carrot raisin salad - quick!

Hi ladies,
I had a cup or so of left over grated carrots (making the famous 'Hot Love' habanero hot sauce - yikes!) and i was feeling snack time coming on . . . so, I threw these ingredients together for a fast and nutritious snack. Jayvyn loved it!

grated carrots
handful of raisins
handful of chopped hazelnuts
spritz of lemon juice
light sprinkle of brown sugar (not sure if this is even needed, but ensured he would eat it!)

Hope to see you all soon!
Love, Amy

Carrot Timbales

I found this recipe in an old Kitchen Gardener magazine I was looking through for a crafts project. They make fun individual portions. Next time I might make it into a single soufflé just to be quicker.

I forgot to save a carrot for the decorative top (see below), and when I turned mine out they stuck, so the flower might be both decorative and functional.

• 1 1/4 lbs. carrots, peeled
• 3 Tbs. oil or butter
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1/3 cup plain yogurt
• parsley or scallion for garnish

Thinly slice all but one carrot. Cook the sliced carrots, with the oil or butter, in a heavy, covered saucepan over a low flame for 30-40 minutes. Allow the carrots to cool slightly, then purée.

Preheat the oven to 325. Stir the eggs, salt, and paprika into the puréed carrots. Add the yogurt and purée together for 1 minute.

Prepare six 1/2-cup timbales (I used 1/2 pint wide mouth mason jars) by greasing them lightly with butter. Using a sharp knife, cut five or six lengthwise grooves in the remaining carrot, then slice it horizontally so the pieces resemble flowers. Place a carrot "flower" in the bottom of each cup and add small pieces of parsley or scallions as "stems". The bottom of the cups will be the top of the finished timbale.

Carefully spoon the carrot purée into the cups until they are full. Place the cups in a pan just large enough to hold them all. Bring a kettle of water to a boil, then remove it from the head. Fill the pan with enough of the hot water to come 2/3 to 3/4 of the way up the sides of the timbales. Bake in the hot water bath for 30-35 minutes. Unmold gently by running a knife around the sides of the timbales. Serve warn or slightly chilled.