Please help me use up Ingredient X.
Posted by Heliamphora on Feb 13, 2009 · Member since Oct 2006 · 4798 posts
Ahoy folks! I thought I'd start a thread where you can ask for recipes and advice on how to use up an ingredient (e.g. a vegetable, fruit, grain, bean, etc.) of which you have lots and lots and lots; or which is new to you and you don't know where to start with it.
I'll go first. :P I have many, many tasty carrots from the farmers' market which I need to use before they go soft.
Recipes, please.
I know, I know, carrots - simple - should be a no-brainer... but I was not fond of them for a long time, simply because I'd never known anything but raw or steamed carrots with very little flavour. I like to do INTERESTING things with them. They're so adaptable! Gimme your adaptations! :D
Hmmm, how about oven roasted onion & balsamic carrots....or carrot juice that you could freeze some in icecube trays as bases for soups or sauces, or just carrot-juice-drinking :)
Carrot Pudding: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=6497.0
Properly seasoned it tastes like pumpkin pie, which is great cuz we can't get decent pumpkins here. I don't thicken it, I just use lots of carrots and refrigerate well and it thickens by itself. And no pie-crust calories to feel guilty over. Though you could put it in baked pie shell if you needed to.
Hi, my fave way of cooking carrots is to slice/quarter them longways and oven roast them in good olive oil, season with salt n pepa; good depth of flavour different from boiled. Other than that, carrot cake/muffins? carrot mash with turnip, parsnip or swede?
Carrot Cake!!!
Add them to casseroles or soups. Nothing is better than a bowl of Tofu Noodle Soup with tons of little carrot slices in it. Or Chickpea Mushroom Noodle Casserole with peas and carrots in the mix.
I also like to dice onion, celery, carrots and bell pepper and saute it up before cooking rice in with it all. Gives an excellent flavor, visual interest and healthy addition to the rice.
tsimmis! http://roundbeans.blogspot.com/2007/04/tsimmis.html
tsimmis! http://roundbeans.blogspot.com/2007/04/tsimmis.html
Oh, yes...I'd forgotten about tzimmis. Lovely!
Grated, with some lemon juice and raisins--sounds simple, but is oh so addictive! You can even 'grate' with a food processor, so you don't have to spend 30 mins with a grater.
My ingredient X--kind of gross, too-sweet raspberry vinaigrette dressing. I have tried adding more vinegar, but even small amounts of it aren't my thing. I don't want to throw it...anyone have any suggestions?
Never heard of tzimmis! What a great recipe! I have most of that stuff in my pantry too...and a day off tomorrow....sounds like a plan coming together.
How about carrot spaghetti. Use a vegetable peeler and make long "peel strips". Then saute with tomato sauce and LOTS of garlic. You could add in some zucchini peeled the sameway. Quick easy way to use up big woody carrots. My kids love it when I steam up sliced carrots and add them to a combo of cinnamon, earth balance and agave nectar (or brown sugar) my daughter could eat the whole pan ;D
For the vinaigrette, what about adding it to some boiled red potatoes, and make a warm(or cold) potato salad. You could add lots of other herbs to detract from the sweetness, but potatoes soak up a lot of marinade and could use the extra flavor. Good luck
What an awesome bag of ideas - thanks, peeps. :-* I shall divide my carrots between them. Jeez, I can't believe I didn't think of juicing some. I guess I got out of the habit, and didn't think of it. ::)
I'd like to help you with your ingredient, aziz, but alas... I can't stand vinegar, so I'd have no idea what to do with that vinaigrette. ??? Anyone else? thoughts?
Potato salad...maybe...raspberry potatoes? maybe if I add some mustard, yum. I'll report if it turns out good. I need something that's the negative of raspberry flavor to cancel out the dressing...
You don't like vinegar, Heliamphora? ACV? Rice vinegar? prepared mustard? aw...
Btw: new (to me) car implies soon I will have the opportunity to find a farmers market around here and then I, too, will have too much produce (hopefully) that I bought because it 'looked good'.
You don't like vinegar, Heliamphora? ACV? Rice vinegar? prepared mustard? aw...
Btw: new (to me) car implies soon I will have the opportunity to find a farmers market around here and then I, too, will have too much produce (hopefully) that I bought because it 'looked good'.
Re: vinegar... well, I'll sometimes use some wholegrain mustard, but sparingly. I love it in creamy salad dressings (which I make with cashews). Otherwise, if I want something sour in a recipe, I'll use lemon or other citrus juice. :)
Re: farmers' market... :lol: exactly; my usual reaction too. ::)
So, tonight I'm gonna make some Indian food, since my parents and I can't afford to buy it this weekend. I'm gonna make some kind of dal with roasted carrot coins. And maybe aloo paratha (woo! experimental!).
aziz, I'd try using it in a desert....like any of the chocolate cake recipes that call for vinegar, I'd imagine raspberry would be a good compliment to chocolate.
aziz, I'd try using it in a desert....like any of the chocolate cake recipes that call for vinegar, I'd imagine raspberry would be a good compliment to chocolate.
Awesome idea! And an excuse to make a cake! Yum...
aziz- Last week I ate a huge bag of fresh spinach drizzled with a raspberry vinaigrette dressing in about 3 days. The combo of the spinach with red onions, and avocado was so satisfying!! Maybe some walnuts on top for crunch would be fun too. The idea of the chocolate cake with the dressing sounds amazing!!! Anything chocolate and raspberry together is just nummy!!!
Carrots- Blend with tomatoes to sweeten a tomato sauce
Carrots- Blend with tomatoes to sweeten a tomato sauce
Mm! Thanks, I'll try that.
Just wanted to say...good thread idea Heli! ;)b
This guy was just telling me about all the amazing health benefits of turmeric. I use it in curries, but any other things I can use it in?
Just wanted to say...good thread idea Heli! ;)b
Glad ye like it. 8-) Enjoy.
This guy was just telling me about all the amazing health benefits of turmeric. I use it in curries, but any other things I can use it in?
I've heard of vegans putting a little bit of turmeric in their mac-un-cheese to colour it (those who grew up with orangey American cheddar, I guess). Since it has an odd, sweetish, chalky taste I'd say use it sparingly. I've heard it's good for the skin; and beneficial in helping to digest legumes, so maybe you could put some in chili. (And then put the chili on your face. ;D Sorry - my mind is as weird as the weather, today.)
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