Carrots

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     Do you like carrots? I know a couple of people who don't, and I think that must mean they have never tasted a carrot properly. Carrots are like summer: bright and fresh in both look and taste. I love carrots. Carrot Cake is one of the best kinds of cake (and if you have never had the Carrot Cake Cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory, you should fix that right now) and my favorite Indian dessert is Gujrala (or Gajar ka Halwa..and I don't know how to explain it in English, but it is delicious- except when made at stupid Indian restaurants).

Carrots with their clothes still on

     So, what did I do with carrots today? Well, today started out as a leisurely kind of day. I taught creative writing to children in the morning, studied a little, grocery shopped, started working on an elaborate food that was going to take a long time (you can wait in suspense till tomorrow) and then... I had a realization. I don't own my own camera, did you know? This blog survives through the kindness of my friends: I use my roommate's and PN's cameras, and I always have to use PN's in order to upload pictures onto the computer. But I didn't have it today! She did! And she probably had plans all night! What would I do?

     I did the only thing that made sense. In the hour between when I called her (she was at dinner) and when she would be home for five minutes before leaving again, I prepared a new dish for today. It was a dish I had been wanting to make for a long time, and, luckily, I knew it would be quick. A carrot salad. I had been holding off on making it because all the carrot salads I saw online were Asian and needed vinegar, which I did not want to buy. Then, I talked to my mom about it. She suggested: Carrot, Honey, Lime, and Raisins. I don't really like raisins so I substituted, cashews are kind of like raisins, right?

     And, that is how I ended up making carrot salad before racing to PN's place, downloading the pictures onto this blog, and then racing back to clean up the mess of honey and carrots all over my floor. But, with the first bite, I knew I had been right to crave this. The sweetness of the honey offsets the sourness of the lime, just leaving that bright lime flavor, and the crunch of the carrot offsets the softer cashews. Still, above all is the flavor of the carrots. That bright sunshiney taste in my mouth makes it feel like it's sunny outside. Even if it's not. 

Shiny Shiny from the Honey

Honey-Carrot Salad 

Makes 3 servings 

4 Mid-Sized Carrots 

1/2 tbsp Honey (I would drizzle some on, taste, then drizzle more on- make it as sweet as You want) 

1/2 Lime 

1 handful Cashews 

Wash the carrots and peel them. Then, cut them into thin match-sticks. (I would say julienne, but obviously I did not even try to julienne, so just make them thin.) Place the carrots into a medium bowl and squeeze the lime juice onto them. Add the honey and the cashews, and mix it thoroughly to combine. Enjoy!