Nurturing my inner... mean green

When life gives you kale, juice it I say.  But there was one teensy problem... I still haven't gotten my new juicer yet.  It's on back order.  Everywhere.  And I'm not sharing the name of it until I get mine!  (Don't want you getting yours before me and making me wait even longer.) Though it has been officially ordered by me, there is no estimated arrival date.  Now what to do in the meantime with kale...

Seems to me this has been the rage for some time now, so today was my first try at making some kale chips.  (Note: Three hours after I made them, the post on the Whole Foods page today was for kale chips.  I must have some weird veg-esp.)  But first, let's see a couple of shots of my Washington Green Grocer delivery for this week.  My inspiration!

Just opened, top layer. Paper bag has
mushrooms inside.

I told my friends I was just giddy over my package arrival.  95% of them thought I needed to be "evaluated professionally" because this was a carton of fruits and vegetables.  Then again, one signed up immediately for next week's delivery and another came by to talk to me about signing up.  What can I say?  (Take that, naysayers!)  Some people get excited over new electronics or a handbag, others are jazzed by leafy greens.  Don't judge.  (I like handbags too!  The larger ones make it easier to carry kale in.)

Bottom layer. Box just jam packed with good
things to eat.

I'll give you the run down so you can see the value in this (all organic):

4 large russet potatoes (NY)
1 pint grape tomatoes (FL)
1 head of broccoli (CA)
3 navel oranges (FL)
2 mangos (S.A.)
3 bosc pears (WA)
3 braeburn apples (VA)
4 bananas (S.A.)
2 baby bok choy (CA)
2 portabello mushrooms (PA)
1 bunch of carrots (8 carrots) (CA)
1 head of romaine lettuce (CA)

And then this week I added on items (some organic/some not):

2 large bunches of kale ($2.00)
1 bag fresh shitake mushrooms ($4.00)
3 medium zucchinis ($1.50)
1 large bunch of basil ($2.00)
2 heads of garlic (.60)
1 lb of green beans ($2.25)

My total for all this produce, delivered to my door = $52.10.  I know, shut up!  I was delighted.  Did you take a gander at that baby bok choy?  They were HUGE, but still the tender baby variety.

I really was hoping, as mentioned above, that my juicer would arrive at my door by the time this box did.  I love to juice kale because it is a super food.  Concentrated green energy.  But didn't happen.  So then, with two large bunches of kale in my fridge, what was I going to do?  I thought about making my sausage, potato, kale soup, which is delicious, but then had a desire to try something new.

Smoked Paprika Kale Chips

1 bunch of fresh kale, destemmed, washed, dried
Olive oil
Sea salt
Smoked paprika

Wow, the kale was so super fresh and vibrant, I just couldn't wait.  No sad, wilted greens in this house.  The produce I get from WGG is as fresh as someone living in a condo (who doesn't even own dirt to grow anything anyway) can get.  That's the whole point.  Fresh is best.

Alive and well.

First I had to take off the tough stems.  Which naturally lended itself to tearing the leaves into smaller pieces.  (Looking back, I should have been a little more uniform with the bigger ones, so make sure to make them about the same size.)  I washed them thoroughly and had to dry them really well.  I don't have a salad spinner.  (I know - it shocks me too!  On my list though.)  So I put them in a clean kitchen towel and dried them off as best as I could.  Really strive to get all the water off of them.  Makes for a crispier chip.

Dry is good, in this case.

Got out a glass bowl, threw in the leaves and then drizzled in some olive oil.  Tossed with my hands until all was well-coated.

Go easy on the oil. Toss a bit and then see if
you need to add a little more.

Seems as if everyone and their macrobiotic mother has made kale chips in the past few years, so the flavors, like with the blank canvas of potato chips, are endless.  (Only these are much better for you.)  My secret weapon of the day was smoked paprika.  A lesser known and infrequently used spice perhaps, but I'm here to change that.  Oh, it's not just the baby that Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper from Blue's Clues had!  (Seriously, salt and pepper together do NOT make paprika, so what the heck?  I won't even mention that Paprika later ends up with a little brother named Cinnamon!  Now come on!)

Smoky, rich, unique. Don't ask me what it
tastes like. It tastes like paprika!

If you don't have industrial baking sheets, buy them.  They are the best.  Not very expensive.  Lots of good surface room.  I put a piece of parchment down and then placed all the kale on it in a single layer.  Then I lightly sprinkled with sea salt and that lovely, reddish orange powdered spice.

