Creamy Carrots

Carrots + sour cream = my family's new favorite vegetable side dish.  Seriously, this is the ONLY vegetable I make that when if there are leftovers, Jesse claims them as his own.  Which is unfortunate for him because we have a "first come first serve" leftover policy in this house and I'm faster than him. Sucker.

But since this recipe is so popular with my family and also any friends I've served it to, I thought I'd share.

First you grab yourself some carrots.  Bonus points if you pull them from your garden.  As an aside, does anyone else think carrots are kind of a useless thing to plant in the garden?  They are so cheap at the store AND for all the work of planting and growing them, I only got enough to make two batches of this recipe.  Worth it or no?  I'm undecided...

Anyways, carrots.

Jessica's Creamy Carrots
(adapted from a recipe in my Nourishing Traditions cookbook)

7-10 carrots
Generous drizzle of olive oil
Yummy glob of sour cream
Splash of salt

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Cut a bunch of carrots into 1-inch chunks.  Enough to fill the bottom of a 13x9 pan in a single layer.  If you're like me then you are too lazy to peel carrots.  But washing them is probably a good idea.  Drizzle them generously with olive oil and toss those puppies in the oven.

It takes a little while long while.  At least 45 minutes, sometimes an hour.  Just check them periodically... stirring them around and whatnot.  They should be browned and tender, but not burned.  Obviously.

Then pour the entire carrot-olive-oil-baked-deliciousness into a food processor, blender, or bowl.  And throw a bunch of sour cream and a dash of salt in there.

Don't be afraid of sour cream people!  "Research has shown that regular consumption of cultured dairy products lowers cholesterol and protects against bone loss.  In addition, cultured dairy products provide beneficial bacteria and lactic acid to the digestive tract.  These friendly creatures and their by-products keep pathogens at bay, guard against infectious illness and aid in the fullest possible digestion of all food we consume.  Perhaps this is why so many traditional societies value fermented milk products for their health-promoting properties and insist on giving them to the sick, the aged, and nursing mothers."  (Sally Fallon, Nourishing Traditions, pg. 81)

We eat a lot of full fat, cultured dairy in this house.  Yogurt, sour cream, butter, etc.  I know it's a bit controversial, since we're all told to avoid fat like the plague.  But I think there's wisdom in kicking it old school... I think our bodies need good sources of fat and I disagree with where the FDA says those "good fats" can come from.  Call me crazy if you want.  I get it a lot.  "Crazy hippie."

Here's a cool blog series about fat if you want to read more from another hippie.

So about those carrots.  You just whizz them into a glorious mush with your immersion blender.  I have this Hamilton Beach Immersion Blender that my sis-in-law got me and I LOVE it!  You can puree soups right in the pot.  Or make homemade salsa super fast.  (Or baby food.  This puppy made all of Sam's baby food.  I would just take whatever it was we were eating that night and process it to smithereens for her.)

Ta-da!  Salmon cakes, brown rice, and a carrot side dish your family will love!  I promise.  It's so good!  My girls' always ask for "MORE PEEEESE!"