Curried Carrot Dip

7 medium carrots (about 1 pound), cut into 1-inch chunks 
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons ginger powder (or tsps of freshly grated ginger)
3/4 cup yogurt
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine the carrots with the turmeric, curry powder, salt, cayenne and oil. Toss to coat the carrots with the oil and spice mixture. Spread the carrots on a rimmed baking sheet, and roast for 30 minutes, until very tender and brown.

Put the roasted carrots in a food processor with the jalapeno, garlic, and ginger and puree. Add the yogurt and cilantro and process another few seconds until smooth and creamy. If the spread seems too thick add water 1 tablespoon at a time until you achieve the desired consistency. Taste, and add salt if needed. Serve warm or at room temperature with flatbread or crackers.

Makes about 2 cups

Yellow Springs Carrot Cake

This carrot cake was a big hit at the 2008 Picnic Feast in the Fields. 

½ cup oil (or butter)
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
3 cups grated raw carrots
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
4 eggs, beaten
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup finely chopped pecans (opt.)

Mix oil and sugar. Sift dry ingredients. Add ½ dry to oil and sugar, mix. Alternate dry and eggs into oil and sugar while mixing. Add carrots and pecans, mix well. Bake in 8”x12” pan for an hour and 10 min at 325˚. Frost with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

3 oz cream cheese, softened
1 tbs milk
1 tsp vanilla
dash salt
2 ½ cup confectioner sugar

Mix all ingredients. Spread on cooled cake.

Braised Fennel

Recipe by Jarrett

2 fennel bulbs 
1 tablespoon finely chopped fennel greens
2 tablespoons olive oil (twice)
1 carrot
1 head broccoli
1 green pepper
1 large or two small leeks (or onions)
2 cloves garlic
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme,dill, or oregano
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup water (+ another 1/2 cup or so)

Keeping the root end of the fennel bulbs intact, half each lengthwise. Cut pepper, carrot, broccoli, leeks and any other desired vegetable into very small pieces (diced). Set aside. Mince or slice garlic.

In large skillet, heat oil on medium/high heat. Add garlic and saute briefly, about 30 seconds. Add chopped leeks, saute another 2 minutes. Now add the rest of the chopped vegetables, except fennel, and saute for another 2 minutes. Next move all vegetables to one side of the pan, and add the fennel halves cut side down. Salt and pepper at this stage if desired.
Now pour the cup of water over the whole mix (be careful not to splash!) and then reduce heat to medium and simmer until water has evaporated. Stir the whole mixture up, add another 1/2 cup water and evaporate it off again. When cooked, the fennel will be more tender than when it was raw, and slightly browned on the bottom.

Move all food off pan now onto a serving dish. But don’t wash the pan! Return it to the heat, and scrape all the caramelized fennel and vegetable bits on the pan. Add the wine and another 2 tablespoons olive oil. When wine has reduced by half, add chopped fennel greens, and salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and spoon over fennel and vegetables on serving dish. Viola! Serve with rice pilaf or pasta aldente.

Coconut Carrot Rutabaga Mash

2 rutabaga, roughly chopped 
4-5 carrots, roughly chopped
2 T brown sugar or maple syrup
1⁄4 cup thick coconut milk (or light cream)
1⁄2 t nutmeg
salt to taste

Cook rutabagas and carrots in boiling salted water until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain vegetables, transfer to a food processor and purée with brown sugar, and cream until very smooth. If necessary, transfer purée back to pot and reheat.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts in Creamy Dijon Sauce

Adapted from recipetips.com

1 pound Brussels sprouts cleaned, trimmed, cut in half 
1 red onion, cut into wedges
1 white onion, cut into wedges
4 ounces kielbasa sausage, cut into 1/2 inch slices (optional, sub marinated tempeh or tofu)
4 ounces smokey cheddar wurst sausage, cut into 1/2 inch slices (optional, sub marinated tempeh or tofu)
1 cup peeled baby carrots
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 450°.
Toss sprouts, onions and sausage in a bowl with the oil, salt and pepper. Spreading them out in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes or until Brussels sprouts are lightly browned and tender yet crisp. Stir occasionally through the 20 minute period.

Simmer milk, mustard, honey and vinegar in a small suacepan over medium low heat for 10 minutes. It will slightly thicken, stir often. Place sprouts in a serving dish and spoon sauce over them evenly.

Roasted Winter Roots

From Sarah Voiland, 2010

When I was in college, I had what someone called a “root bake” for the first time, and it was so good!

The general idea is chop up all kinds of roots into similar sized chunks, coat/toss with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake in the oven at about 400 until all items are soft to the tines of a fork. Stir after about a half hour. Herbs generally do better added part way in to cooking. To steam faster, cover fully with tin foil for a half hour, then remove the foil to allow browning.

Things you can include:
Parsnips, Rutabagas, Beets, Turnips, Daikon, Sweet Potatoes, Potatoes, Onions, Garlic, Carrots, Herbs, Celeriac, Kohlrabi, and anything else I’m forgetting.

Variations could include adding any of the following: soy sauce, sesame oil and sesame seeds, honey mustard, hot pepper flakes, making a cilantro or tahini dressing to pour over them, serving with ketchup or hot sauce with mayo, and who knows what else.

Radicchio Slaw

1 head radicchio, cored and coarsely chopped or shredded
½ head cabbage
1 cup shredded carrot
1 cup thinly sliced cucumber
1 cup minced fresh cilantro (optional)
¼ cup sliced green onion
4 tablespoons roasted salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Dressing:
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon maple syrup
2 crushed garlic clove or garlic scapes
1/2 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes

Place radicchio, cabbage, carrot, cucumber and cilantro in large bowl. In a small bowl stir together dressing ingredients until well blended; pour over vegetables and toss thoroughly.
Place slaw in serving bowl and garnish.

Panama’s Pink Potato Salad

From Anna, a member of the CSA. Anna says: “I studied abroad in Panama in the Spring of ’08 and it was my favorite dish there. Panamanians mostly eat rice, beans, tropical fruits when in season, meat, and starchy foods…so having this mixed vegetable dish was a treat!”

5 medium sized potatoes
2 medium sized carrots
3 medium sized Bull’s Blood beets
1-2 stalk celery
1 onion
1 bunch parsley
1 clove garlic
3 eggs
1-2 tablespoon mayonnaise
1-2 teaspoon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

Start by boiling the potatoes in a large pot. When they are close to half cooked add the beet and carrot.
Then add the eggs to the pot for the last 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, chop the celery, parsley, onion, and garlic.
Drain the potato pot. You should now have tender potatoes, a tender beet, carrot and a hard boiled egg.
Peel and dice the beets and carrots. It is a little counter-intuitive to us Americans, to boil and then do the chopping. However, that is the custom in Panama. The cooks say it is easier to peel the vegetables after boiling.
Separate the hard boiled egg white from the egg yolk. Chop the egg whites. Crumble the egg yolk. Mix the egg whites, celery, parsley, onion, garlic, mayonnaise and mustard in a deep bowl. Then add everything else and mix just enough to coat the vegetables with the mayonnaise.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add more mayonnaise or mustard to the desired consistency. Mix well.
Sprinkle the crumbled egg yolk on top for a beautiful touch of yellow color!

Serves 4

Daikon and Carrot Salad

2 cups shredded or finely chopped daikon radish
1 cup shredded carrots
1 t. sesame oil
1 T rice vinegar
½ t. sugar
1 t. minced ginger (optional)

Toss together and serve!