

Technicolor girl

image created by Ink+ LLC

A Challenge is Issued to YOU....Name that Cocktail and Win a Prize!

During a recent  visit to Ripple Restaurant, Fred, one of the restaurant's mixologists,  invited me to try a prototype of a cocktail he developed.  He was especially curious about my feedback because the cocktail featured gin- not one of my spirits of choice.

Moments later, Fred presented me with the cocktail shown below. I took a sip and savored the flavors. The gentleman seated to my right leaned in my direction and asked, "How does it taste?". It tasted good, so good that I asked if the drink had gin in it. I offered the gentleman to my right a sip of the cocktail prototype. He nodded approvingly. Three people to the gentleman looked at the cocktail as well. I momentarily forgot the kindergarten  mantra and didn't share my drink with one else in the vicinity.

Fred's prototype cocktail

 

People began to ask Fred questions about the cocktail. What's in it? Which gin did you use? What are the proportions of the ingredients? Fred shared a few bits of information: gin, lemon juice, lime juice, egg whites, angostura bitters. The rest is proprietary. When asked what was the name of the cocktail Fred looked at me and said, "ask your blog readers to readers to name the cocktail."

 

So the challenge has been issued!  Share in the comments area below or on the Technicolor dining Facebook page what you think the cocktail name should be. The last day to submit your suggestions is November 6, 2014. Fred will choose  the winning name and it will be announced on this blog page.

 

What's the prize? A $25 Ripple gift certificate from Technicolor Dining!

 

 

Be well,

 

Technicolor girl

image created by Ink+ LLC

 

 

 

SNAP Challenge 2014 - Day 5: Lobster and deserts

snack time

Day 4 got off to a late start - I overslept after staying up very late to complete a deadline driven task for work. I attempted to run out the door to my first appointment, but stopped and took the time to eat breakfast. I'm glad I did because I didn't have lunch until 330pm.  I looked at the clock again and it was almost 430pm. I needed to leave soon for the volunteer event and hadn't eaten a snack, much less dinner. I  ate a few pieces of carrot  before heading out the door to the volunteer event.

arugula salad with lobster and quail egg

I should clarify, the volunteer event was being a volunteer assistant in a cooking class. I signed up for the class long before I knew the dates of the SNAP Challenge. The topic of this particular class was "Everything You Ever  Wanted to Know About Lobster". This was also a participation class; students would prepare their own dishes and the chef/instructor prepares a sample dish for the students to see that is served to the volunteer assistants.  Chef Bernard did a wonderful job demonstrating how to use every part of a lobster in a meal. When he finished preparing the arugula salad with lobster and quail egg  and began to create mini plates for the assistants he passed a plate to me. When I declined the plate he asked if I liked lobster. I replied that I was fasting in preparation for a procedure. He apologized and I offered my plate to another assistant. For the remainder of the evening when food was bring distributed I would disappear to the back and work with a member of the staff to dry dishes. The other assistants heard my reply to the instructor and told me they didn't know how they could volunteer in a cooking class and not eat. After class we cleaned up and I got home as quickly as I could. I was terribly hungry and tired. And while I didn't eat the food prepared in class, my best made plans had gone awry.  At 1118pm dinner was served.

Day 4 dinner

The best laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft a-gley, [often go awry]

- Robert Burns, To A Mouse

Lessons learned on Day 4:

• More snacks may have been an option than trying to carry my dinner with me.
• While I did fast - it was last week for labwork. Is there a better way I could've answered the offer of food from the chef? I need to think about that because I'm assisting in another class very soon.
•  While I may have been tired, my will power to stay on track with the SNAP Challenge remained steady.
•  As I prepared my lunch for Day 5 I realized I have enough soup for Saturday, but will need to be creative with my option for lunch on Sunday. 

clean cooking classroom!

 Questions posed to me on Day 4 and my answers:

• Q: Did you comparison shop for your food?
• A: I did comparison shop (see Day 1) and I also consider myself fortunate because I have my own transportation and drive to a store with access to fresh fruits and vegetables. I know there are food deserts - places without ready access to fresh, healthy, affordable food. 

Cooking Class Volunteer

• Q: When you were unemployed did you consider emergency food services?
• A: I didn't. 

• Q: How did your friends and family respond to your change in circumstances?
• A: My immediate family was supportive as they could be, but they have commitments in their own lives that they have responsibility for. As for friends, this change in circumstances was an opportunity to experience my support network in action. And yes, there were those who distanced themselves because I couldn't go to happy hours and other events.

• Q: what's in your hummus?
• A: chick peas (ceci, channa), olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, peanut butter and sriracha. See budget bytes for the recipe.

Day 5 marks the beginning of the final stretch of the SNAP Challenge for me. I have enough split pea soup for Days 5 and 6. I will need to think creatively about what to eat for lunch on  Day 7. Perhaps a fruit medley for lunch on a bed of spinach?  Any suggestions?

Be well,

Technicolor girl

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