Brown Butter Glazed Carrots with Toasted Hazelnuts

Here's a unique carrot and hazelnut side dish that is both simple and delicious. Carrots and hazelnuts pair wonderfully well. The natural sweetness of the carrots complements the nutty and crunchy nature of the hazelnuts.

For extra flavor, I also added rosemary in brown butter for an earthier taste.

Cold Carrot Ginger Soup (Cappuccino De Carottes)

Cold soup in shot glasses can be served as a wonderfully refreshing summer appetizer or first course. Ginger is always very refreshing, so I use it often in summer dishes. Today, I made a cold carrot soup flavored with fresh ginger. I think the bright orange color is very representative of the season, especially enhanced by a touch a saffron.  

The carrots are cooked until softened, blended with a little cream until smooth, then chilled. I served the cold soup in individual glasses, which is an elegant start to any meal. To finish the dish, I garnished the soup with cumin-flavored whipped cream and a piece of candied ginger as a reminder of the flavoring inside.

Dried Apricot and Carrot Salad on Betel Leaves

Lulu's aunt, Sara, gave Daddy a betel leaf plant a few months ago. It has grown from a small vine into a prolific producer of fragrant leaves. Daddy loves chewing areca nuts wrapped in a betel leaf. It's very popular in India (paan parag) as well as Vietnam (trầu). In much of Southeast Asia, betel leaves are used to make a salad.

For the shredded carrot salad I made today, I decided to use the fresh betel leaves as a serving dish of sorts. To the shredded carrots, I added diced dried apricots and a fresh, thinly shredded kaffir lime leaf. The combination of the ingredients worked very well together. Betel leaves have a peppery taste and the kaffir lime has a nice citrus-y aroma. In keeping with the Asian theme, I made a peanut and tamarind dressing to brighten up the dish and tie all the flavors together.

Fresh Ginger Apple Celery Carrot Juice

When I look back at my New Year's resolutions, you know, those lies we tell ourselves at the beginning of each year, I realize that I haven't made good on my resolution to use our juicer more. I think the only time I used it this year was to make plum juice for a tofu recipe.

My other resolution has gone pretty well. I started this food website on January 1st of this year as our way of keeping track of what we eat and helping the girls have easy access to my recipes when they want to make them on their own. I thought it would help me be more mindful of my family's diet and maybe lose weight. It seemed like a great way to add some discipline to my life.

There are fewer than 90 days left in 2009, so today I decided to break out the juicer and make us some juice. I recently bought a lot of carrots, celery and Fuji apples. All three are perfect for juicing. I combined them in the juicer, and I threw in a touch of ginger to give it a little zing. It tastes delicious and makes a great breakfast.

So clearly I'm not on my way to becoming the next Jack Lalanne, but at least I've made good on another resolution. Now if I could just figure out how to lose 5 pounds before our 5-year-anniversary trip to Cancun at the end of the month...

Deep Fried Black Pepper and Sesame Soy Gluten with Choy Sum

Soy gluten is made from the combination of wheat gluten and soy bean gluten. Contrary to tofu, it has a chewy texture. When deep fried, its volume expands, creating a crispy exterior.  The gluten shrinks when dipped in the black bean sauce creating a meaty texture. I used the same method as my sunken tofu so that the soy gluten absorbs all the flavor of the sauce.

What I love about this recipe is that it is probably the only dish that Lulu and I get to enjoy eating together and feeding each other. The soy gluten has a similar texture to meat, but with a very different taste. So if you're a carnivore like me, you'll enjoy this dish as much as I do.

To be honest with you, I'm not a big fan of vegetarian food. I have been cooking a lot of veggie dishes since I got married, but I don't really enjoy them without adding some meat. I keep complaining to Lulu how much I would love to be able to share a meal together. I've tried to convert my husband into a meat eater for almost 5 years, but I've been wildly unsuccessful. So in a way, one could say that this is my recipe for a happy marriage.