Carrot Cake - Keto

A bit of a retrospective post. I made this in November for a family birthday cake. Carrot cake is usually the birthday cake of choice for Patrick but since I had started dabbling into Keto eating I decided to give this recipe a try. 
The cake is quite dense, but a lot of carrot cakes are. It was approved by all who ate it and I have to admit to sneaking slices from the left over cake from the fridge for day afterwards.
I’d make it again.
The recipe comes from the ‘Elle Herself’ facebook page.

I’ll re-type the recipe when I get the chance...

Coconut Carrot Soup

With an abundance of carrots, I was challenged to find a recipe to use some up yesterday.It was a cool rainy day which very much says 'soup' to me.
I found this recipe and doubled it.
Everyone, including one family member who is not so keenon soups loved it. In fact, he went back for more...a couple of times!
As always, the picture from the recipe looks better than ours (must work on that!)...but the taste was great!



Ingredients

3 Tbsp	Harvest Organic Coconut Oil
450 g	Carrots, peeled, chopped
1	Apple, peeled, cored and chopped
1	Onion, chopped
2	leeks, 1 chopped, 1 thinly sliced
2	Garlic cloves, chopped
1 Tbsp	finely grated peeled ginger
1 pinch	Salt and pepper
4 cups	vegetable or chicken broth
400 ml	unsweetened coconut milk
0	Red chilli paste, (for serving; optional)

Instructions:

1. Heat 1 Tablespoon of Coconut Oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat.
2. Add carrots, apple, onion, chopped leek, garlic, and ginger, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring often until vegetables are beginning to soften.
3. Add broth, coconut milk, and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until vegetables are very tender. Let cool slightly.
4. Working in batches, puree soup in a blender until smooth.
5. Heat remaining 2 tablespoon of Coconut Oil in a small pan over medium-high heat. Add sliced leek and cook, stirring often, until golden and crisp. Transfer to paper towels to drain; season with salt.
6. Serve soup topped with chilli paste and crispy leeks.

Quinoa Salad

This came from my original blog - 'Wild Yeast and Sugar Pie.
I made it again this week and really enjoyed it. I didn't stick to the veges too much. It was more what I had on hand

In an attempt to get more healthy I am determined to find a recipe or two for Quinoa that are really nice. From everything I read about it, it really is a fantastic alternative to rice, couscous and pasta. I'm not sure the rest of my family will agree however.
"The nutrient composition is very good compared with common cereals. Quinoa grains contain essential amino acids like lysine and good quantities of calcium, phosphorus, and iron." Wikipedia
I tried a salad the other night where I cooked the quinoa with stock and added sautéed mushrooms, capsicum, onion and garlic...a bit of an experiment but it was fine.

Colourful Quinoa Salad

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa

• 2 cups Water

• Salt

• 1 carrot peeled and grated

• 1 red pepper seeded and diced

• 1 Cucumber washed and sliced (I used about half and diced it)

• 6 grated radishes (we have way to many needing to be eaten)

• 3 green onion sliced thinly

• 1 bunch Parsley chopped (I used coriander)

• The zest and juice of 1 Lemon

• ¼ cup Olive Oil (I used about 1/4 of a cup)

• Salt & Pepper 

Method

1. 1

1. Rinse the quinoa well in cold running water. This will easily rinse away the natural bitter coating on the seeds. Drain and toss into a small pot. Add the water and season with salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover with a tight fitting lid, turn the heat to low and simmer until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.

1. 2

1. Meanwhile get all the colorful veggies ready. Toss them into a bowl and when the quinoa is done (and cooled), add it as well. Add the lemon and olive oil, toss well, season with salt and pepper and serve.

"Quinoa is quite literally the greatest food. Ever. It is the only plant-based food that has all of the essential amino acids. NASA has declared it an essential staple food that will be used on the first manned mission to Mars."



Tonight when the rest of the family had pasta, I had quinoa. This recipe is one I found after pouring over loads when I googled 'quinoa recipes'. I like the fact that the veges are raw so therefore don't loose their nutritional value.

It was really nice. Fresh, crispy and healthy. I will make it again.

Carrot Cake

This recipe was a first time for us. It was a birthday cake for a family member and luckily it turned out really well. This one is a 'make again' and will become part of our repertoire!
It makes a big dense cake and the icing mixture makes a lot - probably enough to ice the sides too.

Cake

• 1 cup neutral oil, such as canola or grapeseed
• 2 cups raw or white sugar
• 4 small eggs
• 1 cup wholemeal flour
• 1 cup plain / all-purpose flour
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 3 cups grated carrot (about 3 medium carrots)
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp orange juice

Cream Cheese Icing

• 75g butter, at room temperature
• 250g cream cheese (not the spreadable kind)
• finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 4 cups icing / confectioner's sugar
• shredded zest of 1 orange

Preheat oven to 160ºC fanbake. Grease a 25cm-diameter loose-bottomed cake tin and line the base with baking paper.

Place oil, sugar and eggs in the bowl of a food processor and whizz to combine. Add both flours, salt, cinnamon, mixed spice, ginger and grated carrot and pulse again to just combine – don’t over-mix.

Dissolve baking soda in orange juice and pulse into cake mixture. Spread into prepared tin and bake until the top bounces back when pressed and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean (55–60 minutes). Allow to cool before icing with Cream Cheese Icing.

To make the Cream Cheese Icing, place softened butter, cream cheese, lemon zest and juice and icing / confectioner's sugar in a food processor. Blend until smooth then spread over top and sides of cake. Garnish with orange zest.

Variation:

Add 1 cup raisins and / or ½ cup chopped walnuts.