morning glory breakfast cake, smitten kitchen

  • 1 cup (145 grams) grated apple (from 1 7-ounce/medium-large apple)
  • 1 cup (115 grams) grated carrot (from 1 thick carrot)
  • 1/2 cup (80 grams) very well-drained crushed pineapple or chopped fresh pineapple
  • 1/3 cup (30 grams) shredded unsweetened coconut
  • 1/4 cup raisins or another dried fruit (optional)
  • Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
  • 2/3 cup (130 grams) raw or granulated sugar
  • 2/3 cup (155 ml) neutral oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/4 cups (160 grams) all-purpose or whole-wheat flour
  • 2 tablespoons toasted, salted pepitas (optional)

Heat your oven to 350 degrees F. Coat 8-inch square baking pan with butter or nonstick cooking spray. Line the bottom with parchment and let it extend up two sides of the pan. 

In a large bowl, combine apple, carrot, pineapple, coconut, dried fruit, if using, lemon zest, sugar, and oil. Add eggs, and whisk to combine. Sprinkle spices, salt, baking powder, and baking soda over the batter and stir very well to combine. Add flour, and stir just until it disappears.

Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle pepitas over cake, if using. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out batter-free. Let cool in pan then carefully cut into squares with a serrated knife. 

The cake is very moist and a little crumbly. I find that it keeps best in the fridge. The cake will keep for 5 to 6 days, chilled.

Cauliflower Korma with Blackened Raisins (Gobhi Korma) from Meera Sodha

  • 2 large cauliflowers (about 3 1/2 pounds in total)
  • Neutral oil, like grapeseed or canola
  • Salt
  • 2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
  • 6 cloves of garlic (see note above)
  • 2 1/2-inch piece of ginger, peeled (see note above)
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom (or finely ground seeds from 8 pods)
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons garam masala
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground red chile (we used cayenne)
  • 1 cup ground almonds
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 cups plain Greek yogurt
  • 3/4 – 1 1/4 cups milk
  • A handful of raisins
  • A handful of sliced almonds
  • Heat the oven to 350°F and (optionally) line two large baking pans with foil.
  • Break the cauliflower into bite-sized florets and put into a large bowl. Pour 4 tablespoons of oil over the florets (or mix enough to coat them properly), then sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt. Mix with your hands until they’re completely coated, and place in a single layer in the baking pans. Roast for 30 to 40 minutes, until tender and nicely browned in places. Check every 10 minutes—if the florets start to burn, cover them loosely with foil.
  • In the meantime, put 3 tablespoons of oil into a large frying pan over medium heat and, when hot, add the onions. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until soft and browning, then crush or grate in the garlic and grate in the ginger. Fry for a couple of minutes, then add the ground cardamom, black pepper, garam masala, ground red chile, ground almonds, honey and 1 1/4 teaspoons of salt (or to taste). Stir-fry for 3 minutes, then add the yogurt.
  • Turn the heat down to low and cook for around 10 minutes, until the sauce starts to turn a rich gold. When the cauliflower is tender, tip it ino the sauce and stir to coat. Thin the sauce to the consistency of pouring yogurt with milk, and heat through. Check for seasoning, as you may need to add a little more salt.
  • Finally, put a small frying pan over medium heat and, when hot, add the raisins and sliced almonds. Stir-fry until the raisins start to blacken and puff up and the almonds turn golden brown, then take off the heat.

carrot cake and frosting from hali taylor

Combine:
2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
4 eggs
3 cups grated carrots
1 cup chopped walnuts and/or 1 cup raisins

 In another bowl, combine:
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp salt

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, stirring well. Pour into greased 9 X 13 pan.

Bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes

Frosting:

½ cup butter
8 oz. cream cheese
1 box XXX sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Crazy carrot cake


1 1/2 Cups flour + 3 Tablespoons
1 Cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 Cup finely grated peeled carrots
1/2 Cup chopped walnuts
1/2 Cup golden raisins
1 teaspoon white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5 Tablespoons Canola oil
1 Cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and grease an 8″ baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the first 8 dry ingredients and blend well. Next, add carrots, walnuts and golden raisins – blend well. Last, add the wet ingredients – vinegar, vanilla and oil, then pour the water over top – mix well. Pour in greased baking dish.

