Moroccan Spiced Carrot Bruschetta

One of my favorite restaurants in Bend is a Lebanese restaurant called Kebaba, and I always have to order their carrot and feta jam…. its so deliciously sweet and savory. Somehow we ended up with four bags of carrots in our refrigerator, so I figured trying to recreate this deliciousness was a good way to put a dent in our carrot stash. I however did not make carrot jam, but chose to make some pickled spiced carrots instead and used goat cheese instead of feta… and french bread instead of pita, so it really wasn’t the same at all, but it was equally as delicious. I came across a recipe on EdibleFeast.com that looked just about right, modded it out and here is my EdibleFeast/Kebaba inspired Moroccan Spiced Carrot Bruschetta.

healthy-carrot-recipe

Moroccan Spiced Carrot Bruschetta (serves 6 as an appetizer)

Ingredientshealthy-carrot-bruschetta

  • 1/2 pound (maybe a little more) of grated carrots
  • 3 T. olive oil
  • 1 1/2 T. apple cider vinegar
  • 1 1/2 T. white wine vinegar
  • 1 1/2 t. honey
  • 1/3 cup fresh parsley, minced
  • 1 large-ish garlic clove, minced or pressed
  • a thumbnail size piece of fresh ginger, minced
  • 2 teaspoons ras-el-hanout (moroccan spice blend – see below)
  • cayenne, to taste
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 5 oz. goat cheese
  • one loaf of crusty french bread

Directions for Morrocan Spiced Carrot Bruschetta

  1. Combine shredded carrots (I used my food processor because I’m lazy…even too lazy to use my mandoline) with olive oil, apple cider vinegar, white wine, honey, parsley, garlic, fresh ginger, ras-el-hanout, cayenne, and salt and pepper. Mix it up, cover it and put it in the fridge for a couple of hours.
  2. Preheat your broiler. Slice your french bread into 1/2 inch slices and then toast under the broiler until just golden.
  3. While the bread is still warm spread the goat cheese on.
  4. To serve top your toasts with the carrots and you’re all set.

Ras-el-hanout

You likely have all the spices in your pantry, you do not need to go out and buy the blend, just make it yourself. This recipe is from Epicurious… I only made a couple of changes as noted below. This is a flavor combo that I’ve seen show up in other moroccan dishes that I’ve made, so I’m pretty sure my remaining spice blend will be used up quickly.

Ingredients for Ras-el-hanout

  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger (I ommitted and used fresh ginger in the recipe instead)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • dash or two of ground nutmeg (my addition)

Directions:

  1. Combine all ingredients, stir them up and store in an airtight jar. Should keep for a month or so according to Epicurious.
Autumn Adams
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Turmeric in everything, please!

As a young girl, my mother dated a man from Pakistan. With this relationship came a really awesome point in my life, food wise. This was when I discovered my absolute favorite thing to use in my kitchen; turmeric.

Processed with VSCO with f2 preset My mother made potatoes doused in it and the glass dish would be covered with neon yellow oil while they cooked. The intense color blew my little mind. Along with the taste.

So, 20 years later I am still using it in everything that I can think of. Sweet or savory, you can find it a place.

The health benefits of turmeric are widely regarded in Ayurveda and many remedies call for this nifty little gem of a root. Anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and it’s ability to heal those stomach issues that ail you, turmeric should become your new BFF.

Here are some delicious ways I utilize turmeric in my cooking:

Turmeric Hummus

My children will demolish an entire container of this in a day. It usually never even makes it into the fridge. This recipe is ridiculously easy and not to mention, SO YUMMY.

  • 2 cans of chickpeas; drained & rinsed.Processed with VSCO with f2 preset
  • 1 clove of garlic (or more if you like it intense)
  • Juice of 2 lemons
  • Approximately 1/2 cup of tahini
  • Turmeric (the amount is up to you. I add maybe 1 1/2 tablespoons and will add more if I feel it needs it)
  • Sea salt (to taste. I would start with 1 tsp and adjust)
  • 1 cup avocado oil (add more to adjust thickness. avocado oil is my preferred choice since it’s mild, but olive oil is traditional)

*Throw ingredients into your blender and turn it in. It’s really that easy. Adjust your salt and oil and then dig in with fresh veggies or crackers. I also love a big dollop on top of a salad.

Carrot-Orange-Turmeric Juice

You’ll need a juicer for this, or else you can use a powerful blender such as a ninja or vitamix and then strain it.

  • Carrots (I buy a big bag of organic juicing carrots. I will usually use about half of a 5lb bag for this juice. And save the pulp! It goes great in muffins.)
  • Turmeric root (If you can’t obtain fresh turmeric, feel free to use powder in an amount that suits you. Fresh turmeric is intense so I usually use about a 1 1/2 inch piece)unnamed-4
  • Ginger Root (I like it ginger-y! Feel free to use as much as you like.)
  • Orange Juice (I buy organic fresh squeezed oj and use about 2 cups or more depending.)

*Juice all of your ingredients and either chill in the fridge for a few hours or serve over ice!

 

 

 

Golden Mylk

This is one of my favorite treats before bed time. On days when I make fresh almond or cashew mylk, this is most definitely a must.