Can't miss it on the green.

Into a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes, flipping half way through, made them go from soft to crispy.  Start with less time and then check on them.  You'll want them to be dried out and just turning slightly brown.  In essence, you're taking out all the moisture, thus the lower temp.  So they will shrink down in size from what you had before.

It's important to throw some financials around here.  2.5 ounce of kale chips at the store: $5.99 - 8.99.  (Geebers!  Why don't you just take my whole wallet while you're at it.)  Home version: $2.00 for a big bunch of fresh kale and 15 min in the oven.  Spice and salt cost = nominal.

Fragile, yet really good crunch.

These were so tasty, I have to admit to you... I ate the entire pan.  Oh yes, every last one!  I started with just the bowl below and then went back for more until they were all gone.  Addictive?  Understatement.  And because it's a leafy green veggie, they are so much better for you than potato chips.  (Translation: Less guilt.)  You won't get all the wonderful nutrients of juicing kale fresh, but dang, this is a heck of a way to replace starchy, deep fried tubers and retain the snacky quality you desire.

Baked and not fried. Yet just as crispy.

I thought of what flavors future batches could be dusted with...  Seasoning salt.  Lemon pepper.  Old Bay.  Sweet curry.  Garam Masala.  I think they'll get along with just about anything.  (Except cocoa.  Don't do that.)

Things for you to do: 1.) Check out Washington Green Grocer if you're in the DC Metro area.  If you're not, see what programs your local farmers have available for you or grow your own stuff if you can.  (One day, I will own dirt.  Oh yes I will!  Maybe.  I can't afford dirt yet.)  2.) One way or another, get some kale.  3.) Buy an industrial cooking sheet.  4.) Book 15 minutes on your calendar.  5.) Bust out the spices!

To my advantage over some of you in your larger living quarters, I don't have to mow the lawn on my weekends.  Guess condo living does have some good points.  I also can eat delicious, crispy kale chips from the second floor just like people on the first!

Nurturing my inner... go caps

First fresh meal from "the box."  I decided to use the portobello mushrooms and the arugula in some way, somehow.  I didn't have a lot of time today, but I was still able to make a quick and delicious vegetarian meal in 22 minutes.  Two minutes of prep, 20 minutes of cooking.  So don't tell me you don't have time to make something nutritious out of fresh produce, because the only whining around here is gonna be done by me and likely in reference to running in sub freezing temperatures in the snow, uphill, in tights.  Capiche?!  Now on to the cooking.

Today, you're getting one picture and a wordy explanation.  I'm feeling minimalist.  (Well, visually anyway.  I'm seldom at a deficit for words.)

Portobellos With Artichokes, Sundried Tomatoes & Feta

2 portobello caps
2 tsps pesto
2 baby artichoke hearts, chopped
1 tbsp sundried tomatoes in oil, chopped
2 tbsps feta cheese, crumbled
Handful of fresh arugula, torn

Get out a medium-sized stoneware dish.  Something that will fit your two mushrooms flat.  They do shrink up a little when they cook, so if it's a bit tight at first, that's fine.

Place your wiped clean with a damp paper towel and then destemmed mushroom caps gill side up.  Put a tsp of pesto in each and spread it around to cover the inside of each cap.  Add half of the chopped artichoke hearts and sundried tomatoes on top of that and then a tbsp of the crumbled feta on top of each.  Place into a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes.  Bake away!

Remove and serve with fresh arugula scattered on each one.  That simple.

Hearty, flavorful and substantial.

So tell me now who doesn't have 20 minutes to whip up something this tasty and reasonable in calories?  Make the time.  (Or bathing suit season is going to kick you square in the cellulite six months from now.  Trust me on this.)

Wonder what excitement the box holds for tomorrow...

Nuturing my inner... cardboard box

I was so happy when I got home tonight.  Partly because I was no longer at work.  But mostly because I had a special delivery waiting in the alcove.

Okay, so this may look like an ordinary cardboard box to you.  One with LifeSavers inside as per the label.  But in reality, it is but a repurposed container for the unexpected.  That's not actually for candy.  (I know, this is confusing.  Read on.)

Don't be fooled by the outside.

It's here, it's here!  My first delivery ever from Washington's Green Grocer.  You may be wondering what WGG is.  Well I'll tell ya.  (Or you can read about it on their website.  That would save me a lot of time.)  It's a local couple who gets in a bunch of produce from nearby, and a little less nearby, consolidates it and dispenses the fruit and veggie love to those in DC, MD and VA.  Seeing as one of my goals (I prefer to not think of it as a "resolution" as most are abandoned by last Tuesday) for 2012 is to eat more veggies, I thought this would help me out.

