A Little Something for my Vegetarian Friend

My friend, Johanna, has been very complimentary of my blog.  HOWEVER, she's mostly vegetarian.  When am I going to post something vegetarian?  Tonight is the night, my friend.  I won't even post the meat part in this post as I think you have everything you need in this meal.  I got this recipe in my mailbox today from a new service affiliated with Epicurious.  It's called PureWow and for a first email from them, I'd say so far, so good.  It was very simple to pull together and I decided I needed to add some green, so I sauteed up some red chard (Tomatero) with olive oil, garlic and onion.  The carrot recipe I left alone, but made sure to use really flavorful carrots from Full Belly Farm. The editors referenced the owner of Bi-Rite Market (another great reason to take a field trip into the Mission) as the creator of the dish:

Steamed Carrots with Lemon-Tahini Dressing

Recipe adapted from Sam Mogannam, Bi-Rite Market, San Francisco

INGREDIENTS DIRECTIONS 2½ pounds carrots, peeled and cut on the bias into ½-inch pieces (about 5 cups) 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste 2 tablespoons tahini (preferably Artisana, MaraNatha or Joyva brand) 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon minced garlic clove 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste 1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley 1. Fit a steamer basket in a wide-bottomed pot (such as a Dutch oven) and add enough water to just reach the bottom of the steamer. Bring the water to a boil and add about a quarter of the carrots in a snug layer. Cover the pot and steam the carrots until just tender, about 6 minutes. Transfer the carrots to a bowl and, working in batches, steam the remaining carrots. Set aside to cool slightly. 2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk the lemon juice with the tahini, olive oil, garlic and salt. Dip a carrot into the dressing and taste. Season with additional salt and lemon juice if desired.  Definitely do this!  I had to add more lemon juice and olive oil to mellow it out.  Tahini can be bitter... 3. Drizzle the dressing over the carrots and add the parsley. Toss until the carrots are thoroughly coated with the dressing and transfer to a serving plate or bowl. Serve immediately or at room temperature.