roasted carrots

if you don't like cooked carrots, let me change your mind...

i cook these for adventure weekends and every single time i make these (and i am not kidding on this, literally, every time), i get at least one leader begging me for how i made them.  i don't like cooked vegetables (love them raw though), and i will eat these, and if you know me in the real world and have ever experienced my foodiness in person, then you know, this is serious.

what you need:
carrots
garlic powder
salt (i use kosher, the flake type)
coarse black pepper
oil (i use the 75/25 of canola/olive)

the pictures i am about to show you is about 20 lbs of carrots, so my dusting of spices is going to be much more than yours, but it is the same concept.

i was taught this "diamond" cut for carrots last year and i just recently really understood how to actually do it. but as long as you chunk the carrots into nice bite sized pieces, any which way is fine, but i am going to try to describe the way we do it.  it is pretty much creating a pencil point as you chop down the carrot.
you cut the small end of the carrot at an angle.  on the cutting board, place the carrot straight across.  imagine the top of the cutting board as north, your knife should cut the carrot as if was a line from NW to SE (or a 45 degree angle)
turn the carrot towards you so the flat oval you just created with that slice is facing up.  slice the carrot at the same angle, where the closest side of the oval will be sliced in the middle, like this ( \  )
when you turn the carrot towards you again, the oval is now going to be pointed, you want the arrow you've created to be pointing NE.  now that the oval doesn't exist and it is now a semi-oval, you pretty much have to imagine the full oval there and keep cutting like described above.
i know, it is complicated, it took me a long time to generally get it down.  but it is really easy once you actually get the flow of it and understand how to do it.

ok, the actual process...
p.s.  i don't peel the carrots.
chunk them, throw them in a bowl, but not too full you cannot stir them well (2-3 inches under rim depending on how many carrots you have).  pour a generous amount of oil on the carrots (excess just sits at bottom of bowl, and then ends up greasing the pan for you).  they should look glossy once you stir them.
dust the top with garlic powder like i have on the left there.  again, that bowl has about 20 lbs of carrots in it, is 2 feet wide and 5 inches deep, so that is my generous dusting to that large serving.  a good way to gage it is enough is if, once it is stirred and the powder has been absorbed into the oil, you can still smell garlic if you get close to the carrots (if you smell it without being near the bowl, it may be too much). with the salt, you want to do the same (right) get a good coat on the top, then stir.  with the coarse black pepper you want to watch it, if you add too much, it will be really spicy and if you are trying to get kids to eat these, then that won't do it.  you basically want the carrots to look freckled once you are done.

this is how they should look to head into the oven

pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

use a pan with an edge so the oil doesn't run over the sides.

no need for oil as it won't stick.  may want to line the pan with foil to make for easy clean up.

roast in oven for about an hour or until the core of the carrots starts to turn yellow and the edges turn brown and dark brown.

lime cilantro dressing

so this is a rather popular dressing i make.  i even got a letter from some of the counselors last summer telling me that it was "sent from the gods."  i started playing around with making my own salad dressings last year not only to make salads more exciting for the kids, but just to add a bit a variety in the everyday life of camp.  i use a submersion blender to make this, but you can make it in the blender.

what you need:
4 limes (1 lime produces about 2 tablespoons, so if using lime juice, then 1/2 cup, but i urge you to use fresh lime juice)
4 tsp sunflower seeds (i believe the ones i use are salted and roasted, but you can use the plain kind, just add a dash more salt)

1 tbsp chopped garlic (if you buy chopped garlic in oil or water that comes in a jar, add 1 tbsp of its juice, if not, add about 1/2 tbsp more of garlic)

salt and pepper

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp white vinegar

2 1/4 cups oil (olive or olive/canola blend, at camp i use a 75% canola, 25% olive oil blend)
2-4 bushels of cilantro (depending on how much you love cilantro, i go heavy on it and would use 1/4 lb on this size batch)

in the blender, puree lime juice, sunflower seeds, garlic, a dash of salt and pepper, and vinegar until the smooth.  add the oil and cilantro and blend until cilantro is broken down.  i put the whole thing in, stem and leaf, the stems break up really well, but the leaf will still be in little chunks.  this should produce about 4 cups of dressing, and lasts a long time.

lime cilantro dressing drizzled on spinach leaves

not just for salads, it goes well with chicken or turkey dishes, pasta dishes, and potato dishes.

tofu and zucchini stir-fry with dressing  as marinade

croutons

Crunchy Croutons

these guys are super snack-tastic and very easy to make!

i should mention, i am not much of a measurer for some things, like this recipe doesn't have measurements.  when i make them, i eyeball the amounts of everything depending on how much bread i use.

what you need:
any amount of bread, i prefer sourdough for the flavor, but you can use any type really
olive oil (you can use vegetable oil, i would splice it with a bit of olive oil for a better taste)
salt
pepper
garlic powder
paprika

there are two ways you can bake these, low and slow will help dry out the bread and get all of them golden.  high heat gets them cooked faster, but the chance of burning bits is great.  if cooking them on low, preheat oven to 225 or 250 degrees F.  if cooking them on high, preheat to 350 degrees F.

chop the bread down into small cubes, when it is somewhat stale, it is easier to cut up, use a bread knife or any serrated knife for tougher breads.  a flat blade, like a cooks knife, will work better on softer breads.  be careful in slicing this up because bread likes to slip on you which causes you to nick your fingers.  placing a wet rag under your cutting board will keep it from slipping around while you cut.

place the bread chunks in a large enough bowl to be able to stir entire amount (usually filling it to 2-3 inches under the rim of the bowl will be enough room).  drizzle the oil over the bread and stir.  bread should look somewhat glazed without a shine, not soaked in oil.  should use just enough oil to coat the bread so the spices can stick to the bread, you can be light on the oil if you want to avoid too much oil.  sprinkle light coats of each of the spices over the bread as you stir.  you can be as light or heavy as you want depending on your tastes, the garlic and pepper will add spice and the paprika will add a smokey flavor.  too much of any of them will make it inedible though.  you can also add other spices or herbs if you like as well, rosemary or basil would be great for salad croutons, onion powder would add a nice kick to it.  even sesame or poppy seeds will add a nice depth to the flavor as well.

spread the dressed bread on a cookie sheet with edges (makes it easier for you to stir them).  if you do not have cookie pans with a slight edge to them, can use those rectangle cake pans.  if you were light on the oil, drizzle some oil on the pan and wipe it down with a paper towel (a little better taste than pan spray, but you can use that instead).

baking low and slow, you'll want to stir them every 15 minutes until golden brown.  it should take an hour and 20-30 minutes depending on oven and how dark you want them.
baking high heat, stir ever 7 or so minutes, once they start getting color, keep an eye on them so they don't burn.  it should take 20-30 minutes depending on oven and how dark you want them.

about me...

I have been the Kitchen Manager for a girl scout camp for about 12 years now and over those years, I have developed my own recipes, fine tuned those of betty crocker and the likes and have made cooking in mass edible and enjoyable.

What I aim to share with you is some of my favorite recipes and pictures of food I make. I will be busiest during the summer, but I do cook throughout the rest of the year, so I tend to lag on getting my recipes posted.  If you have any requests of what you'd like to see me post, let me know :)