When I opened the box! Joy! Christmas
in January! (For a vegetarian, that is.)

Oh yeah.  All that is mine!  Delivered right to my door.  Well, to the alcove outside my building's front door where I picked it up and carried it up a flight of stairs to my front door and then inside.  (We have security you know, so they can't get to my actual front door without a hammer and a bad attitude.)  But WGG will deliver to condos just as easily as single family homes or townhouses because it's not their fault you live in one of the most expensive zip codes in the US and can't afford anything bigger than a shoe box.  Plus, if someone really wants to steal a heavy box of vegetables from my place, seriously, what can I do about that?  Would you actually call the police about a scary arugula thief?  I didn't think so.  (Though I might...)

Before I tell you what was in there, I'll tell you why I picked this place over some other local agriculture places for my first try.  1.) They do this year round by getting produce from here and there.  I live in VA where winter isn't really farming season.  So if you go with just one farm in driving distance, you can only get things that grow in your backyard right at that moment from about May to October.  Not a bad thing, but hey, it's January.  2.) Some of those farms also make you buy a share or half share and you get deliveries every single week.  If I had a family of four, well sure, I could maybe go through all those carrots, turnips and squash I'd get.  But my family is of one.  Me.  WGG will do on demand.  You can order a box to be delivered every week, every other week or whenever you feel like it.  Can even mix it up like two weeks in a row and then not for two weeks.  You just add the dates into your queue.  I wanted to see how much produce came in a box and how long it would take me to go through it.  I can cook and freeze some of it, so I'm guessing I may get a couple/few weeks from this.  So with WGG, if I want another box in two weeks, I can do it.  Or three weeks, that might be perfect.  Guess time will tell.

Here's the read down of what was in the small organic box for this week:

5 Yukon Gold potatoes (PA)
1 container of grape tomatoes (FL)
2 stalks of broccoli (CA)
5 beets (PA)
3 Cara Cara oranges (FL)
3 D'Anjou pears (WA)
3 Fuji apples (WA)
4 bananas (SA)
3 kiwi (CA)
2 portobello mushrooms (PA)
1 large bunch of arugula (CA)
1 bunch of romaine (CA)

(Note: They will send you a tentative list a few days before so you can decide if you're on demand like me and then you get a firmed up list a day or two before, so you can get really excited and start dreaming up dishes.  They also have a never list with your account.  So if there is something you really hate, you can check it on the list and they will make sure not to have that in your delivery.  Ever.  Also, they have other various items like eggs and cheeses, meats and breads that you can add in for additional charges.  It's insane, this variety!  I'm so happy.)

Second layer. So much stuff in there!

I don't know about you, but $37.00 for that entire box of all organic produce seemed like a really good deal to me.  And I didn't even have to leave the house for it.  (I know, minus carrying it up from the entry way.  Do you have to be so literal?)  So now I'm trying to think of what to make with all these beautiful, nutrition-packed, pesticide-free food items.  How I can combine a couple of the ingredients into one dish - like the beets and arugula.  Oranges and banana.  Broccoli and kiwi.  (Just checking to see if you were really reading this carefully.)

I'll let you know what I come up with.  Don't change that dial!  (If you're too young to know what that means, it's okay, you're probably not my target audience.)

Nurturing my inner... even better

When I saw this recipe recently in Food Network magazine, I knew I had to make it.  I'm not one to gravitate toward fried foods, in fact I don't believe I've ever put  1/8th inch of oil in a pan and fried anything ever, however, these ingredients beckoned me to make an exception.  I believe in being as healthy as possible most of the time and allowing myself some wonderful exceptions.  (I am a foodie after all.)

While I was going over this recipe in my head at the grocery store, I decided to add a little something more to it!  (One cannot halt creativity when it's blazing a hundred miles an hour.)  I am certain Food Network would be proud of my addition.  (Maybe I should send my recipe on to them!)

Food Network's Zucchini-Corn Fritters.  So go there for the recipe.  They get all the credit.  But here is how I prepped some things per their instructions.

Never grated zucchini before. Fun! I'd
do it again.

It looks like grated potato, if you need reference.  Only, it's full of water.  And that's gotta go before frying.  Oil and water do NOT get along.  (You know the saying.)

