Raw, Vegan, Gluten free Carrot Cake

I have been craving carrot cake recently and decided that would be what I would make for my birthday cake. Yes, I make my own birthday cake.
Since no one else in my house generally eats these things, I wanted to bring it to work. There are a couple folks who follow gluten-free and dairy-free diets, so I wanted to make a GF, DF cake.

I found a carrot cake recipe from Paleo Running Momma, that looked pretty good, but I just couldn't bring myself to make it. It seemed a bit involved and there were a couple ingredients I needed to get from the store. I made the frosting though and put it in the freezer until I made the cake part. After a couple weeks, Dana from Minimalist Baker posted a raw carrot cake. I had all the ingredients, so I decided to switch gears and make that instead.

It turned out pretty well. My food processor is pretty small, so I had to make everything in several batches. This made things take quite a bit longer. I don't think I will make this cake again, because of the food processor issue, and it's fairly dense, but it is tasty. The frosting is very "coconutty" and not very "cream-cheesy." I might try to use tofutti/Trader Joes non-dairy cream cheese if I were ever to try a non-dairy "cream cheese" frosting again.

Rhubarb sour cream muffins

I made these rhubarb muffins with gifted-from-the-neighbor rhubarb:
https://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/sour-cream-rhubarb-muffins-27861

They were so good! Sweet and tart and very moist.

Recently made

• Creamed corn-https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/11675-creamed-corn?action=click&module=Global%20Search%20Recipe%20Card&pgType=search&rank=1

I wasn’t too excited about this version. It wasn’t super creamy like my mom made from the can. Could be the corn was a little dehydrated. Either way, I’ll probably not be making this again.

• Cabbage in a mild curry sauce - https://www.thekitchn.com/cabbage-in-mild-yogurt-and-mus-157670

I used this with some red cabbage I needed to use up. I thought it was pretty tasty. Other family members didn’t think similarly.

• Corn fritters - https://smittenkitchen.com/2018/07/corn-fritters/

I really liked these too. R liked it a lot, so the leftovers were great for his daycare lunches.

• Chickpea blondies- https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/flourless-chocolate-chip-chickpea-blondies-with-sea-salt-vegan-gluten-free-healthy/

I made these for some friends at work who are gluten free. I thought they turned out pretty good, but my food processor didn’t get all of the chickpeas so there were some chunks. I’ll have to use the blender next time.

• Butternut squash linguine - https://cookieandkate.com/2014/creamy-vegan-butternut-squash-linguine-with-fried-sage/

This was ok, but I wouldn’t make it again. It was more like butternut squash bisque on Pasta.

• Vanilla buttercream frosting - https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/vanilla-buttercream/

I used this to frost a chocolate cake for E’s birthday. It was great!

• Vegetarian shepherds/cottage pie - https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019221-vegetarian-shepherds-pie

This was a bit of work, but I really liked it and thought it turned out great!

• Chocolate ice cream - https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/56803/very-chocolate-ice-cream/

I thought this turned out pretty good!

• Peanut stew - https://thegirlonbloor.com/slow-cooker-african-inspired-peanut-stew/

I used the instant Pot  to make this, but it was so long ago now, I can’t remember how it tasted...I’ll have to make it again!

Summer Pasta with Zucchini, Ricotta, and Basil

Summer CSA and garden season is upon us and I needed to use up some zucchini. This NYT recipe for Summer Pasta with Zucchini, Ricotta, and Basil was very good! I didn't have the ricotta cheese, and it really is a must, but without it, it was still very tasty! I will definitely make this one again, and I will make sure to have the ricotta cheese.

INGREDIENTS

 Extra-virgin olive oil

1  small onion, finely diced

2  pounds zucchini, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick pieces (for larger zucchini, cut in half lengthwise before slicing)

 Salt and pepper

2  garlic cloves, minced, or 2 tablespoons chopped green garlic

1  ounce basil, about 2 cups loose leaves

1  pound ziti or other dry pasta

8  ounces ricotta, about 1 cup (see recipe)

 Pinch of crushed red pepper

 Zest of 1 lemon

2  ounces grated Parmesan, pecorino or a mixture, about 1 cup, plus more for serving

PREPARATION

Put a pot of water on to boil. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the onions in 3 tablespoons olive oil until softened, 5 to 8 minutes. Reduce heat as necessary to keep onions from browning. Add zucchini, season generously with salt and pepper, and continue cooking, stirring occasionally until rather soft, about 10 minutes. Turn off heat.

Meanwhile, use a mortar and pestle to pound garlic, basil and a little salt into a rough paste (or use a mini food processor). Stir in 3 tablespoons olive oil.

