Thursday, February 10, 2011

orange vibes

There's something going on around here with orange.

A yarn seed in process -- this hank is just the right size to place around a bowl.
Always puts me in a state, to wind yarn . . .


You might think this is a dessert, right? Actually, it's last night's crustless-pie side dish using some of the last garden carrots. But it could be eaten as a dessert or a late-night snack or even as breakfast. When I made it for my parents once, my dad helped himself to some leftovers and topped it with whipped cream.

Carrots have sort of gotten a bad rap lately -- how they're so high in sugar that you might as well have a soda pop, and things like that. The truth is that carrots are a delicious healing food high in beta-carotene particularly protective of the lungs and the colon against cancer. They are also high in silicon which can accelerate calcium absorption. Carrot juice is one of the safest juices for fasting and makes a good base for other juices. Raw carrots are a good way to satisy a sweet tooth -- and, just one more good thing about carrots -- as a sweet-flavored food, they help us to attune to the upsurges of spring. And spring is coming along here pretty soon now. Healing with Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford is a good reference that I use often and some of this, I learned there.

So now, on to Carrot Pie.

2 cups cut-up carrots
Save 1/2 cup of the water from steaming
3 eggs
1 T. honey
1 T. butter
1/4 cup cream
1/2 t. ginger
Sprinkle of nutmeg & cinnamon

Steam and puree the carrots, adding the reserved water and the next five ingredients. Butter a pie pan and pour the carrot mixture in. Sprinkle the ginger and cinnamon on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. This is good hot with butter & salt, at room temperature, and cold . . . with whipped cream, if you like.

You will be surprised.

P.S. Onions have been suggested as an addition to the pie which then made me think oh yes, onions and curry powder and cayenne pepper, too! Actually this pie makes a good base for lots of different seasonings as well as other vegies. I'd love to hear what changes you make to the recipe.

Yesterday's feather cloth is temporarily a feather cloak for this dear (and unfinished) sock birdwoman. The orange strips falling from her hands symbolize fire, both healing and creative.


I like her hair but she needs work on her face in the way of outline stitching, I think.

She is filled with fluff stuffing and herbs, wears huge earrings, is bare-breasted, wearing only a skirt.  She was wearing a seashell necklace but I took it off to put on the cloak. Sometimes she holds my wishes for me.

Posted over at Food Renegade, too.


6 comments:

  1. I really like how you defend the carrot. We eat a lot of them around here, and I'm excited to add something to the meager carrot repertoire we currently have. :)

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  2. They need defending! I hope you like it . . .

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  3. I'll give the carrot pie a try. I'm always looking for something different for our weekly Sunday brunch. Thanks...oh, and the feather weaving makes a great cape!

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  4. Shishi, thanks -- it is a great cape. Who knows where it'll end up next?!

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  5. I made the carrot pie last night (and was later told by my acupunturist friend that I should be eating root vegetables and ginger!) Next time, I might add some onions to it. I like sweet and hot, so I ate it with a little horseradish, that was yum too!

    And the Bird Goddess with her new cape is stunning. Birds are showing up in my tarot cards now.....

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  6. Jo, yes, some onions and steamed nettles and curry powder and cayenne! That sounds fabulous! Way back when, the original recipe used pie crust and powdered milk -- it's really a base for whatever at this point.

    Thanks, she's enjoying her cape.

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