It’s Ann here today. Andy is over in OurLittleCorner thinking tender thoughts.
I’ll bet many of you saw the video of the way elephants at a San Diego zoo reacted when a small earthquake hit there last month. If you didn’t, here’s a video from the NYTimes for you to watch. It’s just amazing the way the adult females encircle the two young elephants to protect them; and the way the young male elephant tries to be macho and join the adults! 🙂
I mentioned in an earlier blog that a few species, including African elephants, have females in control. Here’s what one elephant site – Herd.org – says, “A herd’s matriarch plays a vital role in their overall development, protection, and wellbeing. The matriarch receives her position as a result of her leadership abilities, knowledge, and skills. She leads her family, sourcing water in dry months, ensuring the young are well cared for, and providing protection when difficult situations arise.”
But that’s not the only endearing thing about them. Elephants, it seems, are quite fond of carrots – and apples, bananas, and pineapple.
Global Sanctuary for Elephants, a non-profit organization with a 2800-acre elephant “sanctuary” in Brazil, has posted two intriguing (and pretty funny) videos of elephants enjoying these healthy human kinds of foods. You’ve got to watch the carrot consumption process!
Sometimes the blogging stars just align; at about the same time I saw that Instagram post, I found a recipe for a carrot sauce that is just amazing! We were entertaining friends from New Orleans for brunch, so a recipe that came from Molly’s Rise and Shine, a popular New Orleans breakfast spot on Magazine Street, seemed spot on. It has to be one of my favorite new recipes; it’s unique and so, so delicious. You’ll want to serve it for breakfast with plain yogurt, fruit, and granola.
And speaking of elephants and fruit, here’s how the Elephant Sanctuary describes the way one of their star elephants, Rana, an Asian elephant, eats her fruit every morning:
For breakfast, each elephant gets some hay, grains, and produce before going off to wander or to get treatment with caregivers. Here you can see Rana very cleverly picking up her food in an organized manner. She’s quite meticulous about lifting up her food neatly and in order. Her trunk goes for the grains right away, scooping them into a manageable pile before lifting the whole thing into her mouth. She saves the apples, bananas, pineapple, and watermelon for later; the sweetest bites will be savored at the end of the meal.
You can watch Rana eating breakfast below. Damn those apples are hard to pick up with a trunk!
If you want to give your brunch guests several options, here are two more perfect sauces to go with apples, bananas, and pineapple – or whatever fruits are in-season and delicious. Just like Rana, the elephant, you can serve and enjoy the fruits with grains (well, actually, with Deb’s Granola recipe).
So let’s give a toast (perhaps with a mimosa?) to finding our inner elephant. Let us join together to protect one and all! Let us benefit from strong, older females’ care and leadership! AND let us enjoy a delicious and unusual breakfast!
Three D-lish Toppings for Fruit Bowls
Mexican Topping for Fruit Bowls (Bionicos)
- 1/3 c plain yogurt
- 1/3 c sweetened condensed milk
- 1/3 c Mexican crema – or sour cream
- 1 tsp vanilla
Mix yogurt, condensed milk, Mexican crema, and vanilla together in a bowl until well combined.
Vegan Topping for Fruit Bowls
- 1 c raw cashews, soaked in water for 30 minutes, then drained
- 1/2 c coconut milk
- 1/4 c lemon juice
- 2 T maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla
- big pinch of Diamond kosher salt
Mix ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
Rise and Shine Carrot Topping for Fruit Bowls (just make 1/2 of the recipe if you only need 4-5 servings – but you can freeze leftovers if you have any.)
- 1 lb carrots, shredded (about 3 1/2 cups or 12 ounces)
- 2 c water, plus more if needed
- 1 medium-size Honeycrisp apple (about 7 ounces), peeled, cored, and shredded (about 1 cup)
- 1 c granulated sugar
- 2 tsp grated lemon zest
- 1 c fresh lemon juice
- 3 cardamom pods, lightly smashed
- 2 whole star anise
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 3/4 tsp Diamond kosher salt
- 1 T honey
Place carrots, 2 cups water, apple, sugar, lemon zest and juice, cardamom pods, star anise, cinnamon sticks, and salt in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high, stirring occasionally. Cover and reduce heat to medium; cook, stirring occasionally, until carrots are crisp-tender, about 15 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring occasionally, until carrots are tender and liquid has reduced to a thin, syrupy consistency, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat, and discard whole spices.
Transfer carrot mixture to a blender; add honey. Blend on low speed 1 minute. Continue blending, gradually increasing speed to medium-high, until smooth, about 1 minute, adding additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if necessary to keep puree moving. Transfer mixture to a small bowl; refrigerate 20 minutes. before serving.
Serve by putting a big dollop of unflavored Greek yogurt into individual bowls, then adding a big spoonful of carrot sauce and swirling that just a little into the yogurt. Top with fruit and granola.