VEGETARIAN CARROT "BBQ"

I am not really a vegetarian, but I have cut way down on meat consumption in the past few years, in an effort to improve my health. I probably have meat 2-3 times a month. I have begun eating lots more fresh vegetables and fruits, and I am always thrilled when I find recipes that are traditionally made with meat, but that someone has found ways to effectively substitute some veggies for the animal products.

I came across a recipe for a "BBQ" made from carrots and onions. The pictures looked great! I knew immediately I needed to try this! So, like always, I printed out the recipe....and promptly lost it.

Today, while trying to de-paper a horizontal surface at the house, I came across the recipe!! It was kismet that yesterday, I had a weak moment at Costco, and bought a small truckload of carrots!! OK..well, the dog eats them too! Anyway, a very large bag of carrots for $7, and they were organic! Last night I even cut up and blanched and froze about three quart bags! But I digress.

So, looking through the recipe today, I mentally inventoried the kitchen, and since I had everything here, I set out to make this stuff. I was so glad I did! It truly is delicious! My wife was away from home while I was cooking, and when she came back, I had just finished. She walked through the door and said, "Wow, what is that cooking? It smells so good! I could smell it outside!" BINGO!

VEGETARIAN CARROT BBQ

Ingredients

• 7 large carrots – peeled and shredded
• ½ red onion
• ½ sweet onion
• 1 tbsp. olive oil (may take a little more)
• Sea Salt and Black Pepper to taste (I used only the pepper to cut down on sodium)

For the BBQ sauce:

• 1 ¼ cup of tomato sauce (organic, low sodium)
• 1 ½ tbsp. minced garlic
• 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar (organic, unfiltered)
• 1 tablespoon of dark molasses
• 1/4 cup of brown sugar (organic)
• 1 teaspoon of sea salt
• 1 teaspoon of smoky paprika
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
• 1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon dried cilantro

Instructions

1.    Preheat the oven to 385° and line a baking pan with foil.

2.    Shred the carrots with the shredder attachment of your food processor or with a box or hand held grater.

3.    Quarter the onions and put them through the food processor using the slicing wheel.

4.    Put the carrots and onion in a large bowl and drizzle the olive oil over them. Toss well to coat and then spread them evenly in the foil-lined pan. Sprinkle ground sea salt and ground pepper evenly over the top. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and roast for thirty minutes, stirring after 15. The carrots and onions should be nice and soft, and lightly caramelized.

5.    While the carrots and onions are roasting, put the sauce ingredients in a blender (I used my rinsed-out food processor again) and blend until fully combined and smooth. Pour into a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low simmer and cook for twenty minutes, stir occasionally to avoid scorching the sauce.

6.    Add the roasted carrots and onions to the sauce and stir well to coat. Simmer for fifteen minutes.

7.    I served the BBQ on Hawaiian rolls to make sliders, and added some mixed white and yellow sharp cheddar cheeses.

8.    Enjoy!

(ALL ORGANIC) BLUEBERRY OATMEAL SCONES

I love scones! Always have! So when this recipe popped up for me, I quickly set about making it mine, making it healthier, and making it even tastier! This ended up being a very tasty, very tender scone, with amazing flavor...not too sweet...and even very light! So, since I had this lemon zest left over (see recipe), I thought a lemon glaze would really enhance the flavor of the blueberry scones. BINGO!! I WAS RIGHT!!

(I will have to add a better picture than the phone shot I took to post this on Facebook!)

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour or almond (I used organic white whole wheat)
• 1 ¼ cups oats (organic from Trader Joe’s)
• 1 tablespoon baking powder (organic)
• ¼ teaspoon Himalayan salt (ground my own pink Himalayan salt)
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest (so, I zested a whole lemon, used half the zest IN the scones)
• 1 tablespoon honey or preferred sweetener (organic agave)
• ⅓ cup almond milk (this time, I  used organic coconut milk)
• ¼ cups coconut oil (organic from Costco)
• 1 egg or egg replacement (organic cage-free)
• 1 cup fresh blueberries (I actually used frozen organic Maine blueberries from Trader Joe’s)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425° Fahrenheit. Mix together flour, oats, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest. In separate bowl mix honey, almond (or coconut) milk, coconut oil, and egg. Add wet mix to dry and stir together. Stir in blueberries.

Roll mixture into 1-inch balls and place on parchment paper on cookie sheet. (Here again, I got out my cutting board and shaped my dough on the board into a square, approximately ¾ inch thick, making sure to square up the sides. I then cut the square in equal small 1 ½ inch squares and put them on the parchment on my stoneware cookie pan.) Bake scones for 15 minutes. Enjoy scones warm or as a cool treat later. Makes about 2 dozen.

Preparation time: 10 minute(s)  Cooking time: 15 minute(s)

Glaze

So, the other half of the lemon zest? I put it into a bowl, put in several heaping tablespoons of organic powdered sugar, and started with a single tablespoon of coconut milk. I mixed that thoroughly until smooth and shiny, and thin enough to be drizzled. I did have to increase the amounts of both sugar and coconut milk just a bit to increase the overall volume. When I got the scones out of the oven, I allowed them to cool just a bit, pulled them onto a cooling rack, with the parchment still under them, and drizzled the glaze back and forth over all the scones.