Recipes – Page 21 – a hippie with a minivan

Carrot Cake

this is an amazingly moist Carrot cake… I have make it both with or without cream cheese frosting and each way is perfect!

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 3/4cups sucanat (or brown sugar)
1 cup applesauce
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups shredded carrots
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 can crushed pineapple, drained

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Grease and flour a 9×13 inch pan.
3. Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon; make a well in the centre and add sugar, applesauce, eggs and vanilla.
4. Mix with wooden spoon until smooth.
5. Stir in carrots, coconut, walnuts and pineapple.
6. Pour into 9×13 inch pan and bake for about 45 minutes.

Sushi style Spring Rolls

These are one of my favourites and are really easy to make….

Make Sushi Rice

Lay it out on rice paper, add filling and roll…

This one has green onions, Cucumber, Avocado, Carrots, Bean Sprouts, lettuce and pollock…

I Serve it with a Spicy Peanut Sauce…

General Tso Tofu

Cut 1 block of Tofu into cubes or slices, marinate in a bit of Tamari for at least an hour or two… (I often forget this but it does add flavour)

Coat with a bit of Corn Starch and Fry in a bit of peanut oil until crispy… put aside…

Make sauce:

5 tbsp Tamari
3-4 cloves of garlic (minced)
minced ginger (about an inch)
2 tsp sugar
5 tbsp of hoisin sauce
3 tsp rice vinegar
zest and juice of 1 orange
1 tsp garlic chile paste

Stir Fry, in a bit of oil, 1-2 chopped onions and then add a clove or two of minced garlic (you can also add a bit of garlic chile paste for some spice), stir fry for a min or two and then add broccoli florets (about 2 heads) and cook until just tender but still with a bit of crunch. (you can also add other veggies of course) Put aside.

Add sauce to wok and simmer until thickened a bit.. add veggies and tofu back in and stir enough to coat…

Serve with Rice and garnish with sliced green onions…

West African Peanut Soup

2 cups onions
1 Tbsp oil
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 cup chopped carrots
2 cups chopped sweet potatoes
4 cups vegetable stock
2 cups tomato juice
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1 cup chopped scallions or chives

Saute the onions in the oil.

Stir in the cayenne and fresh ginger.

Add the carrots and saute a couple more minutes.

Mix in the potatoes and stock or water, bring to a boil, and then simmer for about 15 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.

Puree the vegetables with the cooking liquid and the tomato juice.

Stir in the peanut butter until smooth.

Serve topped with plenty of chopped scallions or chives.

Cashew Curry…

I am not a fan of many one pot meals but this is one that I am quite fond of.

The perfect mix of tender and rich cashews with bright vegetables that bring sweetness and a flavourful coconut curry sauce that ties all of it together with a splash of lime to brighten all of the flavours. It only takes a few minutes to come together and you could easily make it in the crockpot.

1 Onion
Garlic
Red pepper
Green onions
Peas
about 2 TbspCurry paste
Red chile paste (Sambal Olek)
can of Coconut milk
about 2 Tbsp of peanut butter
about 2 cups of Cashews
juice of one lime

Saute the onions and veggies until soft (but not too soft), add the garlic, curry paste, and red chile paste…

Add the cashews, coconut milk and the peanut butter and lime juice… simmer about 10 min and let thicken

Serve with rice… sprinkle more lime juice ontop