Chickpea Ragout or a fast versatile dish

According to Merriam-Webster's on-line dictionary, a ragout is a stew of meat, vegetables and spices.

This dish is a variation on a recipe which appeared in the Feburary 15, 2009 Parade Magazine. It's a fast dish to prepare which can be served as a soup, a side dish or as main entree. Use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth and you have a meat-free dish.

I've found this to be great cold day dish and my preference is to make this on the first chilly days of October when onions and the last of the season's tomatoes are available at the local farmer's market. I usually serve this as a soup with a small salad and bread on the side.

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 small to medium onion, diced

2 tbsp minced garlic or 2 tbsp crushed garlic cloves

1 tsp ground cumin

1 can (19 oz.) drained and rinsed or 2 cups chickpeas

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 medium to large tomato, diced or 1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes

2 tsp agave nectar or 2 tsp honey

2 tsp lemon juice

1 cup chicken or vegetable broth

Black Pepper to taste

1. Using a 3 quart pot, heat the oil over medium to medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and sautee until onion begins to brown, approx. 2-5 minutes. Sprinkle with cumin and stir to mellow.
2. Stir in chickpeas, tomatoes, thyme, agave nectar or honey, lemon juice, and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, season with black pepper, and simmer for 4 minutes.
3. Taste the chickpeas and adjust the seasonings as needed.
4. Serve as is in soup bowl, with bread or over prepared couscous or rice.
5. Stored any unused portion in air-tight and spill-proof container in refrigerator.

Pecan Cranberry Granola

My first new recipe of 2014 was granola.  This was inspired by the homemade granola my girlfriend, Sally, served me when I visited her in early December.  

I deviated completely from her recipe as I wanted to try the Tasty Olive Oil Granola recipe which appeared in the December 2012 issue of Yoga Journal.  As I read this recipe, I made modifications and substitutions, resulting in the below Pecan Cranberry Granola recipe. 

Pecan Cranberry Granola  (makes 3 cups)

1 ½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats or Trader Joe's quick cook steel cut oats

1 cup raw sunflower seeds

½ cup shredded coconut

5/8 cup raw pecans

3/8 cup pure maple syrup, preferably grade B or organic agave nectar

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup packed light brown sugar

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

½ cup dried cranberries

1.     Preheat oven to 300 degrees farenheit.

2.     Place the oats, sunflower seeds, shredded coconut, pecans, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl.  Mix until well combined.

3.     Add the brown sugar, olive oil, maple syrup or agave nectar.  Mix until dry ingredients are coated.

4.     Add dried cranberries.  Mix.

5.     Spread mixture in an even layer on a medium- to large-size cookie sheet.

6.     Bake, stirring every 10 minutes, until granola is golden and toasty-about 45 minutes.

7.     Remove granola from oven and let cool. 

8.     Store in an airtight container.

Kale Krisps

In previous years, fall was the time of year when kale would be in abundance at local farmer's markets.  But not this year.  I've noticed many varieties of kale this spring and summer.

Irregardless, with cooler weather on it's way here in New England, it's a good time to fire up the oven and make Kale Krisps. According to my 1995 edition of The Nutrition Bible, kale is a member of the cabbage family. It grows well in cool, moist climates in poor soil and tends to peak in winter. It's also a good source of vitamins A , C and K.

While I've seen many recipes for Kale Krisps, this one is adapted from a version which appeared in the March 2011 issue of Yoga Journal whose source is noted as an adaptation from Ripe from Around Here: A Vegan Guide to Local and Sustainable Eating by Jae Steele.  I like this recipe as the ingredients are basic,--kale, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and with a low oven setting, the risk of over baking is reduced. 

Where kale is a member of the cabbage family, the aroma produced when making kale krisps may not be the most aromatic. I was not aware of this until after the first time I made this recipe.  This answered my question as to why when making this my house smelled like my grandmother's after she had been cooking cabbage to make stuffed cabbage. Therefore, be forewarned.

Despite the odor, these do not last long in my house. Half are usually consumed as they come out of the oven. The remainder are gone within two days, generally in one sitting.

dinosaur, lacinato or tuscan kale

Kale Krisps

1 bunch dinosaur, lacinato or tuscan kale, washed and stemmed

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic or red wine vinegar

Kosher salt, to taste

1. Put oven rack on middle setting. Preheat oven to 250 degrees farenheit.
2. Chop kale into 3 inch pieces.
3. In a large bowl, mix oil and vinegar. Add kale and toss until the leaves are evenly coated.
4. Line a cookie sheet with aluminium foil and coat the foil with non-stick cooking spray. Spread the leaves in a single layer and sprinkle lightly with kosher salt.
5. Place in oven until dry and crisp, approximately 40 minutes to 1 hour. 
   
   lacinato kale krisps ready for serving

Applesauce with a Rosy Glow or the only applesauce recipe I’ve ever tried

As I noted in an earlier post, you know it’s December at my house when all that’s produced is AlmondRoco. Likewise, you know it’s fall at my house when all that comes from my kitchen contains apples, such as applesauce.