Too moist in its current state for frying.

So after the grated zucchini sat with a sprinkle of salt for 10 minutes or so to draw out the moisture (and I ran back to the grocery store because I forgot the buttermilk!), I put it in a dish towel and squeezed out the water.  (Weird, but effective!)  No lie, from one large zucchini I measured 1/2 cup of zucchini water!

No, this is not a picture of a swamp. I wonder
if this could be considered juicing and
drinkable. (I didn't even try.)

After I did the squeeze-through-a-clean-dish-towel trickaroo, the zucchini was a lot dryer.

Fully prepped! Now ready to be used.

I substituted shallots for onion, because I like them better, and put that in the pan with the garlic and fresh corn.  Then I sauteed that until slightly toasted and the corn was cooked.  Maybe four minutes.

Fresh corn is ample this time of year. I got
mine at the Farmers Market.

I mixed up the batter like they said (I'm a good little follower), then added in the corn mixture and the zucchini and incorporated with my whisk.  I dropped the batter by scant 1/4 cupfuls into the pan of hot veggie oil and fried for a few minutes on each side until browned.  I flipped them twice to make sure they were fully cooked through.

Thanks Food Network! Hello deliciousness.

Onto a paper towel they went to absorb excess oil and salted right away while piping hot.  That was the end of it.  Well, their end of it.  Now it's time for me!  (How narcissistic.)  Here we go with what put this fritter over the top!  My special love.  It's crazy good.

Avocado, Sour Cream & Lime Sauce

4 oz sour cream
1/2 avocado
1/2 fresh lime, squeezed
Dash of smoked paprika

I thought of this in the middle of the night. (No, I'm not kidding. This is what I do when I have insomnia.  Random creative spurts.)

What's not to love?

Into my little food processor I put in the avocado, sour cream and lime juice.

And blend away. A one button wonder tool.

Fritters down on the plate and a dollop of light green cream sauce on top.  Finished with a dash of smoked paprika (yes, get the smoked kind if you can!) and get ready for awesomeness.

Too good to be true. Yet there it is!

This just came to me as well.  (Today must be good idea day!)  I picked up some mango juice in a carton and always find a way to dilute juice so it's not as thick and also has less calories.  I filled a glass halfway with ice, then halfway with mango juice and the rest of the way with lime Perrier sparkling water.  Finished it off with a squeeze of fresh lime juice.  Well, almost finished.  (This appears to be a theme for me.)  That's the non-alcoholic version, so you could stop there.  Seeing as I thought I might like a cocktail with dinner, I didn't stop there.  I added a splash of Malibu rum and the coconut flavor worked so well with the mango and lime, I wouldn't want to skip it.  You may want to give it a shot.  (I mean, a try.  Poor word choice.)

Welcome to de tropics, mon! (Yet I never
left the suburbs.)

No need to come up with my own recipe every day.  It's fun to have the freedom to follow a well tested recipe someone else has had to work to perfect before it got to me.  (Less work for me!)  I bet the Food Network people make other chef's recipes plenty of the time.  I mean, hello, the fritters were wonderful as is.  Why mess with them.  But I like that I can contribute my own personal spin on it by adding the avocado cream sauce.  It's what makes it special to me and sends it into outer space!

Elegant food, but made in a down home way.
(What is my work laptop power cord doing in
the corner of the picture. Talk about casual.)

Best part about the meal?  After having run 7.5 miles this morning, I ate it absolutely guilt free!

Nurturing my inner... bake and bolt

A full time job, housework, exercise, cooking.  Where does the day go?  So it's nice when you can whip up a little quick casserole, put it in the oven and walk away.  Nothing fancy, but certainly filling.  Then you can move on to doing other things.

Broccoli Cheese Bake

2 broccoli crowns, cleaned, steamed for 10 minutes
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup cream
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tbsp cornflake crumbs

I decided to steam the broccoli in a pot today, but I also like to use my countertop steamer.  Whichever way you do it, you just want to make sure it's not overcooked and squishy.

So green and fresh.

Then to make the quick cheese sauce.  First, the roux.  Equal parts flour and butter.  Lightly cook to take the raw flavor off the flour.  About a minute or two.

Thickening agents.

I used ready to go shredded cheese.  Remember, this was meant to be fast and easy.  (We're all in a hurry, right?)

Mmm, a great match for broccoli.

Add the milk and cream to the roux, toss in the salt and cheese.  If the sauce gets a little too thick for you after whisking for a while, you can always thin it out with a few tablespoons of water.

