ULTIMATE CARROT CAKE

Carrot cake is definitely one of my all time favorite cakes.  I like it so much I even made it for my wedding.  So, as you can imagine, I was pretty glad my son chose it as the cake he wanted for his fourth birthday this year.  Scott was disappointed when the chocolate cake initially chosen was suddenly changed to carrot.  No, I did not coerce or bribe him to pick it (although Scott thinks I did.)  Don't worry Scott, I promise to make you chocolate cake for your birthday!  

I thought I would do things a little differently to my awesome carrot cake recipe in an attempt to make it even more awesome.  The night before baking day, I mixed the buttermilk and spelt flour so the enzymes in the milk could begin to predigest the grain, making it healthier and easier for us to digest.  Now I have to admit, I was apprehensive because I wasn't sure how it would turn out and I didn't want to have to make it twice.  Now I know you are all sitting on the edge of your seats, wondering how it went.  Well, it was fantastic!  I mean, really good.  Like, I ate 4 pieces good.

ULTIMATE CARROT CAKE

1 cup organic light spelt flour

1 1/2 cups organic whole spelt flour

1 cup organic buttermilk

1/2 Tbsp baking soda

1/2 tsp sea salt

3 organic eggs

1/2 cup organic sunflower oil

1/2 cup local maple syrup

2 tsp organic pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup organic crushed pineapple, drained really well

2 cups shredded organic carrot

3/4 cup organic unsweetened shredded coconut

1 cup chopped organic walnuts (optional)

Method:  Combine the flour and buttermilk in a bowl and stir to combine well.  Cover with a lid and let sit at room temperature overnight or for at least 12 hours.

     The next day, preheat oven to 350* and butter 2 round baking pans or one rectangular one and then line with parchment paper.  In a bowl, whisk to combine the eggs, oil, maple syrup, vanilla, baking soda, cinnamon and sea salt.  Pour into the bowl of the soaked flour and using the paddle attachment on your mixer, stir until well incorporated.  Then by hand, stir in the carrot, coconut, pineapple and walnuts.  Pour the batter into the pans and bake for about an hour or until a tester inserted in the centre comes out clean.  Let cool in pans for 10 minutes, then remove and allow to cool.  Frost and serve.

MAPLE CREAM CHEESE ICING

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

250 g organic cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 cup local maple syrup

1 tsp pure organic vanilla extract

Method:  Cream the butter and cream cheese together.  Then add the maple syrup and vanilla, beat until creamy.  Ice on a cooled cake.

SAUERKRAUT AND OTHER FERMENTED YUMMINESS

I decided to go nuts at the Farmer's Market this week and buy loads of veggies to turn into lacto-fermented yumminess.  It is amazing the amount of veggies you can pack into a jar once they've been salted a bit.  So I spent the afternoon grated, chopping, peeling and smashing all that produce and they are now happily resting on the kitchen counter, busily fermenting their little hearts out......

LACTO-FERMENTED CARROTS

(adapted from "The Maker's Diet" by Jordan Rubin)

 http://astore.amazon.ca/prasada02-20?node=6&page=2

These carrots taste great in salads, with eggs, and on sandwiches.

4 cups grated organic carrots, loosely packed

3 tsp sea salt

Method:  In a bowl, mix the carrots and salt together.  Place in a Mason jar and press down with a wooden pounder.  There should be about an inch of space between the top of the carrots and the top of the jar.  Cover tightly and leave at room temperature about 2-3 days before transferring to cold storage.

SAUERKRAUT

Makes a half-gallon jar

3 1/2 pounds organic cabbage

1 tablespoon sea salt

You can add optional ingredients from the following list: 1 tsp caraway seed, peeled sliced garlic; washed, cored and sliced apples; peeled onions cut into eighths; dill seed; juniper berries; or other spices.

Wash cabbage and cut into thin shreds, with a kraut cutter, mandoline, food processor, or by hand with a knife.  Mix cabbage shreds with the salt in a large bowl and let stand for 15 minutes.  Then press the cabbage with your fist or a wooden stamper until the juice is flowing well.  It is important to crush the vegetables enough to create the juice.

Pack the juicy shreds into your jar in layers, interspersing the caraway and any other ingredients you are using.  Pack tightly enough that all the air is pressed out.  You should leave about two inches of space below the lid. If you don’t have enough, you can add a little brine: 1 tsp salt to one pint water.  Put the lid on and screw down, but not really tight.  Put the jar on a plate or pie tin, and keep in a dark corner of your kitchen for one week.  Then put in a cold place for another four weeks to mellow.  Sauerkraut keeps many months under proper storage conditions (provided you keep out of it that long).

