I also thought it would be appropriate to do something orange given my school colors. And, a 5 lb bag of carrots from Costco might have something to do with this week's recipe (did some roasting, and chopping for spring rolls and vermicelli salad too.) Honestly, I need to get with it and try the co-op CSA basket here to get a better variety (and cheaper organic options). The Bountiful Baskets , where you make a weekly monetary contribution (no contracts) and every once and a while go early to help them pack baskets. There are add ons, but they seem to be in large quantities (e.g. 11 lbs of pineapple!), I'll need to recruit a classmate to split something like that with. Depending on the number of items/how long the produce lasts, this could be comparable to what I paid in San Diego in the $25-28 range for one person.
I found a recipe from the New York Times (Linguine with Creamy Carrot and Cheese Sauce), which I made only slight modifications to, using a goat cheese for ricotta, no sour cream, and of course some gluten-free pasta. The author asks, "who says pasta sauce can only be red?" With how thick it came out, I might liken it to pesto. Perhaps that's because I used goat cheese instead of ricotta.It makes a good dip for chips or a solid crunchy veg..maybe radish, jicama, celery. My classmate thought it was a cheddar based dip at first glance.
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| Before mixin' |
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| Stirred up, with herbs and added roasted fennel (about half a cup, cooked) |
Makes about 4-6 servings.
INGREDIENTS:
12 oz of baby carrots or regular carrots cut into small rounds (1/4")
1/2 cup of soft cheese, such as goat
2 oz of Italian blend shredded cheese (or hard cheese)
8 oz dried pasta
1/2 cup of unflavored coconut milk (or milk alternative)
Optional: fresh herbs, roasted fennel bulb (sliced 1/4" tossed in oil and roasted 20 min at 400 F)
Supplies: 2 medium pots, 1 blender or food processor
1. Get water boiling in the 2 pots covering with lids, one for pasta and one for carrots.
2. Can work on assembling the other ingredients in the blender or food processor.
3. Cook pasta as directed, and carrots at least 5 minutes or until fork tender.
4. Place cooked, drained carrots into the blender. You can retain some of the water in case you want a thinner sauce (add a tablespoon or two at a time.) Blend until uniform.
5. Serve the pasta with 2-3 large spoonfuls of sauce.
A fresh herb on top is a nice touch. I used basil from my classmate, Elizabeth.
At least so far in the summer, El Paso offers a lot of free music events! Hooray! We visited Stateline BBQ on Weds night to hear Chuco Soul Project for some funky beats (including a flute and the weird keyboard instrument that is blown into...a "melodica" ...in May my sister showed me the comedian Miranda Sings using it in her video for Bruno Mars, Uptown Funk.) On a Thursday, we headed to McKellington Canyon for some salsa by Sabrosoora-makes me wish I remembered more Spanish. The leader spoke to the audience in between songs and made jokes, that everyone around us laughed about. Really entertaining that they paired with a local dance studio to provide some visuals-though one of the singers looked like he was having a fun time. Also made me want to learn a partnered dance again.
QUESTION FOOD RELATED: What do you like to buy in large quantities?
QUESTION NON-FOOD: Do you have a favorite local band from your current or past place of living?