Salt the pasta water well and put in the pasta, stirring. Boil per package instructions but make sure to keep pasta quite al dente. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of cooking water.

Add cooked pasta to zucchini in skillet and turn heat to medium-high. Add 1/2 cup cooking water, then the ricotta, crushed red pepper and lemon zest, stirring to distribute. Check seasoning and adjust. Cook for 1 minute more. Mixture should look creamy. Add a little more pasta water if necessary. Add the basil paste and half the grated cheese and quickly stir to incorporate. Spoon pasta into warm soup plates and sprinkle with additional cheese. Serve immediately.

Corn Salad

With the great amount of sweetcorn and tomatoes in the CSA and from the farmers market, I needed something to use it up, so I found a Corn Salad with Tomatoes, Feta and Mint recipe from the New York Times. I changed things up quite a bit due to things on hand, so I can't really "review" the recipe. I used an herbed goat cheese instead of feta and left out the mint, but I thought it turned out pretty good. It made quite a bit! I was eating it for a while, because I was the only one who wanted to eat it.


Recipe as prepared:

INGREDIENTS

2 to 3  cups raw or cooked corn kernels (from 4 to 6 ears)

1  large or 2 medium ripe tomatoes, cut into fairly small pieces

4  ounces herbed goat cheese, crumbled (about 1 cup)

3  tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

PREPARATION

Put the corn, tomatoes, and cheese in a medium salad bowl. Drizzle with the olive oil and toss.

Add the mint leaves and toss again. Taste and add salt and pepper. Serve.

Savory Veggie muffins

In order to send more food with R to daycare for lunch and a good way to use up more veggies I attempted to make some savory vegetable muffins. I found this recipe from Healthy Little Foodies, and used it as a guide, but after tasting them, I would make several changes.

The recipe didn't call for any salt, I would either add more cheese or salt or both. I think these would be greatly enhanced if there were some herbs added, as well. Maybe an addition of rosemary, thyme, or savory would make these taste much better too. I think these would also be enhanced by using white whole wheat flour too instead of (red) whole wheat flour.

I will definitely try making these again, but for the meantime, they are in the freezer and taken out for daycare lunch every morning. Good thing he can't complaint about having the same thing every day yet!


As made -

Ingredients

• 1 medium (250g) Zucchini, grated
• 1 medium (120g) Carrot, grated
• 1/4 cup (30g) Frozen Peas
• 1/4 cup (30g) Frozen Corn
• 1 cup (125g) Cheddar Cheese, grated
• 1/2 cup Milk
• 1/4 cup Plain Greek Yoghurt
• 1/4 cup Olive Oil
• 2 Eggs
• 2 cups (250g) Plain Wholewheat Flour
• 3 tsp Baking Powder

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to  350F
2. Place the zucchini and carrot onto a clean dish towel and wrap it around the vegetables.  (see image above) Squeeze all the juice out. 
3. Place the zucchini and carrots into a large mixing bowl along with the peas and sweetcorn. Add the cheese, milk, yogurt, olive oil and egg and stir until combined.
4. Mix the flour and baking powder together and then slowly add to the wet ingredients. Fold in gently, until just combined. 
5. Spray a 12 hole muffin tray with oil or grease with butter. Spoon the mixture, equally, between the 12 muffin sections.  Bake for 20-25 mins. 

Kohlrabi use up

I made a salad with kohlrabi. Recipe from the kitchn. I used fresh cherries since they were in season, I thought it was pretty good. I would try it again.

In an effort to use up more CSA kohlrabi, I found this recipe that inspired me to make oven fries with kohlrabi. I sprinkled on some Penzey’s ranch seasoning, and they were delicious!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 ½ to 2 pounds kohlrabi
• 1 tablespoon rice flour, chickpea flour or semolina (more as needed)
•  Salt to taste
• 2 to 4 tablespoons canola oil or grapeseed oil, as needed
•  Chili powder, ground cumin, curry powder or paprika to taste 
• PREPARATION

Peel the kohlrabi and cut into thick sticks, about 1/3 to 1/2 inch wide and about 2 inches long.
Heat the oil over medium high heat in a heavy skillet (cast iron is good). Meanwhile, place the flour in a large bowl, season with salt if desired and quickly toss the kohlrabi sticks in the flour so that they are lightly coated.
When the oil is rippling, carefully add the kohlrabi to the pan in batches so that the pan isn't crowded. Cook on one side until browned, about 2 to 3 minutes. Then, using tongs, turn the pieces over to brown on the other side for another 2 to 3 minutes. The procedure should take only about 5 minutes if there is enough oil in the pan. Drain on paper towels, then sprinkle right away with the seasoning of your choice. Serve hot.