Untraditional KIMCHEE

Makes a half-gallon jar

1 ½ pounds organic Napa cabbage

1 pound organic daikon radish

3 tablespoons sea salt

1 ½ tablespoons peeled and sliced organic garlic

6 organic scallions trimmed and sliced or ½ cup trimmed sliced leek 

2 tablespoons peeled and grated organic ginger

1-3 tablespoon fine quality medium Korean hot chile powder

1 teaspoon organic sugar

     Wash Napa cabbage and cut in half lengthwise.  Cut out the core, chop the rest in approximate 1.5” squares.  Peel daikon and slice ¼” thick.  In a large nonreactive bowl, mix 6 cups water and 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons salt. Then put in the radish and Napa, dunking them in the water.  Let stand 8-12 hours, dunking occasionally.          

At the end of this period, prepare the rest of the spices along with 1 teaspoon sea salt and 1 teaspoon sugar into a mixing bowl (a second bowl).  Scoop the vegetables out of the brine into the bowl with the spices, mix well.  Reserve the brine. 

Pack the vegetables reasonably tightly into your jar. Be sure to pour in any liquid left in the bottom of your mixing bowl.  Then fill the jar up to the neck with the reserved brine.  Cover jar loosely, put on a plate or pie tin, and keep in a dark place.  Kimchee takes from five to nine days to ferment, depending on the ambient temperature.  At five days, start tasting the brine with a clean spoon.  When it is sour enough to your taste, your kimchee is done.  Cap tightly and keep in a cold place.  It is ready to use at once, and will keep many months under refrigeration (or buried out in your yard if you live in Korea). 

BIRTHDAY PARTY

Yesterday we celebrated my son's second birthday by inviting a few friends over for some food and fun.  It was such a lovely gathering!  The food was great, the weather was perfect and the company fantastic.  My sister graciously commandeered the face painting station while the children played and we nibbled on delicious snacks.  I had a lot of fun getting creative with fruit carvings and making little animal figures out of vegetables.  I made a conscious decision to allow myself the pleasure of buying all kinds of organic produce that was not in season or local.  It felt very strange buying strawberries in April, but we treat imported goods as occasional luxuries, and it was a treat feasting on bright oranges, juicy kiwis and ruby strawberries.

     I forgot to get a picture of the fish sticks and chicken fingers on their own, but if you look closely in the group shot you might spot one in a little one's sticky fingers or on it's way into someone's mouth.  

SEVEN LAYER DIP

This dish is served cold, but it can be a baked, hot, cheesey melty dish if you omit the lettuce and guacamole.  In which case you would bake it at 350* for about 20 minutes.

1 6 oz pack organic cream cheese

1 can of organic refried beans or homemade boiled, mashed pinto or black beans

1 clove organic garlic, smashed and minced

1 Tbsp organic lime juice or apple cider vinegar

1/4 tsp organic chili powder

1/4 tsp organic chipotle powder

1/2 tsp organic cumin powder

pinch of sea salt

1 avocado, peeled, pitted and mashed with some lemon juice or guacamole

1 ripe organic tomato, diced

1/2 cup Herdes Salsa Verde

1 red or yellow organic pepper, seeded and diced

1/4 of an organic red onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup sliced red or black olives

1/2 organic iceburg lettuce, shredded

1 cup grated organic cheddar cheese

organic fresh cilantro

Lay's Organic Red and Blue Tortilla Chips

Method:  Mix the beans with the garlic, lime juice, chili powders, cumin and sea salt in a bowl, adding a bit of water if it is really thick. 

     Spread the cream cheese in the bottom of a deep dish pie plate.  Follow with the beans, guacamole, then the salsa, tomato, pepper, onions, olives, lettuce, and top with the cheese and some chopped cilantro.  Serve cold with the tortilla chips.  

DINOSAUR DIP 

1 large organic acorn squash, split and seeded

4 long, narrow, curved organic zucchini

2 whole organic cloves

sturdy toothpicks

1 container organic sour cream

1 packet of organic onion soup mix

mixed organic vegetables, cut into sticks and slices (cucumber, pepper, carrot, celery)

Method:  From two of the zucchini, cut of 2" piecess from the ends giving you 4 legs.  Use toothpicks to attach legs to squash.

     For neck and head, cut a gash in one of the remaining zucchini for a mouth, using a toothpick to secure in place.  Insert cloves for eyes.

     Attach neck to one end of squash with toothpicks and the remaining zucchini to the other end for a tail.

     Serve on a large platter decorated with large leafy greens and sprouts.  Fill center of the squash with your dip of choice.  I used a container of sour cream mixed with the packet of onion soup mix.

