Tag Archives: pecans

Organic Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

29 Monday Mar 2010

Posted by in Dessert, Recipe, Vegetarian

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Don’t be intimidated by this 2 layer, 99.9% organic cake! It is probably one of the easiest cakes to make – even my husband with is rudimentary baking skills can make this delicious dessert. And one of the best things about this recipe…it has half the fat of the typical carrot cake recipe, because it substitutes all-natural organic apple sauce for half of the canola oil. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

Dry Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups organic cane sugar
  • 2 cups all-purpose, organic flour
  • 2 tsp organic cinnamon
  • 2 tsp organic baking powder
  • 2 tsp organic baking soda
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup organic walnuts or pecans

Wet Ingredients

  • 3 cups peeled and grated organic carrots
  • 1/2 cup all-natural, organic applesauce
  • 1/2 cup organic canola oil
  • 2 free-range, organic eggs*

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 1 tbsp organic butter, chilled
  • 1 (8 oz) package organic cream cheese (preferably Neufchatel cheese – also called 1/3 less fat cream cheese)
  • 1 lb package organic powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp grated organic lemon rind

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using cooking spray, evenly coat 2 round, 8-inch cake pans and lightly dust with flour.
  2. Mix all dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
  3. Mix all wet ingredients together in a separate bowl. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix well (note: batter will be very stiff).
  4. Spread the batter evenly into TWO round, 8-inch baking cake pans.
  5. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of each cake pan comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 5-10 minutes on a wire rack. Loosen cake layers from sides of pans using a narrow spatula or plastic knife; turn out onto wire racks; and let cool completely (about 30 minutes to 1 hour).
  6. Meanwhile, prepare the frosting. Beat butter and cream cheese at high speed of a mixer in a large bowl until fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar, vanilla and lemon rind; beat at low speed until just blended (do not overbeat, or icing may become runny). Cover and chill.
  7. To frost the cake, place 1 cake layer on a large plate. Spread about 1/3 the cream cheese icing on top of the layer; spreading carefully from the center out to just the edges of the cake layer (it is easiest to use a large knife). Top with the second cake layer and repeat, however this time use all the remaining icing and spread the icing over the sides/edges of the cake layer, making sure to evenly spread the remaining icing over the sides and top of the cake.
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Sweet Potato Bread with Dried Cranberries & Walnuts

30 Saturday Jan 2010

Posted by in Breakfast, Dessert, Farmers' Market, Recipe, Vegetarian

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This recipe calls for applesauce and canola oil, creating an exceptionally moist bread. Serve with coffee and tea for a morning snack, or as a light dessert for lunch. The sweet potatoes used in this recipe are organic and come from Next Step Produce, and the free-range eggs from Waterview Foods, both purchased from the Dupont Circle Freshfarm Market.

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 1/2 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour, organic
  • 3 cups sugar, organic
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon, organic
  • 1 tsp ground nutmeg, organic
  • 1 tsp ground cloves, organic
  • 1/2 cup organic canola oil (such as Spectrum Naturals)
  • 1/2 cup all-natural, applesauce
  • 2 cups mashed sweet potato (about 3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cooked in a pressure cooker until tender and soft, and then mashed with a fork or other tool), organic
  • 4 free-range, organic eggs
  • 1 cup dried cranberries
  • 1 cup pecans, roughly chopped, organic
  • 1-2 tbsp turbinado sugar, organic

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven at 350 degrees F.
  2. Combine flour through cloves in a large bowl. Stir well and set aside.
  3. In a separate bowl, combine oil through eggs. Whisk until eggs are fully incorporated into the other ingredients.
  4. Mix wet and dry ingredients together (be careful not to over stir). Then fold in dried cranberries and pecans.
  5. Pour mixture into 2 bread pans coated with cooking spray. Bake for 30 minutes, then sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake for an additional 30-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle of each bread pan comes out clean.

Streuseled Sweet Potato Casserole

27 Friday Nov 2009

Posted by in Farmers' Market, Recipe, Side, Vegetarian

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This is a deliciously sweet sweet potato side dish. Fabulous with a savory main dish, such as roasted chicken or turkey. The streuseled topping adds a nice, crunchy touch. Recipe from Cooking Light.

INGREDIENTS

  • 14  cups  (1-inch) cubed peeled organic sweet potato (about 5 pounds)
  • 1/2  cup  half-and-half
  • 1/2  cup  maple syrup
  • 1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
  • 3/4  teaspoon  salt
  • 1  large egg, lightly beaten
  • Cooking spray
  • 1/2  cup  all-purpose flour
  • 1/2  cup  packed brown sugar
  • 1/4  cup  chilled butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1/2  cup  chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 375°.
  2. Place potato in a Dutch oven, and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 12 minutes or until tender. Drain.
  3. Combine the half-and-half and next 4 ingredients (half-and-half through egg) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add potato to egg mixture; beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Spoon potato mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
  4. Combine flour and sugar in a food processor; pulse to combine. Add chilled butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in pecans; sprinkle over potato mixture.
  5. Cover and bake at 375° for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 25 minutes or until the topping is browned and the potatoes are thoroughly heated.

Cranberry Salad

27 Friday Nov 2009

Posted by in Recipe, Side

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I’ve had this every Thanksgiving for as long as I can remember – a classic mid-west American cranberry dish. I went to Whole Foods looking for all natural gelatin, but decided instead to use real Jell-O. After all, how often do I really use ingredients that aren’t exactly “real”. Next year I may try using the all natural gelatin.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 (3 1/2 oz) can pineapple tidbits (or 1/2 (16 oz) can, chunks, chopped)
  • 2 (3 0z) packages, cherry flavored gelatin
  • 1 cup cold water
  • 1 lb. can whole berry cranberry sauce (such as Whole Foods 365 Organic)
  • 1 cup celery, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup pecans, chopped

DIRECTIONS

  1. Drain pineapple, reserving liquid.
  2. Add enough water to reserved pineapple liquid to make 1 cup. Bring to a boil and dissolve gelatin in hot liquid. Add 1 cup cold water.
  3. Chill until thick but not set (about 30 minutes). Stir in cranberry sauce, pineapple, celery and nuts. Pour into a serving dish.
  4. Chill until firm.

Fresh Apple Cake

02 Monday Nov 2009

Posted by in CSA, Dessert, Recipe, Vegetarian

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applecake

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 cups unbleached, all purpose flour (plus 1 tbsp for dusting the baking pan)
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 cup applesauce
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 4 cups apples (about 5-6 medium apples, peeled and cut into small 1/4 inch pieces)
  • 1 cup chopped nuts (such as pecans or walnuts)
  • 1 cup dried fruit (such as golden raisins or currants)
  • Cooking spray

DIRECTIONS

  1. Peel and chop apples.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a bundt pan evenly with cooking spray and dust with about 1 tbsp of flour. Remove any excess flour.
  3. Mix dry ingredients (flour through nutmeg, only) in a large bowl. In a separate bowl whisk wet ingredients (eggs through oil, only).
  4. Combine wet and dry ingredients. Fold in apples, nuts and dried fruit. There is only enough batter to evenly coat the apples, nuts and dried fruit. The mixture will be very sticky.
  5. Pour evenly into bundt pan and cooking for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Serve with vanilla ice cream.