Cheese sauce isn't hard to make. You should
do it more often.

Whisk until creamy, velvety smooth.  No lumps.  (Mmm, makes me think of fondue.  I need some dipping bread or apple slices!)

Delicious. Plain and simple.

Now to build up the layers.  I used Trader Joe's frozen jasmine rice for the base.  When you're on the go in the warm weather, you may, like me, prefer your rice to be ready in three speedy minutes and announced with a familiar and comforting *ding*.



A bed on which broccoli can lay.


On top of the rice, I layered up the broccoli all pretty like.  In a giant floral pattern.  Just because you're moving fast doesn't mean ya gotta be sloppy!

Layer number two.

Spoon the cheese sauce over the top of the broccoli.  Oh yeah, now it's gettin' real good.

Just like hot fudge sauce on top of a broccoli
sundae. (Wait. That didn't come out right.)

And all good casseroles need a crunchy topping to finish them off.  So I sprinkled a bit of cornflake crumbs on top.  Just enough to add another texture element to the dish.

Need a little crisp to complete.

Into a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes.  It doesn't take long because all the ingredients are already cooked and warm.

Baked and beautiful.

A hearty-sized scoop that is an amalgamation of some of each of the layers is a good start.  A little of everything in each bite.  And a new way to enjoy your broccoli.

Yum yum.

Another variation would be to add some cooked, cubed chicken.  Protein always welcome.  That wouldn't take too long to cook up and add in either!  Quick can be tasty and doesn't have to come in a frozen block or paper bag from a drive through.  You can use fresh ingredients, creatively, and.... never mind, I gotta get going.

Nurturing my inner... when canned and fresh collide

The other day I was hungry, but not that hungry.  It was around 2:00 pm and I hadn't had lunch, but it was too early for dinner.  I was working, so I didn't have a lot of time to putz around the kitchen.  A snack wasn't going to be enough, so I needed to make something that felt hearty, but wasn't a belly buster.  I came up with a side salad, great for future picnics, that would tide me over until dinner.

Chickpea Salad

1 can of chickpeas, drained
1/2 block of feta, cubed
1 roasted red pepper, diced
10 leaves of fresh basil, torn into pieces
1/2 English (or hot house) cucumber, partially peeled, diced
2 tbsps olive oil
2 tsps champagne vinegar
1/8 tsp dried oregano
Dash of salt
Sprinkle of pepper

I like simple.  Especially when I'm busy and working.  I don't have to compromise on great flavor just because I'm in a rush though.  This is proof.  (It really is a whole attitude change you have to take on that stops you from equating fast with prepackaged or bland.  Rid yourself of that misleading media-blasted conception and your false need to rely on frozen or prepackaged foods!)

Too late to buy dried beans and soak them.
Nothing wrong with using canned beans.

Canned beans make it so easy.  Already prepared and ready to go.  A quick drain and rinse and you'll have saved hours of soaking dried bean prep.  (Who has time to think that much ahead?  My ideas usually come too short on time to think about soaking beans overnight.)

Seconds compared to hours.

And now to add some fresh and flavorful elements.  As much as I love beans, and find them to be hearty, they don't really stand on their own as a solo act.  They need a little umph.  A bit of pizazz.  Beans are a desperately social food in dire need of good companions.

You can't ever go wrong with adding
ingredients that are the colors of the
Italian flag.

First up, something red.  I considered sun dried tomatoes, but then thought roasted red peppers would be just a little more mellow, yet not anywhere near bland.  You can buy them ready to go in a jar, packed in oil, or at most olive bars these days.  Makes for quick work when you don't have to roast them yourself.

One day I will roast peppers myself. Today
was unfortunately not that day.

Then fresh green to add an herbaceous, minerally element.  You can take virtually any dish you prepare and when you add some green herbs, suddenly, it tastes freshly picked.  An easy trick to make your ordinary meals gourmet.

Already the makings of substantialness.
(And high class!)

Salads need dressing, of course, but I didn't want something to drown it.  I already had enough tasty flavors to keep in tact.  I made a simple dressing with good olive oil and for a slight twist, champagne vinegar.

The vinegar adds a tart bite that works to
complement the other sweet and creamy
elements. Creating balance.

And for the white, I cubed up the feta and tossed that in last, so I wouldn't break it up too much.  (I like to spot the pieces of cheese.)  Gentle mix.  But something was still missing.  Hmmm...  Like what?

