Carrotahini Fries for a Frigid Day

So the weather is dreary.

Wet. Cold. Quiet. But, still. Nary is a day ugly.

These are the last few days before the temperature begins to rise and Spring comes for good. I absolutely hate the cold. I’m more of a 100-degree weather person. I’m holding out until Friday when 60 makes a fashionably late entrance.

I kept thinking all day that I wanted fries. I wanted the saltiness, the shape, the texture — not so much fries per se. If you can recreate the experience in a healthier way, why not do it? If you deconstruct the sensory associations you have toward your craving, it’s not so much McDonalds you really want (Micky D’s is just lack of creativity); rather, it’s the crunch, the pop-in-the-mouth size, the soft inside, the color, the savory bite, etc.

For me, I drool for the crispy outside and the soft inside.

Something — something — about smothering root vegetables with nut butter and then baking it makes magic. I used tahini for this dish, just because I’m on a tahini-kick these days, but almond butter works well, if not better!

I paired these carrots with tahini, salt and pepper. That’s it. But it doesn’t just taste like “that’s it”. It tastes like “hot damnnnnn!!”

Craving satisfied.

Crunchy Tahini Carrot Sticks (baked)

Ingredients:

– 5-10 carrots (5 large, 10 small)
– 2-3 tbsp tahini (enough to cover carrots evenly with a small, transparent layer)
– 1 tsp salt
– 1 tsp pepper
– 1 tbsp butter (optional)

Serves 1 (of course)

Directions:

This is the easiest recipe ever. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, and begin to chop the carrots into little sticks. No fancy knife skills needed, just try to get the pieces all the same shape.