Gluten Free Carrot Cake-Do(ugh)-Nuts + Blood Orange Cream Frosting
Carrot cake is quite popular in my house. Consequently, several variations of it feature on this blog as well like frosted layered cakes to mini cakes to cup cakes and more. But, none of them have been gluten free, well, because I did not need to. I need to now.
So, recently, when the desire to have carrot cake set in again, it was the perfect opportunity to test how the recipe work when the chemistry of flour ingredients are changed on their head. Fortunately, I struck gold with the first recipe I tried and it was also the one that had worked best for regular flour and has been particularly popular with readers.
In this post, I catalog some of the factors that I work with when transforming recipes with regular flour to gluten free creations in my kitchen. In this recipe, I used a blend of oat and almond flours, which, I think works wonders for sweet stuff.
Continue reading to find out why and get the recipe for these adorable cake-do-nuts!
Pretty Brown Things
What better way than to start with a little happy?! And, a perfect golden granola is one of life's simple pleasures that make a day seem better even if you got out of the bed the wrong side. Today, instead of an actual recipe, I am sharing a few tips of making sure you have the best granola on hand anytime.
When I make granola, three things are important - flavor, texture and cost. They are not a linear function and some are easier to control than others (viz. cost) and trade-offs are inevitable. My tips are intended to maximize whatever equation the three make with each other, effectively ensuring that the overall experience of eating homemade granola is far higher than even the best (and high priced) store bought ones.
Cauliflower Fried Rice
No, this is not another recipe for the new trend of crushing cauliflower to make rice because of Paleo or some grain free diet. This is really rice with cauliflower.
This idea was borne out of a nagging conscience. I am as you know deeply involved in making conscious eating choices. After all that is the entire premise of NOURISHED and FOODLY. However, I am not a saint. I do waste food and throw away leftovers sometimes because they have been languishing at the back of the fridge for far too long and because I had a new idea for a recipe that required a completely different set of ingredients. Yes, I am not perfect.
Nevertheless, in a effort to govern myself, I decided that I would not let anything go to waste, ok, really, atleast reduce my waste by half. I would make something with the leftovers and what else was available in my pantry and fridge....
Things Simple
I come back home absolutely wiped out each evening. Which means, I rarely have time to even think about dinner much less spend hours making it. Yet, I want to engage with my food and not rush through the motions. Most days, I still manage to cook fresh meals; meals that are nourishing and interesting.
I have discovered that the trick is to keep it simple. Few ingredients. Best quality I can afford. Seasonal, as much as possible. Slow cookers. Quick sautés. A few roasts. All, so I spend less time in making the meal and more time relishing it.
What I love about such a dish is that everything is usually always around in your pantry. If you don't have the exact ingredients, it is really easy to substitute with what you do have. No cilantro? Throw in parsley or a bunch of basil. No spagetti? Throw in whatever pasta you have or even better make your own with some flour, water and oil and, maybe, an egg, although I would not be particular.
Nargisi Kofta Curry
Back into the action of the week, after a three day weekend, it feels strangely not disconcerting. Perhaps, that is a truly relaxing weekend. One that leaves you nurtured and nourished for the coming week despite the onslaught of more bitter cold.
And, this week, I am going to make more hearty, warming meals. With a little meat and a lot of vegetables and more eggs. Eggs are good. Actually, good eggs are really good.
The recipe today is called Nargisi Kofta. I am not really sure of it why it is named thus but it definitely harkens to Persian origins. Notstanding the name, the style of cooking is a definite give away of it having been an import of the Mughal conquest into North India. But, much like a lot of the cuisine knowledge they brought and shared, the Persian influences in Indian cuisine, is much beloved. This dish is another testament of it.