I actually thought I was done at this point,
but then got more inspiration. It happens.

One thing you should have learned from me by now, is that I feel that cooking is like art.  Sometimes you think your masterpiece is perfect, but then some additional inspiration pops up and that becomes the final touch you didn't even know you were looking for.  Then you can sit back and say to yourself, "Yeah, now it's complete!"  I don't want to hide that process from you by making everything seem perfectly planned and plotted out from the beginning.  Sometimes plans change.  You have to flexible!  After I thought I was all done, it came to me that cucumbers would be really great.  So I added them in.

Now that's really the last thing that was
needed to complete the salad.

Don't mess with your muse.  I don't mess with mine.  If one more ingredient needs to be added to really finish off a dish, then so be it.  I'm not going to balk at brilliance based on some preconceived plan I had.  My mantra when cooking is, "Go with the flow."  (Thing to note: If put into the fridge for a couple hours to marinate the flavors, it will be even better than when you first make it.)

Yeah, I feel complete now.

This salad would travel really well and be picnic perfect.  Grilled meats and sandwiches often need a lighter, vegetable partner to freshen them up.  Keeping you cool (as a cucumber) in that oppressive summer heat that's right around the corner.  You may not be too concerned about that on a day like today when it was overcast, drizzly and only 70 degrees, but you'll be thinking about overheating soon enough. Good thing for you, you're now prepared for that inevitable moment.

Nurturing my inner... glazed over

There they sat.  In my refrigerator.  Staring at me.  Smugly.  Every time I cracked the door in the search of something less healthy.  Half a bag of baby carrots.  Left over from another dish.  Circle of truth: I really don't love carrots.  (I'm no rabbit.)  They bore me.  I mean, sure, I technically will eat all vegetables, but the slightly sweet, orange sticks just don't light my taste buds on fire.  So I often pass them over for veggies I like better.

Oh, I did my best to ignore them in there next to the cheese sticks.  Another day passed.  And another.  But there they remained each and every time I went in for some cranberry juice.  Taunting me with... a challenge.

No way I was going to let them go bad, so I had to find some new flavor idea to jazz them up with and make them more palatable.  (To me.)

Ginger-Glazed Carrots

1/2 lb baby carrots
1 heaping tsp fresh ginger, grated
2 tbsps butter
2 tbsps light brown sugar
Dash of salt
Dash of nutmeg
Squeeze of lemon

I know, they look harmless.  They are just carrots.  Baby ones at that.  But I'd rather be eating spinach, broccoli, asparagus or anything green.

Eh, they don't thrill me.

Instead of breaking out the stand alone steamer, I just used my metal basket in a pan.  And steamed them for 20 minutes or until just a little tender.  Not squishy.

Easy enough.

Out came the microplane and I shredded up the ginger after peeling it.  That very sharp microplane made for fast work.

The juices are really released with this technique.

You have to watch your fingers though.  Microplanes are very, very sharp.  But they are amazing.  The texture can't truly be matched by mincing, so pony up the dough and invest in one.

Perhaps I went a bit overboard. I'll save
some of it for another dish.

So ginger covered the spicy category, now I needed a sweet element for balance.

And heck, adding butter always helps.

Into a saute pan I put the butter, brown sugar, salt, nutmeg and ginger.  Then turned it on medium heat to melt slowly and infuse the fat with the flavors.

Seems like an unlikely blend. Yet, it works.

In just a few minutes, everything melts, caramelizes and creates this wonderful, light syrup.

Don't turn the heat too high and burn it.
(That's a spoon shadow.)

In went the steamed carrots, right into the same pan, on top of the bubbling sauce.

Precooking them partly means they will
be perfectly done in the end.

I tossed the carrots in the glaze, made sure each one was well coated, and then let them simmer for about 10 additional minutes, stirring occasionally.  I turned off the flame and gave them a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

You wouldn't believe the fresh ginger aroma.

The extra cooking time was long enough to soften the carrots just a little bit more and for them to really absorb the sweet and spicy flavors.  I got three servings out of the batch, but if you love carrots, (unlike me), you may get more like two.

Went nicely with my chicken tenders and rice.

My crazy plan worked.  I made carrots I thought were actually (slightly to my genuine surprise) terrific.  They pair best with mild meats and starches because they provide the perfect hot kick with the ginger.

So, ha-HA!  You carrots did not get the best of me!  (I do realize I just taunted a vegetable.  I need therapy.)