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Quick And Easy Healthier Carrot Cake

A few years ago I made the perfect carrot cake. I don’t know what recipe I used and have never found it again, but I suspect if I did I wouldn’t use it anymore anyway – it probably had too much sugar and white flour in it anyway.

Carrot CakeI’m still in search of the new ‘perfect’ carrot cake, but these come up a really good alternative, in the meantime.

They last two or so days in a lunch box, and make a great school snack, largely because they’re ‘cake’ without being ‘cake’. We also make them without frosting to make them that little bit healthier, but really, I don’t think it needs anything more anyway.

If you don’t have Rapadura*, you can substitute for brown sugar, but Rapadura is a healthier alternative. I have linked you to the brand we use. Same for the coconut oil.

Possibly one of my favourite things about this carrot cake is that it is so quick and easy to make – no faffing required, and it is really tasty.

Recipe Type: Cake, Snack
Author: Luschka
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 18
I make these in a brownie pan, and don’t add any frosting to them at all. You could mix cream cheese and icing sugar to frost, but we like them just like this. They make lovely lunch box snacks. You can add nuts if you wish – just adjust the amount of raisins.
Ingredients
  • 2 cups carrots (roughly four or five medium sized carrots)
  • 140g raisins
  • 125ml [url href=”http://www.amazon.co.uk/Biona-Organic-Virgin-Coconut-Pack/dp/B0062Y7RTU/” target=”_blank”]coconut oil[/url]
  • 115g plain wholemeal flour
  • 115g self-raising flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 rounded tsp ground cinnamon
  • 100g [u][url href=”http://www.amazon.co.uk/Biona-Organic-Rapadura-Sugar-Pack/dp/B006MW27UG” target=”_blank” title=”rapadura”]rapadura [/url][/u](or brown sugar)
  • 2 eggs
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 160C/320F
  2. Grate carrots finely
  3. Add the rest of the ingredients in the order listed
  4. Mix together till it’s all incorporated, but work quickly before the baking powder and bicarb go ‘flat’
  5. Scoop into muffin or brownie trays/cake tins
  6. Cook for 20 minutes in cake tin/brownie pan but about 12 – 15 in muffin tins.
  7. Check by sticking a skewer in the middle. If It comes out clean, they are ready.
  8. If you’re using a Thermomix:
  9. Chop the carrots on Turbo for 3-4 seconds
  10. Add ingredients in order listed
  11. Mix on reverse speed for 30 seconds,
  12. Knead for 1 min on closed lid setting
  13. Scoop into muffin or brownie trays/cake tins
  14. Cook for 20 minutes in cake tin/brownie pan but about 12 – 15 in muffin tins.
  15. Check by sticking a skewer in the middle. If It comes out clean, they are ready.

 

 

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Goji Almond And Sprouted Buckwheat *mostly* Raw Balls

Goji BallsThese Goji, Almond and Sprouted Buckwheat balls are mostly raw, other than the choc chips. You can make your own coconut oil chocolate and then it’s completely raw! They can also be made nut free by swapping the almond meal for seeds like sunflower or pepitas. Other wise they are Vegan, Gluten free, Dairy free, Refined sugar free, Yeast free & Corn free. Can’t get much better than that!

They do call for some organization as the buckwheat needs to start the sprouting process a day or 2 before they are ready. But it’s totally worth it! These are so lovely, sweet and the buckwheat makes a nice change than just regular old nuts in the usual bliss balls (ed: the Australian version of these date balls) I make. It’s cheaper too 🙂