Instant Pot Dal Makhani

Since moving to a place with no Indian food restaurant, I have vowed to make more of it on my own. This attempt at Dal Makhani was my first foray since moving. I've tried to make channa masala before too, but haven't found the right recipe, I think.
The "Butter Chicken Lady" has a great recipe, see it here.

I thought it was good, but I think I used a little too much salt and yogurt. I also omitted the cayenne pepper, save my modifications, I will definitely make this again. The kids even liked it! I served this with garlic naan from Trader Joe's, rice, and roasted broccoli.

Ingredients

Boil Together

• 1/2 cup whole black urad dal (see picture)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons minced ginger
• 1.5 cups water

Mix Together

• 1/4 cup Greek yogurt (or drained soy yogurt)
• 1/2 cup half and half, cream, or alternative milk of your choice, or cashew paste
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon Punjabi garam masala (see recipe below) or ordinary garam masala

For Finishing

• 2 teaspoon ghee, (Earth Balance for non-diary)
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. Wash the dal well, add ginger, garlic, bay leaves and water, and cook in an Instant Pot for 30 minutes using natural release.
2. Meanwhile, mix together the yogurt, milk/cream of choice, and the listed spices and blend these well together.
3. When the dal is ready, open up the Instant Pot and using the back of a spoon, gently mash in some of the dal to make a thicker dal, leaving most of the dal intact.
4. Turn your Instant Pot onto its Keep Warm Setting, adding a little water if needed.
5. Heat a small saucepan or kadhai, add ghee when hot, and add in the cumin seeds which will start to sputter.
6. Put in the tomato paste and cook it for a while, until it absorbs all of the ghee.
7. Pour this paste into the dal and mix well.
8. Pour in your yogurt mixture and mix well, garnish with chopped cilantro if desired, and serve with naan, chappatis, or rice, or eat plain by the spoonful, which is what I do.

Catching up

I made lots of new dishes in the last few months, but haven't had time to post.
Here's a list:
Harvest pear crisp, next time I would reduce the sugar, was too sweet.
http://amp.myrecipes.com/recipe/harvest-pear-crisp-0

Lentil soup with lemon was really good. I will make it again!
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016062-red-lentil-soup-with-lemon?em_pos=medium&emc=edit_ck_20180106&nl=cooking&nlid=76807618

Spinach quiche with a sweet potato crust was also really good. I loosely followed this recipe which can be Whole 30 friendly if you omit the dairy:
https://www.google.com/amp/amp.cookinglight.com/recipes/spinach-feta-quiche-sweet-potato-crust

IP chickpea masala
https://www.carveyourcraving.com/instant-pot-chickpeas-curry-spinach-chana-masala-vegan-gluten-free/

Smitten Kitchen confetti cake. I made this as cupcakes, but I didn’t really like how they turned out. I thought they were dry and not very sweet.
https://smittenkitchen.com/2017/07/confetti-party-cake/

BBQ Jackfruit sandwiches. I really liked how this turned out, but the rest of my family didn’t. I will probably make it again for another try.
https://minimalistbaker.com/bbq-jackfruit-sandwiches-with-avocado-slaw/

IP Chipotle Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili

I made this for a work pot luck, and many people said that it was good. I don't think I can make it at home, though because the chipotle peppers were a little spicy. The flavors were really good though!

Ingredients:
2 T olive oil
3/4 large yellow onion chopped
3 garlic cloves chopped
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp cumin (I used whole seeds b/c that's what I had, but would have preferred to use ground)
28 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 tomato can of water
1/4 cup tomato paste
28 oz can black beans or 2 cups cooked beans
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
5 chipotle peppers, chopped (I used from a can San Marcos brand)
1 cup frozen corn
Salt
Pepper

Directions

1. In IP, use Saute function to saute onion and garlic in olive oil until soft and translucent. Add spices and saute for a minute or two more.
2. Add tomatoes, water, tomato paste, beans, sweet potatoes, and chipotle peppers.
3. Set IP to HP for 8 minutes. Natural release
4. Add corn, and salt and pepper to taste

Instant Pot Chocolate Lava Cake

I don’t remember the occasion, but I made chocolate lava cakes in my Instant Pot. I have made them before, but in the oven. I think the instant Pot is a little more foolproof in terms of the runiness, but both Ebon and I thought the oven versions tasted better.