  • Milk alternative (Avoid milk substitutes that contain the icky ingredient carrageenan gum. Califa Farms almond milk is a great choice and can be found in the refrigerated section of whole foods and the like. Otherwise, soak some almonds or cashews and make your own!)
  • Vanilla extract (Or vanilla bean)
  • Maple syrup
  • Turmeric
  • Black pepper
  • Cinnamon
  • Cardamon

*This “recipe” is really up to your own taste. I’ve simply listed what I use in my golden mylk and then I think it’s up to you to see what your preferences are for the spices. Heat up in a saucepan and then enjoy warm.

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There are so many delicious ways to use turmeric – curries, ice cream, golden mylk, hummus…the options are endless!

Kelsey Bushong
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Smoothie bowl: 101

Smoothie bowls. They are everywhere. Or at the very least, posted up on every foodie-nutritionist instagram/blog. So, here I am telling you that, yes, you should make them. And yes, I am totally down with this food fad.

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Here’s the thing I really like about the smoothie bowl craze, it’s a process (if you want it to be). Now, I’m not saying they are hard to make, I am saying that you intentionally pick out your ingredients, blend, pour, and decorate with all the goodness you can find. Have you ever heard of mindful eating? For me personally, making these delicious, nutrient dense bowls of vibrant color are the epitome of mindful eating. Consciously deciding on the flavors and colors, arranging the toppings in an artful pattern, and then enjoying and being grateful for the fact that you get to consume such goodness. Amen to that!

Anyways, let’s get down to it.

First off, you need a base. Now, with my smoothies I tend to add a bit more coconut water, but with smoothie bowls it’s nice to leave them thicker so that they hold up everything on top. I more often than not use all frozen fruit in order to achieve that thickness and I always use coconut water as my liquid. I also try and add some sort of superfood to my base such as spirulina, maca, camu camu, probiotic, fish oil…you get the idea. Spirulina makes a deep and intense green which adds to it’s amazingness!

Smoothie bowl base ideas:

Green: kale (fresh or frozen), frozen banana, frozen pineapple, frozen mango, spirulina, ginger, coconut water.

Acai: acai (you can buy frozen packets at health food store; near the frozen fruit!), frozen strawberries, frozen bananas, frozen blueberries, water.

Purple: Kale (frozen or fresh), maca, frozen strawberries, frozen blueberries, frozen bananas, coconut water.

The options are really endless. You can find young coconut meat in the frozen section and add that with coconut water, raspberries and banana and you’ve got a gorgeous, vibrant pink base. Really, it’s all about experimenting!

Now onto my favorite part…toppings.

I more often than not buy these in the bulk section at my grocery store, but lately I’ve been seeing the brand nutiva popping up at target for SUPER cheap and they have great hemp seeds, cacao nibs, goji berries, mulberry, and chia seeds. When it comes to the fruit, I like to mix both fresh and frozen fruit for texture. Fresh banana and frozen raspberries are a favorite combo of mine.

Some other great toppings: Hemp seeds, bee pollen (local source!), pumpkin seeds, shredded coconut, granola.

And last but not least, a new favorite thing of mine to do is adding a nice swirl of almond butter on top. You achieve so much texture with creamy, crunchy, and soft when you add something from each of these categories. The next thing to do is to get after it and be creative with placement, which is super fun 🙂

Some inspiration:

Let’s here your favorite combinations for post yoga fuel!

Kelsey Bushong
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Vegan Cacao-Maca Superfood Pie

vegan chocolate pie

All ready to set.

Who doesn’t like pie? I love pie. Especially when it’s some form of a vegan gluten-free superfood pie… okay I like other pies too, but after eating raw pie nearly everyday in Bali I have to get my “fix” somewhere. We made this super simple pie over Thanksgiving and it was fantastic (and only 7 ingredients)! Here is an adapted version from Dana at the Minimalist Baker. If you haven’t checked out her blog full of delicious recipes do it! And no she is not paying me to say that. Seriously though… it’s fantastic.

 

Crust

Ingredients

1 heaping, packed cup of dates, pitted (she suggests soaking them for 10 minutes in warm water… I’m not sure it was necessary, but hey why not try it yourself)
1/3 cup raw cacao
1.5 tablespoons raw maca powder
1.5 cups raw walnuts or pecans (I’ve done the crust with both and they’re both yummy)

Instructions:

  1. Add your dates, nuts, maca and raw cacao to your food processor or blender. Blend until it resembles a sticky pie crust in texture.
  2. Use a little coconut oil to grease the bottom of a spring form pan. Then press the crust down into the dish. I used a silicone spatula with a little coconut oil on it. Dana suggests using a sheet of plastic wrap… I think her suggestion is probably better, but the spatula worked fine.
  3. Place your crust in the freezer while you make the filling.

Filling

Ingredients:

12 ounces of soft, silken tofu, drained and patted dry (It comes in the sterilized packs and is shelf stable)
1 3/4 cups of dairy-free semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup coconut cream

Instructions:

  1. In a double boiler or microwave melt your chocolate chips until they become smooth.
  2. In a blender combine tofu, melted chocolate chips and coconut cream. Blend until smooth and scrape down the sides as needed.
  3. Take your pie crust out of the freezer and fill it up with your pie filling.
  4. To set, put your pie in the freezer or in the fridge. (Note: Both times I’ve put it in the freezer and it was quite firm… next time I will just put it in the fridge, so it’s softer and looks like Dana’s)
Autumn Adams
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