Goji Almond & Sprouted Buckwheat *almost* Raw Balls
Recipe Type: Snack
Cuisine: Raw
Author: Charlotte
Serves: 16-20
These balls are mostly raw, other than the choc chips. You can make your own coconut oil chocolate and then it’s completely raw! They can also be made nut free by swapping the almond meal for seeds like sunflower or pepitas. Other wise they are Vegan, Gluten free, Dairy free, Refined sugar free, Yeast free & Corn free. Can’t get much better than that! They do call for some organization as the buckwheat needs to start the sprouting process a day or 2 before they are ready. But it’s totally worth it! These are so lovely, sweet and the buckwheat makes a nice change than just regular old nuts in the usual bliss balls I make. It’s cheaper too 🙂
Ingredients
  • 1 cup medjool dates, pitted [about 14]
  • 1/3 cup almond meal
  • 1/2 cup raw buckwheat grouts, sprouted [yield: 1 cup sprouted]
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1/4 cup goji berries
  • 1/4 cup carob/chocolate chips, cacao nibs or home made chocolate or even some dried fruit like sultanas
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • pinch Himalayan rock salt
Instructions
  1. To sprout buckwheat: place the raw buckwheat grouts in a glass container and fill with water. Place a lid on it and store it in the fridge overnight to soak. In the morning, drain and rinse.
  2. Drain thoroughly and leave on the counter for 24 hours.
  3. At the 12 hour [or so] mark, fill with water and drain again and follow the steps Goji Ballsabove.
  4. Your buckwheat should be ready at around 24 hours.
  5. Spread out onto a kitchen towel to make sure most of the moisture is removed.
  6. To make balls: place dates, almond meal, buckwheat, coconut, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt in a food processor.
  7. Process until desired consistency is met.
  8. Drop mixture into a large bowl and mix in goji berries and choc chips.
  9. Wet hands and roll the mixture into balls.
  10. If the mixture is too sticky, out it in the freezer for a few mins to harden up
  11. Store in a container in the fridge or freezer
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Wild Garlic And Cashew Pesto

Where my inlaws live, the public bridleway is lined with wild garlic on one side and dandelions on the other. It’s a foragers feast! Last year I picked a shopping bag full of wild garlic, brought it home, cooked with it and stuck a two plants in a pot. They looked as though they were dying, so I forgot about them and got on with the year. Cleaning out the garden this spring, I found four beautiful Ramson plants! I actually did a little happy dance, because I sometimes crave this stuff!

Wild Garlic PestoWild garlic is simply delicious stuff. In the spring it has a much milder taste than late in the summer, and unlike it’s commercial counterpart, you eat the leaves and the flowers, not the bulb (although you could).

Identification: You can smell the garlic before you see the plant. It has broad, spearlike leaves, which smell like garlic, and pretty white, star-like flowers, in a rounded ball shape, which also smell like garlic. All parts are edible, the leaves preferably in spring.

Poisonous lookalikes: The leaves do look a lot like the Lily of the Valley, which is poisonous but doesn’t smell like garlic, and if it doesn’t smell like garlic, it isn’t wild garlic.

Uses: Basically, anything you could do with Basil, you can do with wild garlic. You can make a soup, add it to salads, stir fry with onion and olive oil as a vegetable (instead of spinach, for example), and add a few dandelion heads for colour.

Here’s on my favourite recipes for Wild Garlic: Wild Garlic and Cashew Pesto

(Pine nuts are seriously expensive. Cashews are a lot cheaper, and just as good.)

Wild Garlic And Cashew Pesto
Recipe Type: Dip, Sauce,
Cuisine: Pasta
Author: Luschka
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 4 – 6
The amounts in this recipe are rough guides. If you have more or less of an ingredient, it doesn’t matter. Cashews provide the ‘bulk’ in the ingredients, and the Ramsons are very strong in flavour, so while you can add more you don’t need to.
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup loosely packed Ramsons/Wild Garlic
  • 1/2 cup Cashew Nuts
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
  • Pepper to taste
  • 1/3 cup Olive Oil
Instructions
  1. If you’re using a Thermomix, place everything in the bowl, and blits on Turbo for 3 seconds and you’re done.
  2. If you’re not:
  3. Crush the cashew nuts
  4. Grate the Parmesan Cheese
  5. Place the salt into a pestle and mortar and add the wild garlic. Use the ‘friction’ of the salt to crush them together.
  6. Add the olive oil for a smooth paste, before adding the cheese and cashews and stirring in well.
  7. Pepper to taste.
Notes
Use as a spread on a rustic bread or as pesto for pasta. Keeps for around 3 days in the fridge. Top with edible Ramson flowers for prettiness.

 

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Healthy Chocolate Date Balls

There’s a brand of ‘chocolate’ bar that we love around here, but it’s pretty expensive. They put the ingredients and roughly the amounts on the back of the packaging though, so we’ve been trying to make them the same. I think we need some kind of cold pressing equipment to make them stick together as bars, but they work pretty well rolled into balls or made in a brownie pan.

chocolate date balls

The reason I love these for my children is that apart from the cocoa – and you can substitute it for cacao – there’s only fruit and breakfast oats in it. When my daughter refuses to have breakfast, she’ll have these, and I’m just fine with that on occasion.

Another bonus of  date balls, is that they are pretty versatile. Just add the basics, and the rest is up to you.