As a child I would only eat applesauce if it was served with pork chops for dinner. As for eating apples, I think I ate two by the time I was eighteen years old. Yes, my palette, food preferences and diet have changed significantly since my childhood.

My love for homemade applesauce took hold just over a decade ago after making vegan whoopie pies with my homemade applesauce and liking the richness of flavor this applesauce provides to this recipe over store bought sauces. For several years, my freezer would be packed in September with homemade applesauce and gradually emptied over the following winter and spring to make vegan whoopie pies, to top oatmeal or some form of vanilla ice cream. In late 2005 I learned how to can and successfully canned my first batch of applesauce in September 2006. I’ve canned my homemade applesauce ever since.

While some of you might be surprised at the amount of applesauce which gets produced annually, I can only tell you the happiness, joy and fond memories generated is far greater than the time and effort exerted. My cousin, Jenn, and her family join me at the orchard where we pick apples for all of us. When the apple picking is done, we then walk to the orchard’s farm stand for their homemade apple cider doughnuts. One year my mom assisted in coring and slicing the apples. Another year a girlfriend visited during the process and assisted with tasting the batch. A half pint jar given to a co-worker one morning was returned the same afternoon, emptied, washed, and with the statement “That was good.”

I originally came across this recipe in an issue of the Boston Herald sometime in the 1990s. I don’t have the exact date as the recipe was not in the corner of the page which contained the date. What I like most about this recipe is it’s a great way to use up lots of apples quickly without having to peel them. I’ve tinkered with the recipe over the years, increasing the amount of sugar and cinnamon to make a rich “sweet” batch, removing the sugar and cinnamon to create an unsweetened batch, as well as moving the “mash” process from stove top to oven to prevent the apples from scorching or “blackening” the bottom of the pot which can require a lot of time and manpower to scour clean.

Apples ready to be made into "mash" in

the oven

Rosy Applesauce yield: approximately 6 – 9 pints

5-6 pounds red-skinned applesauce (this is about a 1/2 peck of apples)

½ cup water

1 cup sugar

½ cup light brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

To make “mash” on stove top: 

1. Wash, quarter and core the apples.
2. Place them in large saucepan with the water.
3. Cook over very low heat until the pulp softens and separates from the peel – from 30 minutes to an hour. Stir occasionally to avoid scorching.

To make “mash” in the oven:

1. Place oven rack on lowest setting.
2. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees farenheit.
3. Wash, quarter and core the apples placing them in a turkey roasting pan designed to hold 12 – 15 pound turkey.
4. Add water to apples in pan.
5. Tent/loosely cover top of roasting pan with aluminum foil, making certain reflective side of foil faces apples.
6. Carefully place tented roasting pan with apples and water in oven on rack on lowest setting.
7. Bake until pulp softens and separates from the peel without effort when pressed with large spoon – from 30 minutes to just over an hour.

Once “mash” is made:

1. Press “mash” through a food mill or colander.
2. Add sugar and cinnamon to the warm applesauce, mix thoroughly, and let stand until cool enough to eat.
3. Serve either warm or chilled. Refrigerate any unused portion for up to 5 days, freeze for up to 3 months or can the applesauce using the boiling-water method in steps 4 and 5.
4. Heat the applesauce until it boils. Ladle into clean, hot canning jars, leaving ½ inch of headspace at the top of each.
5. Close the jars and process in a water-bath canner with a rack for 20 minutes.

 

Apple Lemon Bread

I stumbled across this recipe several years ago in my Fanny Farmer Cookbook at about the same time I was introduced to local grown Mutsu (or Crispin) apples whose texture and moistness remind me of a Granny Smith and whose taste reminds me of a Jolly Rancher Sour Apple Stix.

Where the recipe calls for green apples, I decided to give this one a try with local Mutsu apples. On the day I made the first batch, my mother stopped by just as the bread was coming out of the oven. What's noted in my version of this recipe is correct: “Light and moist, flavored with apple and lemon zest, this bread freezes well, if there is any left.” There was none left of the first batch nor of the second. The third batch did get frozen, and yes, this bread does freeze incredibly well. I highly recommend this recipe if you ever find yourself with extra Mutsu apples in September or October which is their peak season.

