Wednesday, January 20, 2010

I Am Bugs Bunny

I'm not TRYING to eat healthy food. I believe my diet is already pretty good, for the most part (except for the occasional potato chip evening). I probably get all the nutrients I'm supposed to have just from farmers market produce, meat, cheese and eggs.
But I'm on this carrot binge! I'm sneaking carrots into my food, like Jerry Seinfeld's wife.
I probably shouldn't even tell you that a couple of weeks ago I made tuna salad sandwiches. There was grated carrot in the tuna salad. Doesn't that sound great? It was.
OK, this is pretty much your standard mac 'n' chee, with a mornay sauce made from goat's milk cheddar (whoops, not so standard), gluten-free cracker crumbs and quinoa pasta. AND! Grated carrots. Stir 'em right in before you pop the casserole in the oven. I can't say they added a whole lot, flavor-wise, apart from a little sweetness. Whatever crunch they had was cooked out.
But it made me really happy.

17 comments:

kudzu said...

OMG -- your post made me think of something from childhood: that "salad" made of grated carrots and raisins with mayonnaise. I remember feeling that I had to pretend to hate it because all my friends did, but I'm such a carrot fan, I really liked it. There must be something you could come up with, a modern version a la NYT Magazine. Dare you!

Greg said...

we used to hide carrots in stuff to make the kids eat veg.Now they would not know tuna salad without carrots.

cookiecrumb said...

Kudzu: OK, you're ON! I'll foreswear the mayo (Have you heard of a potato mayonnaise? Must try). No raisins. But: cilantro, scallions and nuts. Cumin, probably. Fun. I dare you, too!

Greg: Well!!! I thought I made it up! Very cool. It is obviously delicious, because WE love it.

Melanie said...

I am SO going to try this. I really have been craving a little pasta lately.

peter said...

You crafty devil, you. Next thing we know you'll be sneaking teabaggers into the Senate.

cookiecrumb said...

Melanie: Sometimes you just gotta.

Peter: Now, don't you go comparing me with Medea Benjamin. (Oh, wait. She's on "our" side.)

Zoomie said...

I can't think of anything better than carrots to sneak into all kinds of foods. Love 'em.

kudzu said...

You're cheating and going all Moroccan on me or something. No mayo? Cumin??? Think there's a French appetizer made with grated carrot (large hole on the grater), marinated, and Marcella does wonderful marinated (lightly cooked) carrots, too -- but I was thinking of staying true-er to the US of A version.

cookiecrumb said...

Zoomie: I think it's my new hobby! What's up, doc?

Kudzu: True, I veered rather far off. I'll incorporate mayonnaise (even if it's the potato kind), but I just can't do the raisins. Maybe some of our dried plums. It would still taste great with cumin.

Ms Brown Mouse said...

I sneak bran into just about everything I cook.

Heather said...

I am so with ya. I like adding vegetables just for its sake, too. It's great! Makes everything all healthy-like.

cookiecrumb said...

Mouse: Bran?! Good for you. I'm going to start sneaking in M&M's.

Heather: Yeah, and it's not like I'm even trying to fool myself. I just want 'em in there.

musingegret said...

For any recipe that calls for raisins I always sub dried cranberries. I'm pulling out the box grater right now! Thanks for reviving a childhood memory, kudzu!

cookiecrumb said...

MusingEgret: Cranberries taste great, but the dried ones are so sugared. It's a nice sub, though.
I am tickled that Kudzu has turned you on to this "salad."

Chilebrown said...

I have been on a carrot binge for the last 2 years.

My home grown carrots do not get as big as the markets, but oh are they so sweet.

Hungry Dog said...

Hi Bugs. This sounds great. I love carrots, I could eat them in almost anything. And I could definitely eat them in mac n cheese.

michael, claudia and sierra said...

now mac and cheese - this i love. with any kind of pasta. carrots, no carrots - i'll take it anyway i can get it.