Put them on a pretty plate, and wrap a ribbon around, and you’ve got a lovely gift too.

For twenty more date ball ideas, check out Bliss Balls For Beginners.

Chocolate Date Balls
Recipe Type: Snack,Treat, Healthy
Author: Luschka
Prep time:
Total time:
These originated from Nakd bars, which I couldn’t afford to keep buying. Looking at the ingredients on the back, we came up with an earlier version of these. They are delicious!
Ingredients
  • 1 cup dates
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1/2 to 3/4 cup oats
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • Something wet: a 1/4 cup apple juice or 2 tablespoons peanut butter, just enough to hold the batter together.
  • [u]Optional extras:[/u]
  • You can add a variety of things – nuts, dried fruit, berries
Instructions
  1. Mix everything together in a food processor or blender.
  2. You want it well mixed, but not smooth.
  3. Either roll the batter into balls, then around a plate of coconut and place in the fridge.
  4. Alternatively spread it out on a baking sheet and refridgerate.
  5. Once set, cut into squares and enjoy.

Reposted from Diary of a First Child

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Raw Caramel Slice


Rawfood, Caramel Slice
I’m super excited to welcome Charlotte as an author on Keeper of the Kitchen. I met Charlotte in Perth, Australia, and I’ve always been so inspired by her adventures in raw food preparation. She makes it look so good, and I’m really chuffed that she’s agreed to share her recipes with us!

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This is a raw, dairy free, vegan (if not using honey!), gluten free caramel slice alternative. I say alternative but for me there is no question which one I would rather eat. This still has high calories like a regular caramel slice but they aren’t empty calories. With nuts, coconut oil and raw cacao powder full of healthy vitamins and minerals there is no reason not to eat this delicious slice. I like to cut it up into little squares and freeze it, perfect for that 3pm sweet craving or to have ready for unexpected guests.

I make it in the Thermomix, but you can make it in any high powered blender.

Raw Caramel Slice
Recipe Type: Desert, Sweets, Raw
Cuisine: Raw
Author: Charlotte F
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 15
Just to taunt you for now – recipe will be up shortly – is this raw, dairy free, vegan (if not using honey!), gluten free caramel slice alternative.
Ingredients
  • [u]Base[/u]
  • ½ cup Medjool dates
  • 1 cup almonds
  • ½ cup cashews
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence[br]
  • [u]Caramel[/u]
  • ½ cup tahini
  • ½ cup maple syrup or raw honey
  • ÂĽ cup coconut oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence
  • Large pinch Himalayan salt[br]
  • [u]Chocolate topping[/u]
  • 3 tbsp raw cacao
  • 1 tsp carob powder
  • 3-4 tbsp coconut sugar, rapadura sugar or agave syrup
  • ½ cup coconut oil
Instructions
  1. Grind pitted dates and nuts in blender. Add vanilla & blend until it’s sticky. If it’s not becoming sticky add an extra date.
  2. With a spatula or back of a spoon press mixture into a rectangular dish greased in coconut oil.
  3. Blend caramel ingredients together and pour over biscuit base and set in the freezer for 20 minutes.
  4. While the slice is setting, for the chocolate topping blend coconut oil and all other ingredients. The heat from the blender usually melts the coconut oil if it is solid.
  5. Then pour chocolate topping over slice and place back in freezer to set again.
  6. With a warm knife, cut into small squares to serve.

 

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Raw Strawberry Cheesecake

If you fancy a healthier cheesecake, you’ve come to the right place. This is a dairy free, vegan, sugar free cheesecake alternative. And it’s pretty darn good.Raw Strawberry Cheesecake

I make it in the Thermomix, but you can make it in any high powered blender. It’s both labour intensive and totally not. It’s a perfect dinner party recipe, especially for people not familiar with raw food. Check out The Rawtarian from time to time – this is an adaptation of her recipe.