Ingredients

• 1 stick butter
• 3 eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 tbs Vanilla
• 6 tbs flour
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• for topping:
• Ice cream
• Caramel drizzle
• chocolate Magic shell ice cream topping
• 4 Pyrex 6oz bowls

Instructions

1. place chocolate chips and butter in a large bowl and microwave for 2 minutes mix until well combined.
2. Mix in powdered sugar until smooth.
3. Add 3 eggs and egg yolk until well combined.
4. Add Vanilla and flour and stir until well combined.
5. Spray each Pyrex Bowl with pam cooking spray.
6. Pour batter into each bowl filling to the top.
7. Place your trivet in your instant pot with one cup of water.
8. Place your bowls on the trivet.
9. I had to fit 3 on the bottom and one on the top.
10. Place your pot on MANUAL HIGH PRESSURE for 9 minutes.
11. Do a quick release.
12. Remove from the Instant Pot and place upside down on a plate Top with ice cream, caramel, and magic shell.
13. For Peanut butter Lava Cake: Same directions as above but mix together 4 tbs peanut butter, 1 tbs butter, 2 tbs powdered sugar. Pour batter halfway in each cup and Place Peanut butter mixture in the center. Cover with more chocolate batter. Cook as directed above.

Instant Pot Black Bean and Lentil Chili

I needed a quick recipe for black beans and decided to try this black bean and lentil chili . I started with dry, unsoaked beans, and this was the biggest mistake for this recipe. It took way longer, and because of that, the bottom burned a little. After all this, I thought it tasted ok. I don’t think I will try making it again.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons powdered cumin
• 1 ounce (30g) dried mushrooms (any kind, I prefer Porcini)
• 1 cup (200g) lentils, sorted and rinsed
• 2 cups (400g) dry black beans, soaked overnight and rinsed
• 1 - 14 oz. can (400g) chopped tomatoes (or 1¾ cups freshly chopped tomatoes - about three tomatoes)
• 4 cups (1L) water
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

optional garnish:

• grated cheddar cheese
• quick-pickled jalapeño peppers

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Pre-heat the pressure cooker by pressing the "Brown" or "Saute'" program - meanwhile gather the ingredients and chop the carrots and onion.
2. To the pressure cooker add the oil and onion.
3. Then, add the spices (paprika, oregano, garlic powder and cumin), dried mushrooms, carrots, and chopped tomatoes. Mix well.
4. Mix-in the lentils, black beans and water. Mix well.
5. Close the lid and set the valve to pressure cooking position. 
6. Electric pressure cookers and stove top pressure cookers: Cook for 10 minutes at high pressure.
7. When time is up, open the pressure cooker with the Natural pressure release. 
   Electric pressure cookers: Disengage the “keep warm” mode, or unplug the cooker, and open the lid when the pressure indicator/lid-lock has gone down (about 20 to 30 minutes). 
   Stovetop pressure cookers: Move the cooker off the burner and wait for the pressure to come down on its own (about 15 minutes).
8. Add the salt and Worcestershire sauce and mix well.
9. Serve and, optionally, garnish with grated cheddar cheese and quick-pickled jalapeño peppers.

Vegetarian Buffalo Chickpea Dip

A fellow mom posted a recipe for a vegetarian Buffalo chickpea dip. I love Franks Red Hot sauce, and I was always jealous of the Buffalo chicken dips that inevitably showed up at various parties. It was a pretty easy recipe. I opted to soak the cashews for easy blending.
I thought it turned out ok, and it’s questionable if I would make it again, I think mostly due to the texture.

The cashews do not need to be soaked for this dip, but if you’re the soaking type or don’t feel terribly confident in your blender/food processor’s capabilities, feel free to soak them overnight.  Also, I have found that this dip tastes its very best when made at least a few hours ahead to allow all the flavors time to meld together; cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate, and bake off just before serving.

1 15-oz can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup raw cashews
¾ cup original Frank’s Red Hot sauce
1/2 cup unflavored, unsweetened non-dairy milk
2 teaspoons lemon juice (about ½ lemon)
1 rounded tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional)
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
Ground black pepper
Kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh, finely-chopped parsley
1 teaspoon fresh chopped chives
1 15-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup Daiya cheddar-style cheese, divided

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Add the beans and cashews to the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse several times to break them up a bit.  Add the hot sauce, non-dairy milk, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, and a pinch of black pepper.  Process until the mixture is entirely smooth (this will take several minutes), stopping to scrape down the bowl as necessary.  Adjust salt to taste.

Scrape the bean mixture into a bowl and stir in the parsley and chives to evenly distribute.  Stir in the chickpeas and 3/4 cup of the Daiya.  Transfer the dip to a 9×9-inch square baking dish and sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of Daiya on top. (Note: Dip can be made up to this point a day or two ahead. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to heat and serve.)  Cover baking dish tightly with foil and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until warmed through.  Serve with tortilla chips or veggies for dipping.