Apple Lemon Bread

From the revised 13^th edition of The Fanny Farmer Cookbook.

Yield: One 9” x 5” x 3” loaf or 12-19 muffins

¼ cup butter or substitute, such as Earth Balance Buttery Spread (http://www.earthbalancenatural.com/product/original-buttery-spread/)

¾ cup sugar

2 eggs, beaten

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 green apples, peeled, cored, and grated (about 2 cups) or 1 very large Mutsu apple, peeled, cored and grated

Zest or peel from 2 lemons, minced (approximately 1 ½ tablespoons)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees farenheit. Butter or grease a loaf pan. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs until blended. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together and add to the creamed mixture alternately with the grated apple. Add the lemon zest and mix until well blended. Spoon into the loaf pan and bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the center muffins comes out clean. Remove from the pan and cool on a rack.

If making muffins, spoon batter into lined muffin tins. Baked for 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the center muffins comes out clean. Cool and then remove from tins.

Freezing green and other bell peppers

When the bell peppers come in to season here in New England, as they are doing right now, I'm known for picking up 2 – 4 peppers per week at the farmer's market, seeding and slicing them prior to putting them in the freezer. I've found that green and other bell peppers,--red, yellow, etc.,--freeze well and cook up nicely in a stir fry, a dish of sausage, peppers and onions, black bean sloppy joe, mushroom, peppers and onions, fajitas.

As I begin to re-stock my freezer with bell peppers, I thought I would share with you the steps I follow for freezing and using peppers I get at the farmer's market:

To freeze bell peppers, you’ll need:

Sandwich size ziploc storage bags,--one bag per pepper

Gallon size freezer safe ziploc storage bags,--one bag for every 4 peppers

Knife

Cutting board

Wash and dry peppers.

Slice and de-seed peppers, placing slices in ziploc sandwich bag. One bag should contain the slices from one pepper. Repeat as many times as needed.

When all peppers have been sliced and bagged, seal sandwich bags. Put sandwich bags into freezer safe gallon size ziploc bag. You should be able to fit 5 – 7 bags of peppers into one gallon size bag. Seal freezer safe gallon size bag and put in freezer.

The peppers will keep for about 6 – 12 months and can be used in stir fries, fajitias or any recipe which calls for cooked or sauteed peppers such as black bean sloppy joe. Keep in mind, the longer the peppers are in the freezer they more likely they are to lose flavor.

When ready to use, remove the number of peppers/bags from the freezer. Let thaw on the kitchen countertop for 1 – 3 minutes. Break peppers loose by pressing heel of hand on peppers while in bag on countertop. Open bag and add peppers to recipe.

Two versions of Cucumber Salad

Pickling cucumbers were in abundance on the last visit to my local farmer's market. As I decided how many to buy, I thought about the cucumber salad recipe I tried in 2011 as one of my twelve new recipes as I knew these cucumbers would work well in this recipe.

I found this recipe in my revised 13^th edition of The Fanny Farmer Cookbook and is a great summer recipe as its taste is very cooling to the palette. Per the cookbook, this is a sharp cucumber salad, maybe too much for some tastes—if so add a little sugar. I used pickling cucumbers which I did not peel as I like cucumber skin, I substituted onion powder where I did not have scallions, I skipped the vinegar, I reduced the amount of dill and used the directions as a guideline. These changes most likely softened the flavor.

This recipe will serve six if using 3 medium cucumbers,--2-4 if using 3 small pickling cucumbers. The cookbook's version as well as mine are listed here.

Cucumber Salad - From the revised 13^th edition of The Fanny Farmer Cookbook (serves six)

3 medium cucumbers

Salt

4 tablespoons sour cream or mayonnaise

3 tablespoons minced scallions

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons vinegar

½ teaspoon dry mustard powder

1 tablespoon minced dill or parsley

Peel the cucumbers and slice thin. Spread them over the bottom of a colander and sprinkle salt on top. Let them drain for 30 minutes, press gently to remove excess liquid, then chill. Blend the sour cream or mayonnaise, scallions, lemon juice, vinegar, and dry mustard together. Add salt to taste. Toss the dressing with the cucumbers. Sprinkle the dill or parsley on top and serve cold.

