Carrot-Almond Squares for Easter

I love carrot cake, and it just seems right to have something with carrots for easter. But these squares are nothing like regular carrot cake, apart from the earthy taste of the carrots, moisture from the oil and mildly spiced flavour. Instead, these are more like blondies- almost fudgy because of how moist they are and not as light as a loaf or layer cake. I use almond extract and slivered almonds to complement the almond flour that helps contribute to the texture.

As an added plus, this recipe is really, really easy- even accounting for the sour cream glaze I made as a slightly tangy alternative to cream cheese frosting, it takes hardly any time to make and only really requires a couple of bowls. Perfect if, like me, you still have a lot of easter baking to get through.

Carrot-Almond Squares
Adapted from chefkoch.de

200 g. Grated carrots
125 g. Flour
125 g. Sugar
1 Tsp. Baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 Tsp. Cinnamon
1/4 Tsp. Cardamom
100 g. Ground almonds/almond flour
1/2 Tsp. Almond extract
125 ml. Oil
2 Eggs
1/2 C. Unskinned slivered almonds to decorate, if desired

Preheat oven to 180℃ and grease an 8"x8" pan well. 

Sift together dry ingredients. Mix with the remaining ingredients in a food processor or by hand until well combined. 

Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until a fork poked in comes out clean. Let cool before using a knife to cut around the edges and inverting the pan onto a plate to remove the cake.

For the Sour Cream Glaze:
2 TBSP Sour cream
2/3 C. Powder sugar
Drop each of vanilla extract and lemon juice

Blend all until thoroughly combined and pour onto cooled cake. Sprinkle on slivered almonds if using.

The Best Classic Carrot Cake

The two kinds of cake side-by-side: this recipe is for the one in the foreground.

For my birthday this year I made two kinds of carrot cake- one classic and one with an Indian dessert theme (that I'll post the recipe for later). This one is pretty much what I believe a carrot cake should be- some people are purists who prefer less mix-ins, but I like an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink kind of carrot cake with all the spices, pineapple, coconut, walnuts, and sultanas... of course, you can skip those if you wish, but I believe that they all contribute to the deliciousness of this cake.

I decorated it with marzipan carrots and walnut pieces, but if it isn't a special occasion you can still make this cake with less frills and have it taste just as good. I suspect I'm going to make it again come spring- you don't need a reason for cake this good!

Classic Carrot Cake

Adapted from Moje Wypieki

2/3 C. Flour
1 Tsp. Baking soda
1 Tsp. Baking powder
1/4 Tsp. Salt
1 Tsp. Cinnamon
1/4 Tsp. each nutmeg, allspice and cloves
1/2 C. Sugar
1/3 C. Vegetable or nut oil
1 C. Walnut pieces
1/2 C. Pineapple, finely chopped/shredded
1 C. Carrots, grated and packed
1 C. Sultanas
1/2 C. Shredded unsweetened coconut

Grease a 9" round cake pan with butter and line the bottom with a circle cut out of baking parchment. Grease the parchment and preheat the oven to 180℃.

Sift together flour, baking soda and powder, salt and spices. Separately, beat the oil, eggs and sugar until well-blended and add the dry ingredients until a homogenous mix forms. Mix in the pineapple, coconut and carrots until well-combined.

Stir in the sultanas and walnuts last. Pour into the pan and bake for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Cream Cheese Frosting

300 g. Cream cheese (not low-fat!)
90 g. Butter, softened
1 Tsp. Vanilla extract
1 - 1 1/2 C. Powder sugar

Beat the butter, vanilla and cream cheese until well-combined. Add the powder sugar spoonwise until the consistency and sweetness is to taste.

Vermillion Veggie Burgers, Cinnamon-Cumin-Ginger Sweet Potatoes & Nutty Garlic Sauce

I've been experimenting with TVP recently- it seems like such a retro, hippie, first-wave vegetarian thing, but it's rightful in its longevity. It's very versatile and adds texture and protein to any number of vegetarian foods, including veggie burgers.

I made these with leftover pink beans, some TVP and quinoa flakes for a high-protein burger. I can't stand it when a meat substitute lacks any of the protein of the original thing- so I continue my search for how to make more sustainable protein-rich foods. These burgers also contain grated carrots for moisture and colour, which in combination with the paprika makes them vermillion-hued. I topped them with breadcrumbs and hazelnut flour for some crispiness and toasty flavour.

Instead of buns, I used slices of sweet potato roasted with cumin seeds, lemon olive oil, ginger and cinnamon to layer over and under the burgers. Even without the burger, though, they're a delicious side dish. Then again, I love all things cumin.

I also made a sauce from almond butter, vegan nut-based yogurt, and garlic to give a cool, creamy, tangy condiment to go with the burgers. It goes very well with the burgers, provided you can find nut yogurt. If not, you can use regular yogurt, or premade vegan mayonnaise. I also served them with red onion, lettuce, tomato, pickles, olives and hot peppers for a complete meal.

While my search for a replacement for the classic burger continues, these are delicious, colourful, healthy fare. They look nice when composed, too.

