Raw Carrot Cake for the Easter Bunny

The Easter Bunny told me he was jealous. Jealous because at Christmas, children leave cookies out for Santa Claus when he brings presents. He also brings presents, or at least chocolate, he told me – but rarely finds anything waiting for him beyond the occasional carrot with a ribbon…

Would I make something special for him? Something with carrots (of course) and healthy enough so he wouldn’t end up looking like Santa Claus but still tasty enough to be more exciting than a carrot with a ribbon. And no chocolate. He was chocolated-out with all his deliveries which he admitted he might occasionally sample.

“A carrot cake?” I asked him. Raw, of course. And also free of gluten, dairy and refined sugar (because they have no room in a health-conscious rabbit’s diet).

“Yes!” He exclaimed. “With a creamy topping to compliment my beloved carrots,” he added.

So because the Easter Bunny asked, I was compelled to create this delicious, decadent-tasting cake that takes only minutes to make and contains wholesome Easter Bunny-approved ingredients.

The result? A double-layered cheesecake style cake with a layer of carrot deliciousness on the bottom and a lighter, cashew cream layer on top. This raw carrot cake is perfect to balance the chocolatey decadence of Easter or any other time of the year, really.

The spices used are ground cardamon and fresh ginger. Cardamon is botanically related to ginger and turmeric and I find the tastes are very complimentary. The lemon in the cashew cream brings a zest and lightness that compliments the earthy sweetness of the carrots and the magic of the spices.

Top your cake with with walnuts and dried flowers or whatever else inspires you (pumpkin seeds, roasted sesame seeds, chopped pistachios, cacoa nibs…)

…and don’t forget to leave a piece for the Easter Bunny!

Ingredients – Base

1.5 cups buckwheat, quinoa or oat flakes

1/2 cup shredded coconut

3 large carrots, peeled and cut into chunks

1/2 tsp cardamon

small knob of ginger (about the size of a thumbnail)

a dash of unrefined salt

1/2 cup dried figs 

1.5 cup Medjool dates, pitted

Method – Base

Use a food processor for this – you need the S-blade and wider bowl a blender doesn’t have.

Start by blending the flakes until they are powder-like. The add the rest of the ingredients except the dates and figs in a powerful food processor and blend until the mixture is smooth. Then add in the dates and figs one by one through the feeding tube while the food processor is still running. Keep scraping down the sides if needed.

Once everything is combining, the mixture will be very sticky. Scrape it out with a spatula and press it into a cake form, preferably a small springform pan. Place it in the freezer while you make the topping.

Ingredients – Topping

1.5 cups cashews, soaked for a few hours, then rinsed

Juice + zest of 1 organic lemon

2 tbsp melted coconut oil (that’s about 1 tbsp solid) – you can also use butter if you prefer

2-3 tbsp maple syrup 

A few tablespoons water

Method – Topping

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until the mixture is smooth. Add more water if needed to create a creamy texture. Add more maple syrup or lemon juice until you find the perfect taste for you.

Take your cake out of the freezer and top it with the cashew cream.

Return to the freezer to set for at about 3 hours. Take it out about 20 minutes before serving. You can then store it in the fridge for a softer consistency or a keep it in the freezer for a harder consistency.

Enjoy this Easter Bunny approved cake and have a wonderful Easter!

Recipe inspiration here.

Zucchini Crust Pizza + Raw Tomato Sauce

Grow Your Own Sprouts

Sprouting is a fun and easy way to add more nutrients and taste to your meals. They are one of the most concentrated sources of vitamins, minerals, enzymes – true superfoods whose power you can liberate very easily in your kitchen!

WHY SPROUT?

Here are a few reasons to try sprouting:

♥ Easier for the body to absurd nutrients such as iron, zinc and various vitamins

♥ Easier on the digestion as sprouting means less work for the digestive system

♥ Protein content can be increased by up to 35%

♥ Alkalizing for the body, which balances the effect of more acidic foods such as meat, sugar and dairy.

And did I mention it is actually fun to see your regular lentils start sprouting on your kitchen counter in just a few days?