Cucumber Salad – Julie's version based on recipe from the revised 13^th edition of The Fanny Farmer Cookbook (serves two - four)

3 small pickling cucumbers

2 - 4 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 tsp onion powder

1 teaspoon lemon juice

½ teaspoon dry mustard powder

1 teaspoon dried dill

Wash, dry and dice the cucumbers.

In a medium bowl, blend 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise, onion powder, lemon juice, dry mustard and dill together. Add cucumbers and toss until cucumbers are coated with dressing. If needed, add mayonnaise, ½ tablespoon at a time, until cucumbers are coated. Serve.

Zucchini Fritter

On a recent trip to my local farmer's market, I was eyeing the zucchini. It looked wonderful, beautifully green and fresh. Just perfect for zucchini fritters. As I mentally read through the recipe, the sales person asked if I was ready to pay. I said no and explained that I was debating whether or not to buy some zucchini for fritters. A conversation about this recipe ensued.

This recipe came to me via my girlfriend, Sally, who is always a great source of culinary innovation and feedback. In this recipe a fritter is a small mass of fried or sauteed batter not a small piece of food coated in a mixture or flour and egg and fried, which is the more accepted definition of a fritter.

These fritters can be refrigerated and re-heated in either a microwave or oven.

The goal with pressing the zucchini is to squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Depending upon my mood and the amount zucchini, I do this multiple ways,--squeezing shredded handfuls in my fist over the kitchen sink and then pacing the pressed lumps on two paper towels, putting the shredded zucchini in a colander in the kitchen since and pressing down with my hands. In short, there are multiple ways to do this and no right or wrong way. Removing as much moisture as possible from the zucchini is key to a successful fritter.

Shredded and pressed zucchini can be stored overnight in an airtight container in the back of the refrigerator prior to use.  Zucchini shredded and pressed should be used within 24 hours for best results. 

Zucchini Fritters

2 cups shredded zucchini, pressed

2 eggs

½ cup flour or cornmeal

2 cloves garlic, pressed or 2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 medium onion, chopped

2 tablespoons milk,--dairy, soy or rice

1-2 tablespoons canola oil

salt and pepper to taste (optional)

1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped (optional)

½ grated parmesean cheese (optional)

In large bowl, beat eggs with milk. Add zucchini, flour or cornmeal, garlic, onion, salt, pepper, basil and cheese. Mix until well blended.

Coat a medium to large skillet with canola oil. Heat oil to medium/medium-hot. Spoon batter to slightly larger than silver-dollar pancake size into hot skillet. Cook 2-7 minutes on one side, then flip, cooking 2-7 minutes or more to complete cooking/browning. Remove from skillet and drain on paper towels. Serve warm, refrigerating any unused portion.

Black Bean Sloppy Joe

Several years ago, I was advised to incorporate more black beans into my diet to help with some health issues I was having. In looking for ways to accomplish this, I ended up making the following Black Bean Sloppy Joe recipe which is a variation of the Sloppy Veg-Head Joe recipe from Rachel Ray's BigOrange Book Cookbook.

This is a versatile recipe. It's dairy-free, egg-free, gluten free and vegan. Dice the onion and peppers and served chilled with tortilla chips as variety of black bean dip for a summer appetizer. As an entree, top with cheese, serve warm with avocado. Corn or rice to make a hearty meal.

1 tablespoon canola or olive oil

¾ teaspoon minced garlic or 2 large garlic cloves, chopped

1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 small to medium onion, chopped

2 cups or 1 19 – 21 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

¼ teaspoon black pepper or more to taste 

salt

1 ½ cups tomatoes, chopped, or 1 – 15 ounce can diced tomatoes

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Heat the oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, onion and pepper, stir once to coat with oil, cover and cook for 8 minutes. Fold in the black beans, cumin, coriander, black pepper. Add salt or more pepper to taste. Stir in tomatoes and vinegar. Lower heat to simmer and let simmer for five minutes. 

Black Bean Sloppy Joe 

Ready to Serve

Melting Chocolate in the Microwave

I recently made Duncan Hines' Red andWhite Velvet Cookies as one my twelve new recipes to try for 2014.

While the recipe calls for a combination of white chocolate premium baking bars (in pieces) and vegetable shortening, melted for dipping half of the cookie into, I chose to take a different path. I chose to melt white chocolate chips in the microwave.

Melting chocolate in the microwave can be a bit tricky as I have learned from doing this time and time again. Heat the chocolate too high too quickly and it will seize. Don't heat the chocolate high enough and you may not be able to finish dipping or drizzling before the chocolate solidifies.

