Glazed Carrots

Carrots can provide you healthy doses of beta-carotene, anti-oxidants and Potassium. Here is a way to jazz it up to make it attractive for kids and grown-ups alike.
What you need:

• Carrots
• Brown sugar
• Orange juice
• Butter
• Cinnamon stick

Chop carrots. I prefer to keep the skin on since most of the Potassium is right under the skin (just like potatoes). I scrub the carrots with mild soap before chopping.
In a heavy pan, add butter, fry carrots for two minutes on high till evenly coated.
Add a cup of orange juice and 2 to 3 spoons of brown sugar, add a small stick of cinnamon.
Mix, cover and cook on medium for 10 minutes.
Remove cover, fry till all liquid is evaporated and you are done.

Tricks and tips:
Add a little ginger during the process to add some zing
Let cool at room temperature, sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.
Serve with your favorite ice cream and whip cream
Use ripened plantains or yams instead of carrots.

Trivia:
Carrots are originated in Afghanistan and black in color. With selective breeding over centuries, carrots are now produced in varied colors and sizes.
Baby carrots are made from regular carrots (1 carrot = 3 baby carrots). Machines remove the skin and polish them to look like small carrots. What started as a way of reclaiming hard to sell imperfect carrots now became a multi billion dollar industry.

Acorn Squash and Vegetables Soup





This is a hearty soup my lady likes and I make this with a few variations.
What you need:

1. Acorn Squash
2. Onion
3. Carrot
4. Celery
5. Fennel Bulb
6. Beans (a can of one of these - Garbanzo, kidney, red, Lima, white)
7. Tomatoes, tomato paste, sun dried tomatoes in Olive Oil

Roughly cube the veggies except tomatoes.
Heat a large pot, add two spoons of EVOO, add veggies, sprinkle with salt and pepper and fry for 5 minutes.
Add enough water, two whole tomatoes, a spoon of tomato paste and bring to boil, reduce heat to medium heat and cover.
After about 20 minutes, take the cooked tomatoes out, add drained canned beans.
This is a good time to adjust salt and pepper and let it cook another 10 minutes.
Peel the tomatoes, add to a blending bowl along with a piece of ginger, garlic clove, sun dried tomatoes, some of the soup mix with veggies and blend.
Add to soup, cover on simmer for 2 minutes and your are done.
Let the soup stand in the pot for another 10 minutes before serving.
Tips and Tricks:
There is no one way to make a perfect soup. There are so many vegetables you can add to a soup but try to keep it to a minimum. Onion, Carrot, and Celery forms the base for these kind of soups so remember Italian (or Indian) flag colors.
You can add a spoon of all purpose flour when frying the vegetables which gives a nice texture to the liquid.
Do not fry long enough to char the veggies lest it changes the soup color and taste.
Save the squash seeds, add a spoon of EVOO, pinch of salt and toast until light golden brown. Garnish the soup with these seeds and leaves from Fennel bulb (similar to Dill) as shown in the above picture.
If you have fresh basil leaves, add them during blending towards the end. Cooking after adding any fresh herb is a big NO, NO.
Don't mix two fresh herbs. Your palette will be left confused.
Potatoes and Carrots are a great source of Potassium. If you peal them, you lose most of it. I scrub them with mild soap.
Add pasta 10 minutes before turning off the heat. Shells, rotini, elbows or tubes will work better.
Compliment with a thick loaf of Rosemary bread available in most gourmet markets and you got yourself a complete meal. Toast the bread with a little EVOO for best results.
Consider following vegetables as alternatives:

• Potatoes
• Fresh green beans
• Leeks
• Yellow squash
• Zucchini
• Chayote
• Any other squash

Cabbage Soup

Here is a quick and easy, yet tasty soup recipe. You can vary the portion of ingredients to achieve different tastes and textures. Before I go any further, I want to make a few things clear.
In my language oil or olive oil = extra virgin olive oil(EVOO), pepper = fresh ground pepper. If you compromise these and freshness of other ingredients, don't blame me if your dish sucks.
What you need:

1. Cabbage
2. Carrots
3. Onion
4. Garlic cloves
5. Ginger

Chop the above, fry with a little oil on medium, add salt and pepper (about 5 min)
Add water and bring to a boil, cover and cook with cover for about 20 min
Blend (I prefer handheld blender) and return to pot
Add a cup of milk, cook in simmer for 10 more minutes
Adjust salt and pepper and you are done.

Garnish:
Garnishing is very important for both presentation and taste. For soup, use the following items but be careful and creative about how many and what combination works. For example, I don't garnish with cilantro and basil together. Same with green onions and chives. Don't use more than Three.
Garnish candidates:

• Cilantro
• Green onions
• EVOO
• Basil
• Parsley
• Sprouts
• Mint (pudina)
• Avocado
• Fried Onions
• Butter
• Salsa (Recipe in a different post)

Remember: The complexity of a dish lies in it's simplicity. Stick with freshness and fewer ingredients to bring out their taste.
Happy cooking : )