Bake on middle rack of oven for *35 to 45 minutes. Check with toothpick to make sure it comes out clean, remove when ready. Allow to cool and top with your favorite vanilla or cream cheese frosting. Enjoy!

Links to Frosting Recipes
Basic Cream Cheese Frosting recipe from AllRecipes.com
Head here for a VEGAN CREAM CHEESE FROSTING from the Minimalist Baker

Note: *Oven baking times may vary, be sure to check your cake to make sure you do not over bake.

Cauliflower Curry Samosas

SAMOSA DOUGH:
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 2/3 cup water
  • canola oil (for frying)
CAULIFLOWER FILLING :
  • 1 medium Yukon gold potato (peeled)
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 cups small cauliflower florets (finely chopped)
  • 2 teaspoons curry powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 cup golden raisins
  • 3/4 cup coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup roasted, salted cashews (roughly chopped)
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
MINT YOGURT SAUCE :
  • 1 cup Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 cup mint (finely chopped)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • For the Samosa Dough: In a large bowl sift together the flour and salt. Add the oil and gently rub into the flour mixture until flaky dough starts to form and the oil is completely coated in the flour mixture. Begin adding the water and mix to combine until a stiff dough forms. Knead for 5 minutes until the dough is shiny and elastic but not wet and sticky.
  • Cover with plastic and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
  • Divide the dough into 8 balls. Roll each ball of dough out into a 6-inch circle then cut in half. Brush the straight edge with water, fold it in half, and align the two straight sides so they overlap to form a cone shape. Pinch the edges together to make a tight seal. Place some of the filling inside each cone, leaving the top edge clean. Moisten the inside top rim of the cone and press the edges together to make another tight seal. Place the samosas on a tray until ready to fry. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
  • In a large Dutch oven, heat the frying oil to 360ºF. Line a plate or baking sheet with paper towels. Place the samosas in the Dutch oven and fry until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes.
  • For the Cauliflower Filling: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, boil the potatoes until just tender, about 10-12 minutes. When cooled, cut the potatoes into a small dice and set aside.
  • Preheat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the butter and allow to melt. Add the cauliflower and curry. Allow to cook until softened and lightly golden, about 5-6 minutes. Add the potato and cayenne and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
  • Add the golden raisins and coconut milk, stir to combine and allow to simmer for 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add the cashews, season with salt and pepper, and remove from the heat. Allow to cool to room temperature before filling.
  • For the Mint Yogurt Sauce: In a small bowl add the yogurt and mint and whisk to combine. Add the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Whisk to combine and serve with samosas.
  • Tips: 1. Make the samosa filling and dough the day before to reduce prep time. Bring the dough to room temperature before assembling the samosas. Dough will keep in the fridge for 1 week.
  • 2. To toast the curry powder, place in a dry pan over medium-low heat until aromatic, about 2-3 minutes.

Christmas Carol Cake  from Patty Foust  

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2 cups sugar
1 cup veg. oil
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
2 cups self-rising flour
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup golden raisins
1 ½ cup peeled and chopped red delicious apples(about 1 ½ apples)

Mix in each ingredient at a time in order given above.

Makes a very stiff batter.
Pour mix into a greased and floured Bundt pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 ½ hours.
Cool before removing from pan.

Homemade Chunky Bars- Peanut Rasin Bars

chunky-recipe
2 cups milk chocolate chips
⅓ – ½ cup raisins
⅓ – ½ peanuts, coarsely chopped

In a double boiler, slowly melt your chocolate chips. If you use block chocolate, make sure your chocolate is chopped into even sized pieces.

Evenly distribute peanuts and raisins inside chocolate molds.

Once chocolate is melted, carefully pour it inside chocolate molds -making sure you don’t overfill too much but filling it all the way to the rim.

Transfer chocolate molds inside refrigerator and let them harden – 4hours or overnight.