The winner is.....Carrots!

The other day my roommate asked me, 'If you could have only five vegetables for the rest of your life, what would they be?'. I pondered this for a few moments. We were eating yummy asparagus at the time, so I was tempted in that direction, but really, I'm not such a huge fan that I would plan my life around it. I could have chosen a favorite, but infrequent item, like corn on the cob. I do love a plate of fresh-from-the-farmer corn, slathered in butter with fresh ground pepper. The problem is, I associate corn with august and it just seems so much more special when it's only enjoyed a couple times a year. No, if I was going to choose five vegetables for the rest of my life, they had to be versatile and resilient enough to withstand day after day of attention. My final list was quite practical, but perhaps controversial as two of my entries are technically fruit.

First, I chose onion. My father is probably laughing out loud right now; I used to hate onions as a child. As I've come to cook for myself I see how much a little bit of onion can do for so many dishes. It's not often the star, but it can certainly turn things from drab to complex. Next, avocado (the first of the fruit/veggies). I have a weakness for guacamole, egg and avocado sandwiches and the avocado salad at The Green Door. The second fake veggie was the tomato. Strange, since I also hated tomatoes as a child (it was a texture thing). Now though I say, how can you go wrong with a tomato? Perfect in a sandwich, as a base for so many sauces, soups, and salsas and it goes splendidly with avocado! For my greens I chose arugula. Once you've had an arugula salad, it's hard to even consider regular leaf lettuce as an option. Finally, I chose carrots.

Carrots? you may ask. It's a fair question, I even kind of questioned myself as I said it. I'm certainly not talking about the old bagged carrots from the grocery store. I'm thinking of one that has been freshly plucked from the garden. It's one of those things that tastes like an entirely different vegetable when eaten fresh. On top of that, it's incredibly versatile. It's more than just the sliced wedges alongside a meat and potatoes supper. The carrot can find a place in a warming soup, a healthy smoothie or even in dessert. Carrot cake, my friends, is one of the best fates for a carrot.

After buying a huge bag of market carrots last fall, I went on a bit of a carrot cake baking spree. This is not a bad thing, in fact my roommate and lab mates were all quite happy with this development. When the bag of carrots was ending it's lifetime, the last remaining ones were shredded and packed away into the freezer for future cake adventures. Today, with a baby shower to attend, was a day for an adventure. You might not think that in a cake, market versus grocery carrots would make a difference. I'm here to tell you that you are wrong. Even after spending some time in the freezer these carrots still managed to bring a fresh flavor, one reminiscent of summer days laying in the grass by the garden.

I took this recipe from my mom, whose carrot cake with cream cheese icing has always been my favorite. I modified it here to make a, not too sweet, mix of carrot and savory flavors. The oil also gives it a crunchy exterior, an excellent contrast to the moist interior. It doesn't need any icing, but I have found that a dollop of whipped cream or a layer of cream cheese icing with toasted coconut are both quite delicious.

Carrot Cake Modified from my mom's recipe

• 1 cup cooking oil
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• ~3 cups of grated carrots
• 1 1/2 cups of white flour
• 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
  
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp all spice

Preheat the oven to 350 ˚F and grease a cake pan. Beat the oil and sugar together, then beat in the eggs. The mixture should look something like thick caramel sauce. Stir in the carrot. In a separate bowl mix the dry ingredients together. Fold the dry into the carrot mixture until it is just mixed. Pour into the cake pan and cook for 35-45 min.