ORGANIC CHICKEN FINGERS and FISH STICKS with Honey Mustard and Tartar Dipping Sauces

1 1/2 pounds organic and or pasture raised chicken thighs, bone removed and cut into strips

1 1/2 pounds hook and line haddock, cut into strips

1/2 cup organic all purpose unbleached flour

sea salt and pepper

2 large organic egg

2 Tbsp organic milk

1 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs 

1/4 cup freshly grated romano cheese

1 Tbsp Tom's Spice (on my Etsy Shop)

8 Tbsp organic vegetable oil

1/4 cup organic yellow mustard

1/8 cup local honey

1/4 cup organic mayonaise

4 Tbsp cucumber relish

Method:  In a small bowl, combine the mustard and honey.  In another bowl, combine the mayonaise and relish.  Set these aside.

     In a shallow dish, combine the flour with a couple pinches of sea salt.  In another dish, whisk the eggs with the organic milk and a pinch of salt.  In a third dish, stir the bread crumbs together with the romano and Tom's Spice.  

     Bread the strips of chicken and fish by dredging first in the flour, making sure you shake of excess flour.  Then dip in the egg, letting excess drip off.  Place the strips in the breadcrumbs, coating all sides.  

     In a large non stick skillet, heat some of the oil over medium heat.  Add some of the strips and cook until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side.  Remove and keep warm in an oven at 250*.  Repeat with remaining chicken and fish.  Serve the chicken with the honey mustard and the fish with the tartar sauce.

HEDGEHOG CARROT CUPCAKES

This carrot cake recipe is my favorite and we use it for many special occaions.  It was my wedding cake and Faegan's first birthday cake.  We try to avoid feeding him refined white sugar, which makes this cake so great because it is made with local maple syrup.  The inspiration for the hedgehog cupcake came from Martha Stewart.  I was looking for a way to decorate cupcakes that didn't involve sugary icings and artificially coloured icing.  It is very hard to find slivered almonds that still have their outer skins on, but luckily at the last minute I found some at Sobey's.

Cake: 

1 1/2 cup organic all purpose whole wheat flour

1 cups organic all purpose unbleached white flour

1/2 Tbsp baking soda

2 tsp organic ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp sea salt

3 organic eggs

1/2 cup organic vegetable oil

1 cup organic whole milk

1/2 cup local maple syrup

2 tsp pure vanilla

3/4 cup crushed organic pineapple, drained well

2 cups organic grated carrots

3/4 cup organic coconut

Method:  Preheat oven to 350*.  Line pan with 16 unbleached cupcake liners.  In a bowl, sift together the flours, baking soda, cinnamon and sea salt.  In the bowl of your mixer, beat the eggs at medium speed, then add the oil, milk, maple syrup and vanilla, beating together until combined, scraping the sides as needed.  Add the flour mixture, beating at low speed until well combined.  Add the pineapple, carrots, and coconut, beat at low speed until just combined.  

     Using an ice cream scoop, divide the batter into the cupcake liners, and bake for 20-25 minutes.  Let cool in pans for 10 minutes, then remove and let cool completely before icing.

CREAM CHEESE MAPLE ICING FOR CARROT CAKE

1 pound organic cream cheese, at room temperature

1/4 cup organic butter, at room temperature

1/8-1/4 cup local maple syrup or honey

2 tsp pure vanilla

Method:  In the bowl of your mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy.  Pour in the maple syrup and vanilla, and mix until well combined.

HEDGEHOG CUPCAKE METHOD

1 pack sliced almonds with skin on

16 organic chocolate covered raisins

32 organic chocolate chips

cream cheese icing

Method:  Ice each cupcake lightly with a spatula.  Then with a plain round tip, pipe hair onto the cupcakes.  Rim the cupcakes with the sliced almonds, and then use the raisins for the mouth and chocolate chips for eyes.  Keep cool before serving.

ELEPHANT FRUIT PLATTER

1 organic navel orange

4 orange organic gummi bears

toothpicks

2 organic whole cloves

organic fruit, sliced and cut beatifully

Method:  Hold each orange so that the navel is facing down.  Make a V-shaped cut on one side of the orange for the tail.  On the opposite side, make a Y-shaped cut for the trunk.  Make C-shaped cuts for the ears.  Gently pull away all cut portions from the orange, so that the tail, trunk and ears stand out.  Attach 4 gummi bears with toothpicks to the bottom of the orange for legs/feet.  Serve on a plate with fruit.

STRAWBERRY MICE

6 organic strawberry, husked

6 organic chocolate chips

12 organic cloves

12 sliced almonds

1 piece organic strawberry fruit leather

Method:  Slice off a bit of one side of each strawberry so they sit flat.  Insert the pointy end of the chocolate chips into the tip of each strawberry for the nose.  Insert 2 cloves for the eyes into each mouse, and 2 slices of almond for the ears.  Make a little hole in the back of each mouse and then cut S-shaped thin pieces of fruit leather for the tail and insert.