Raw Strawberry Cheesecake
Recipe Type: Desert
Cuisine: Raw Food
Author: Luschka
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 18
Take this desert out of the freezer half an hour before you expect to eat it and don’t forget to return it to the freezer when you’re done. If it’s for snacks rather than dinner, freeze in single portion sizes
Ingredients
  • Crust ingredients:
  • 1 1/2 cups cashew nuts
  • 1/2 cup pitted dates
  • 1/4 cup dried, unsweetened coconut
  • 1 pinch sea salt
  • White cheesecake filling ingredients:
  • 3 cups cashews
  • 3/4 cup lemon juice
  • 3/4 cup agave or honey
  • 3/4 cup coconut oil
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • Up to a 1/4 cup of water, as needed for blending
  • Fruit topping ingredients:
  • 2 cups frozen strawberries
  • 1/2 cup dates
Instructions
  1. Sprinkle coconut into a large glass dish to serve as a base for your cheesecake.
  2. In your food processor, place 1.5 cups of cashews, salt and dates, and blend to a crumbed consistency.
  3. Pour into dish on top of coconut and press down to form a good, firm base.
  4. Next, blend together the ‘cheesecake filling, adding as little water as possible and as required to make your blender work. In the Thermomix you shouldn’t need to add much water at all. This needs to be smooth and creamy in consistency.
  5. Spread the mixture on top of the base.
  6. Freeze for about an hour to allow it to firm up.
  7. When you’re ready for the last step, blend the berries and dates until they are nice and smooth. Pour this mixture on top and freeze again for another few hours at least.
  8. Take out of freezer about half an hour before eating, so that it’s still firm, but edible.
Calories: 349.0 Fat: 24.9 g Carbohydrates: 31.6 g Sugar: 18.7 g Sodium: 65.7 mg Fiber: 2.2 g Protein: 5.4 g Cholesterol: 0.0 mg

Reposted from Diary of a First Child

 

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Home Made Hazelnut Syrup

20130504-165104.jpg

I adore hazelnut syrup in my coffee. It’s almost a weakness. It’s definitely a craving. I sometimes crave it. I’ll drive out of my way to pick up a hazelnut coffee at Starbucks. But the problem is, I don’t think they’re very good for you! In fact, whenever I haven’t had one in a while, and then I drink one, I can ‘feel’ the chemicals sticking at the back of my throat.

I’ve recently learned to make my own hazelnut syrup and since then, I’ve not looked back.

Ironically, since I have been drinking my homemade syrup, I’ve twice had occasion to try my old favourite and you know what? I don’t like it anymore! I find it overly sweet, and I find that chemical taste really prominent in the back of my throat now.

This recipe uses Rapadura in place of sugar, so while it’s still quite calorific, it doesn’t have the highs and lows of adding sugar to your coffee.

I made these in my Thermomix, but the recipe below is very easy to adapt to even basic kitchen equipment, you may just take a little longer.

Also, with the leftover nuts you can make gorgeous crystallised hazelnuts.

Fun Fact: This recipe, based on RRP, for organic ingredients, cost me ÂŁ5.49 for just under 1 litre. My Starbucks favourite used to cost me ÂŁ3.75 for 375ml.

Home Made Hazelnut Syrup
Recipe Type: Drinks, Sauces, Deserts
Author: Luschka
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 1 litre
Ingredients
  • 500g Rapadura
  • 500g water
  • 250g Hazelnuts
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 160C/320F
  2. Roast the hazelnuts until they are just starting to colour, and you can smell their warm aroma.
  3. Remove from oven and turn off.
  4. Place hazelnuts in the Thermomix bowl on reverse speed 1 for about a minute. The skins should come off pretty easily. (If you don’t have a Thermomix, or you need to remove more skin, agitate the nuts between two dishclothes.
  5. Separate the skins
  6. Place the hazelnuts back in the bowl and whiz for 5 seconds on speed 4. You want them broken up, but NOT powdered or turned to flour. Without a Thermomix, you can do this with a rolling pin.
  7. Place the Rapadura and water in the bowl/a large pot and bring to the boil. Add the hazelnuts and leave to boil until the mixture has reduced by about 25%
  8. You will need to stir it regularly to make sure it doesn’t burn. If you’re using a Thermomix, just keep it on speed 1.
  9. Once it’s reduced, strain to remove the nuts, and put them aside for crystallised hazelnuts. Strain again to remove smaller nuts, and pour into the container you’ll be keeping it in. Leave to cool before refrigerating.
  10. If you taste it straight away you’ll be disappointed by how mild it tastes. Leave for about 24 hours before having your first sip of real hazelnut syrup. You won’t be disappointed.

 

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Cinnamon Scrolls

20130502-215342.jpg These are probably ridiculously bad for you. I try not to think about it. They are so incredibly yummy. I make them ‘better’ by not pouring a sugar syrup over them, and I follow the theory that the cinnamon is good for you, so that cancels out the sugar ;). I have successfully made these with Rapadura too, which takes some of the ‘bad’ out of it.

