I am sure most of you have heard of ComicCon. A convention where adults (and children) dress up in costume and do whatever they do there. I have never been to a ComicCon and have no desire to go get my “Geek on” there but, a couple weeks ago I went on a “Mommy Vacation” without my family to get my “Geek on” at CookieCon in Salt Lake City. No, we didn’t dress up as our favorite Keebler elf or as an Oreo but we learned different techniques with decorating sugar cookies. 450 of us from 44 states and 16 Countries across the globe came to the CookieCon. We were all hopped up on sugar from royal icing!
The reason I am telling you all this is that the first night I was there, I went to dinner with my little sister and her boyfriend to this amazing vegan/vegetarian café. I am NOT a vegetarian but my sister is. I have to say I was skeptic about what I would eat. I knew they would have salads and that’s what I planned on eating until I began to read the menu. I was intrigued by one of the appetizers and had to try it. Shiitake Mushroom Escargot served with carrot butter on toasted baguette bread. (No snails were involved.) Neither of them had had the mushroom escargot but they told me they had made their own carrot butter last summer and it was really good! I had to give this a shot! It was amazing!
I asked my sister and her boyfriend just how they made it and they told me. I came home and did a little research online and found a recipe for not only the carrot butter but also one for the Shiitake mushroom escargot. (I found them on peta.org under recipes) I knew the next time BBFC offered carrots in bulk that I was going to get some and try this recipe out. I was thrilled when I saw in my last conventional basket that it had carrots in it and I sacrificed my carrots from my juice pack to try it out. I AM IN HEAVEN! Both recipes turned out amazing! I am snacking on it now as I write up my blog TRYING to exercise self-control and not eat it all in one setting. This is going to be tough!
Yesterday I did toast me a couple slices of bread and had some of the carrot butter on it for breakfast. It was yummy that way too.
Ingredients Instructions
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 lb. carrots, peeled
- 1 1/2 gallons water
- 3/4 cup macadamias
- 1/2 cup safflower or canola oil
- 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
- 1/2 Tbsp. vanilla
- 1/2 Tbsp. salt
Instructions
- Chop the carrots into small cubes no larger than a 1/4 inch by 1/4 inch. Boil in the water for 2 hours. (I didn't boil my carrots that long. They only cooked for about an hour. Test your carrots for doneness)
- Purée the carrots, macadamia nuts, oil, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt until smooth.

I just made this using cashews which were soaked in water for about 30 minutes, then drained. Instead of adding oil, I pureed cashews and some of the carrot cooking water until smooth and creamy. Then I added the cooked carrots, 1 tblsp agave instead of maple syrup and about 1 tsp vanilla. It is smooth and delicious and plenty sweet and I think a little
healthier.
I really want to try the carrot butter, what can I use in place of macadamias??