According to Dr Mercola, sprouts are:

A powerhouse of nutrition, sprouts can contain up to 30 times the nutrition of organic vegetables grown in your own garden, and allow your body to extract more vitamins, minerals, amino acids and essential fats from the foods you eat. During sprouting, minerals, such as calcium and magnesium, bind to protein, making them more bioavailable. Furthermore, both the quality of the protein and the fiber content of beans, nuts, seeds and grains improves when sprouted. The content of vitamins and essential fatty acids also increase dramatically during the sprouting process. (source)

Basically, sprouts are an easy an extremely cost-effective and easy superfood to add to your diet!

OK – I AM SOLD. HOW DO I START?

Buy a jar like the one below – you can order it here or find it in any organic store. I personally have the A. Vogel Biosnacky basic jar which I really like.  You could even try making your own with a normal jar and cover that lets water out while keeping the seeds inside. A stocking or cheese cloth and rubber band should do the trick.

Choose any organic seed, grain or legume you have at home except chia, arugula,  mustard or linseeds which have a gel-like consistency with water. Also avoiding sprouting soy and kidney beans which are said to be toxic.

You could try sprouting lentils, quinoa, chickpeas or sunflower seeds for example or buy seeds to germinate in organic stores like alfalfa or radish seeds.

Pour seeds in a jar until the bottom is just covered. It may look empty, but they will need room to grow!

THEN WHAT DO I DO?

1. SOAK seeds in water until they are completely covered and leave the jar upright for 4-12 hours. Bigger legumes like chickpeas will need to soak for longer than small seeds like quinoa.

2. RINSE with water morning and evening, emptying the jar of water and propping it on the side between rinses.

3. WAIT 2-6 days until sprouts are ready – the white bit should be about 3 cm long. Once they are ready, empty the jar, rinse and wash the sprouts and store them in an air-tight container in the fridge for a few days.

HOW TO EAT THEM

Use them in sandwiches, as part of salads or to top any dish.

Some people claim that it is better to lightly cook sprouts from legumes and cereals – try them raw or add them to stir-frys to cook them lightly and see what works best for you!

A SIDENOTE

Make sure you use clean jars and never eat sprouts that smell bad or look dodgy. Use your common sense!

I would love to hear from you – have you tried sprouting before? 

Creamy Avocado Pesto (raw & vegan)

Brownies, reinvented

Normally, when thinking about brownie ingredients, we think sugar, butter, flour, eggs and of course, chocolate.

But what if you could have the taste and yumminess of brownies without any of these ingredients? What if brownies could be reinvented to the point where they could even be considered healthy? I’m not sure you will believe me before trying out these recipes yourself!

The basics for both the recipes below are the following:

Dates – bring the sweetness without needing to add sugar. Ideal is to use medjool dates, but I have also used normal (organic) dates and they work well too.

Cacao powder – as always, full fat and raw, without added sugar.

Sea salt – I find mixing flavors – in this case sweet and salty – gives a more sophisticated taste.

The final ingredient differs – ground walnuts and almonds or ground cooked quinoa, depending on the recipe.

For both recipes, you will need a good food processor to grind everything into a smooth paste.

RECIPE 1: RAW BROWNIE (recipe here)

This is delicious and doesn’t even need to be baked!

RECIPE 2: BAKED BROWNIE

The main ingredient here is quinoa, a super healthy seed that is cooked and eaten more like a cereal. I actually can’t believe I haven’t done a post on quinoa yet with the amount I eat – especially after the United Nations declared 2013 the Year of Quinoa!

Because the brownies here are baked, they feel much closer on a sensory level to the real thing. Here is the recipe:

INGREDIENTS

2 cups cooked quinoa or 3/4 cups dry quinoa

2 cups pitted dates

½ cup cacao powder

pinch of vanilla

pinch of sea salt

4 tbsp melted coconut oil (or other oil)

METHOD:

Soak, then cook the quinoa according to instructions. In a food processor, pulse the quinoa until it is mushy. Add the dates, one by one, until a paste is created. Add the cacao powder, vanilla, sea salt and melted coconut oil. Pulse until everything is consistent.

The batter should be stick – scoop it out into a small baking tray and bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 20 – 25 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting into squares.

Let me know your thoughts if you give these a try – I can guarantee you won’t miss the ‘real’ thing!