To melt chocolate in a microwave, start with a clean and dry glass bowl. Make certain the pieces of chocolate to be melted are of a small, uniform size, especially if you're not melting baking chips.

Microwave chocolate at 50% power (or medium power) for half of the time instructed by the recipe. Where all microwaves run differently, it's better to melt too little versus too much. Remove bowl from microwave and examine the chocolate. If approximately half of the chocolate looks glossy, stir with a dry spoon or spatula to finish the melting process. If less than half of the chocolate doesn't look glossy, return to microwave and microwave at 50% power (or medium power) for quarter of the time instructed by the recipe.

Once chocolate has completely melted, dip or drizzle as instructed by recipe.

If you need to melt chocolate multiple times for a recipe, such as with my Ginger Nut Clusters recipe, each subsequent melting will take less time as the bowl being used to melt and the melted chocolate already in the bowl will facilitate the melting of subsequent amounts of chocolate.

Oh, and the Red and White Velvet Cookies were a hit even though I changed step 2 in recipe. Instead of forming the dough into a log and refrigerating, I rolled 1” pieces of the dough into a ball, placed them on a non-stick cookie sheet and flattened the ball with the bottom of a drinking glass. The recipe is a keeper.

Freezing apples for pies and crisps

Those who know me know my penchant for locally grown fruits and vegetables, including apples. Several years ago by accident, I found a combination of local grown Melrouge and Cortland apples makes a nice base for the apple pie filling I make for my apple pie recipe. Firm and soft with all the flavor local grown apples provide, I wanted nothing more than to be able to freeze these apples for making apple pie during January and February when a pie made from these apples would be a great winter treat.

I needed to look no further than my copy of “Brooksby Apple Bake Cook Book” by the Peabody Historical Society which I purchased over a decade ago. Chock full of apple related muffins, breads, cakes, cookies, desserts, sauces, marmalades, page 21 contained the following on freezing apples for pie:

“Freezing Apples for Pie: Peel, halve, core, and slice apples quickly. Put in freezer bag and put in freezer as quickly as possible. Do only enough apples for one pie at a time; in this way the apples do not have time to discolor. When you are ready to use the apples for pie, you do not need to thaw them. Put them wile still frozen in your pastry shell, add sugar, spices, flour and bits of butter, top with top crust, flute edges and bake as you would a fresh apple pie.”

I started with enough apples for one pie,--two Melrouge and four Cortland apples. I peeled, halved, cored and sliced the apples shortly after buying them. I placed them immediately in a ziploc freezer bag and placed in freezer. Several months later, I made my pie crust for apple pie, lined a pie plate with half the crust, mixed the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and flour. I then retrieved the apples from the freezer and immediately hit a stumbling block.

The apples were frozen solid into a rectangular shape. The pie crust lined a circular pie plate. I did manage to get the rectangular block of apples into the circular pie plate along with the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, flour and butter as well as get the top crust over this misshapen middle. The end result was a pie which tasted great but where the apples closest to the edge of the crust had no season.

Rectangular block of apples

waiting to be made into apple pie

Determined to improve upon this, I developed the following guidelines for freezing apples for pies and crisps:

• Pre-measure the apples. In other words, make sure your freezing enough for one pie, crisp, etc.
• Freeze apples which work well with the recipe you are freezing them for. For example, I freeze a combination of Melrouge and Cortland apples for apple pie.
• Plan to use the apples within six months.
• Use Ziploc freezer bags especially if you don't plan to pre-freeze the apples. This will make a partial thaw (see last bullet point below) when using apples easier.
• You can pre-freeze apples individually on a plate or baking sheet lined with parchment paper to keep them from clumping or forming a solid mass during the freezing process. If you're like me, you don't have any room your freezer for this pre-freeze step.
• When using apples for pie or crisp which were not pre-frozen and are a solid block, make your first step in the recipe filling a large bowl with medium-hot water and placing the apples in the water. As you go forward with your recipe, the apples will begin to thaw. Thaw apples enough to where the solid block can be easily broken by hand into chunks small enough to be used in your recipe. Apples should be cold to the touch, they do not need to be completely thawed.

Melrouge and Cortland apples, previously frozen,

baked into an apple pie.

Oven Roasted Eggplant

Over the years, my palate has become accustomed to local grown eggplant. When it appears at my local farmer's markets, I will buy, buy and buy more as I have found cooked eggplant freezes well and works nicely in a pizza, a pasta or bean dish or as the eggplant portion of my Eggplant, Meat and Tomato with Spices recipe.