The best part of this recipe is the fact that it takes around 20 minutes from putting the flour in the bowl to eating a cinnamon scroll.

Cinnamon Scrolls
Recipe Type: Desert, Sweet
Cuisine: Breakfast
Author: Luschka
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
This is a Thermomix recipe, but you can adjust it to any food processor. You can also make a runny icing sugar to pour over each scroll, but we find that too sweet, and choose not to.
Ingredients
  • Dough
  • 300 g Self Raising Flour
  • 90 g Butter , cut into chunks
  • 150 g milk
  • Filling
  • 60 g Butter
  • 40 g Soft brown sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 210C (190C gas)
  2. Prepare a baking tray with a sheet of baking paper.
  3. Place flour and butter into mixing bowl and mix 5 sec/speed 5.
  4. With lid set to locked position, knead 40 – 60 sec/ Interval setting.
  5. Add milk gradually until a soft dough is formed.
  6. Turn out dough onto lightly floured baking paper and roll out dough into a rectangle
  7. Filling
  8. Place all ingredients for filling into mixing bowl and mix 10 sec/speed 4 or until creamy mixture has formed.
  9. Spread mixture evenly over dough rectangle.
  10. Roll up dough from the long side and using a sharp knife cut rolled up dough into 3cm pieces. (sometimes we make it smaller for bite sized/toddler sized rolls)
  11. Place dough pieces, cut side up, on prepared baking tray and cook in the oven for 12 min or until golden brown.
  12. Remove from oven and allow to cool and enjoy.

 

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Cinnamon Buns Recipe

20130502-223925.jpgCinnamon Buns. They’re one of my favourite baked goods ever. They’re amazing, and this recipe is just awesome. I made these one afternoon, and popped them on the table outside on my parents patio. It more than doubled in size, and we ate beautiful, puffy, gorgeous buns. If you do a search you’ll find loads of different recipes, and many of them have a sugar syrup, but we decided we prefer it without. You know, the ‘healthier’ version.

This recipe is for the Thermomix, but there’s no reason you cant mix it in any food processor, or the old fashioned way: by hand. You’ll just have to adapt the mixing.

You can find the original recipe inspiration here, but of course I changed it a little as I normally do.

There’s another Cinnamon Bun recipe coming soon. It’s the quick version, whereas this one has a longer wait, but makes a lighter bun.

Cinnamon Buns Recipe
Cuisine: Breakfast,
Author: Luschka
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
These are so awesome. The best thing is that you can make them early in the evening, and let them go through their first rise, shape them before bed, and pop them in the oven for 20 minutes first thing in the morning for delicious scrolls. You can also freeze these, and just take out what you need and warm for five minutes. They’re probably not your healthiest breakfast choice, so maybe a once a week treat!
Ingredients
  • 100g sugar/caster sugar
  • 350g warm milk (2 cups)
  • 2tsp fast action yeast (7 grams)
  • 80g butter
  • 650g white bread flour (bakers flour)
  • 1tsp salt
  • 1 egg
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar (can use more if desired)
  • 2 tsps of cinnamon (can use more if desired)
  • 1/4 cup butter
Instructions
  1. Pulverise the sugar (3 seconds, speed 9)
  2. Add milk, warm at 50C for 2 minutes on speed 1
  3. Add yeast, butter, flour, salt and the egg into the bowl, and mix well (10 seconds on speed 7)
  4. Knead for until a rough dough has formed (3 minutes on interval speed)
  5. Cover a bowl with clingfilm, and leave to rise for about an hour.
  6. After dough has doubled in size, remove from bowl roll out thinly. You may need to do this in two batches.
  7. Leave to rest for a minute, while you blend together the butter, sugar and cinnamon. (10 seconds, speed 7)
  8. Spread over the rolled out dough.
  9. Starting at the longest end, roll the dough, and press the dough together at the end.
  10. Now you have two choices:
  11. Cut the dough across into 2 or 3 centimeter rounds and place on a baking tray, or
  12. Place the dough in a round pan, and cut halfway through the dough to make a ‘tear and share’ kind of pull apart bread.
  13. Leave it again for 30 minutes to one hour till it’s doubled in size again.
  14. Heat your oven to 200C /390F/Gas Mark 6, and bake for approximately 20 minutes – a little longer if you’re making the share bread, until they are golden brown.
Notes
No Thermomix? Use caster sugar, warm the milk in the microwave or on the stove.