Vermillion Veggie Burgers

1 C. Pink beans or pinto beans
1/2 C. Quinoa flakes or quick-cook oats
1/4 C. TVP
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1 Egg, or equivalent egg replacer (to make it vegan!)
1/4 C. Water
1 Tsp. Dried oregano
1 TBSP Smoked paprika
1 Tsp. Coriander
1/2 Tsp. Cumin
1/4 Tsp. Cayenne
1/4 Tsp. Mustard
1 1/2 C. Grated carrots
2 TBSP Ketchup
1 TBSP Vegetarian hoisin sauce or 1 Tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/3 C. Olive oil
1 TBSP Ground flaxseed
1 Medium onion, diced
3 Cloves of garlic, minced

Soak beans overnight in 6 C. of water. Cook for about an hour, until completely tender.
Mix all and mash together with a potato masher, or by hand, until a somewhat sticky mix forms. Shape into 9 patties and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 230℃.

For the Topping:
1/4 C. Hazelnut flour
1/4 C. Breadcrumbs
Oil, to brush
Salt and pepper, to taste

Brush patties with oil and sprinkle with hazelnut flour and breadcrumbs. Add a quick dash of salt and pepper. Bake until the topping is browned, about 20 minutes.

Sweet Potatoes with Cumin and Ginger

4 Large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into slices 1 cm thick
1 TBSP Cumin seeds
1 TBSP Lemon-infused olive oil, or 1 TBSP olive oil and the zest of half a lemon
1 TBSP Ginger, grated finely
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1/2 Tsp. Cinnamon
1 TBSP Canola or safflower oil

Mix all but the sweet potatoes and 1/2 TBSP of the canola oil. Use the reserved oil to coat a aluminium foil lined baking tray. Preheat the oven to 230℃.

Use a silicone brush to coat the sweet potatoes evenly with the spiced mixture. Try to arrange on the baking tray for minimum overlap. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until cooked through.

Nutty Garlic Sauce

2 TBSP Roasted almond or hazelnut butter
1/2 C. Nut milk yogurt, or plain yogurt
3 Cloves garlic, minced
1 TBSP Lemon juice, or 1 Tsp. Rice vinegar
1/2 Tsp. Cumin
Black pepper and salt, to taste
Spring of thyme, minced

Whisk all together until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Singapore Rice Noodles with Tofu

I'm not really that into take-out food... unless it's Indian. Or Thai. But I never understood the hubbub about Chinese take-out.

Maybe it's because the tastiest dishes are the ones with meat- I used to like the sweet-and-sour chicken balls, when I was a kid and didn't really question what was in them. But as a general rule of thumb, I'm not much one for fried rice and noodles, or vegetables and tofu doused in sweet and not particularly flavourful sauces. (I know that take-out by no means reflects Chinese cuisine accurately, even when the dish itself has real roots- it's got to be modified for the target customers, right? And it seems that in my area, blander is better.)

There are a couple of dishes I like, should I ever be handed a pamphlet and asked what I want to get- this is one of them. It's incredibly hard to screw up vermicelli fried in a simple sauce with vegetables and tofu, so it's always a safe bet.

When I tried this recipe for Singapore noodles, I was pleasantly surprised to find how similar they are to the take-out staple- only with a hint of British-style curry power (yum), a spice level to my taste, and a guarantee of not being cooked with any non-vegetarian stock. My noodles turned out quite brown because the only mushroom soya sauce I could find was the dark kind used to add colour to dishes. I also didn't have any cabbage on hand, so I included a double helping of bean sprouts.

Apparently, these noodles have no Singapore heritage at all- they're m0re of an amalgam of ingredients from regions of former British involvement, featuring that very vague "curry powder" I'd never use in an actual curry but that seems just right here. The only ingredient that may be tricky to find is the mushroom soya sauce, but you can always just use the regular kind.

This is also an incredibly easy recipe once you have the ingredients on hand, and it comes together quickly- that makes one more dish I won't have to order out for!

Singapore Noodles
From Veggie Belly

For the Sauce:
2 Tsp. Curry powder
1 Dried red bird pepper
3 TBSP Soya sauce
1 Tsp. Brown sugar
1/2 Tsp. Rice vinegar
1 TBSP Mushroom flavoured soya sauce
3 TBSP Water

Mix all together and set aside.

For the Noodles:
6 Oz. Rice vermicelli noodles
1 TBSP Vegetable oil
1 Tsp. Ginger paste
1 Tsp. Garlic paste, or 3 finely minced cloves
1 Carrot, cut into thin matchsticks
1 Red bell pepper, in thin slices
1 C. Bean sprouts
3 Scallions, chopped
1 C. Cubed fried tofu, or regular firm tofu fried in 2 TBSP oil until golden
1 1/2 C. Shredded cabbage (I used more bean sprouts)
1 TBSP Sesame oil
Lime and cilantro, to garnish

Soak the noodles in cold water for 5 minutes and drain. Set aside.
Fry the garlic and ginger in the vegetable oil in a large wok or skillet until browned, on medium heat. Add half of the sauce.
Once the sauce begins to bubble, add the tofu, carrot, pepper and cabbage/sprouts. Sauté for 2 minutes on medium-high heat.
Add the noodles and remaining sauce. Toss with a pair of tongs to coat in sauce.
Turn off the heat. Add the sprouts, scallions and sesame oil. Serve with lime wedges and chopped cilantro.