By the time October rolls around, my freezer is stocked with bags of frozen oven roasted eggplant. During the cold days of winter and damp days of spring, the supply slowly dwindles. With only one bag remaining in my freezer at this time, I am reminded that at some point summer will return with its long days and bounty of local eggplant which I will buy roast and freeze for the upcoming winter. 

Oven Roasted Eggplant 
ready to be put in freezer for winter

Oven Roasted Eggplant

6 – 8 cups globe eggplant washed and diced

1 cup olive oil or canola oil

2 tsp onion powder

2 tsp garlic powder

1. Place oven rack on middle rung. Preheat oven to broiler setting.

2. In a large bowl, combine eggplant, olive oil, onion powder and garlic powder.

3. Line a large cookie sheet with aluminum foil, tucking in ends.

4. Place eggplant on cookie sheet, close together but no higher than one layer deep. 

Eggplant ready to be put

in oven for roasting

5. Place eggplant in oven on middle rack. Cook for 7 – 13 minutes or until largest pieces are easily split with fork. Serve or cool and store in airtight container in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 as many times as needed.

If freezing, place cooled eggplant in freezer-safe bags or containers. I use quart size freezer-safe ziploc bags. When ready to use, remove from freezer and thaw on plate on kitchen counter top or in refrigerator for slower thaw. For quicker thaw, immerse three-quarters of eggplant in warm water. Once thawed, add to pizza as you would any other topping, heat to warm or hot if adding to pasta or bean dish. Use as bottom layer in my Eggplant, Meat and Tomato with Spices recipe.

Carrot Cake

I recently picked up carrots from Winter Moon Roots Farm with the objective of making a carrot cake for my mother’s upcoming birthday.  While this recipe calls for only 2 cups of grated carrots, which is approximately ½ pound, it’s a safe bet I’ll always end up with more than this amount.  When the carrots come in a pre-weighed 1 pound bag, I just make a double batch.  Thankfully, this recipe freezes well and is a favorite amongst friends and family and not just my mom.

For some reason, though, this time I purchased the exact amount of carrots without asking the clerk the weight of the carrots prior to purchase.  Truly amazed was I.    

Like my Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread recipe, I prefer to make mini-loaves as this cake freezes well and the small mini-loaf size guarantees a quick defrost when company drops by.  And, yes, as with the Pumpkin Bread, there have been times when slices have been cut from frozen loaves and immediately deposited into the toaster oven with no complaint and complete satisfaction.  For freezing, I suggest wrapping each loaf in plastic wrap and then placing the loaves in a freezer safe ziploc bag.  

I like this recipe because it does not require pineapple, shredded coconut, raisins or walnuts to make a decent cake.  The carrots can be grated 1 – 2 days before baking and then stored in the refrigerator in an air tight container until ready to use.  Outside of grating the carrots this recipe is quick to put together using just one large mixing bowl and less than 30 minutes of prep time.    

While I’ve included the recipe for cream cheese frosting that came with this recipe which I received from my step-Aunt, Debbie, it’s rare this cake is served with frosting or cream cheese. 

Mini-loaf carrot cake 
wrapped in plastic wrap
and ready to be frozen for
later enjoyment 

Carrot Cake   yield - two 8" round cakes, 5 mini-loaves, 12 – 30 muffins

1 1/2 cups canola oil

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

2 cups grated carrots (approx. 1/2 lb. carrots)

1/2 cup raisins (optional)

1 cup chopped walnuts  (optional)

non-stick cooking spray

Place oven rack in middle position.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray cake pans with no-stick cooking spray.  If making muffins, line muffin tins. 

In a large bowl, mix sugar, oil and vanilla extract with beaten eggs.

Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon.  Mix until stiff batter thickens. 

Add Carrots and mix.  Batter will thin as you mix. 

Add nuts and raisins (optional).  Mix.

For cake or loaves, pour equal amounts of batter into cake pans or loaf pans.  Bake 35-70 minutes or until toothpick/cake tester comes out clean.  Remove from oven and cool on cooling rack for 5-10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely before frosting, serving or storing.  

For muffins, fill bake cups ½ - 1/3 full with batter.  Bake 25-45 minutes or until toothpick/cake tester inserted in center muffins comes out clean.  Remove from oven and cool on cooling rack for 5-10 minutes.  Remove from pan and cool completely before frosting, serving or storing.  

Cream cheese frosting:  6 oz. cream cheese softened mixed with 3 cups confectioner's sugar.  Add a few drops of milk as needed.