Carrot & Zucchini Cake Bars

During this time of year it is so easy to over indulge in all the sweets, cookies and cakes around the house. This a recipe for a great treat that fulfills the want for something sweet, but sneaks some healthy vegetables in, too. I have always been a lover of carrot cake and these little bars and the perfect size for that sweet (but not excessive) treat.

Recipe yields 16 bars

Ingredients
2 large eggs
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
1 cup shredded zucchini
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp baking soda

Frosting:
8 oz light cream cheese
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 tsp lemon zest

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the eggs, brown sugar, oil, honey and vanilla extract.

Shred the carrots and zucchini. Fold them into the mixture along with the walnuts. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, ginger and baking soda. Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until just incorporated, being sure not to over mix.

Pour batter into a well greased baking pan (13X9). Bake for 25-28 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and let cool completely in the pan. In the meantime, combine all ingredients for the frosting and mix together using a hand mixer or your stand mixer.

Cut into bars and top with the frosting. Enjoy!

Quinoa & Veggie Pilaf

So this is technically not a pilaf, but it tastes like one. The best part, its missing all the carbs! Technically, a pilaf is toasted rice. But quinoa is a great substitute for rice that adds substance to the dish, without the carbs. If you are new to quinoa, it is a protein, NOT a carb, and its very versatile, similar to rice. Next time you are looking for a healthy side dish with some substance, try out this veggie packed recipe.

Recipe yields about 6 servings as a side dish

Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion
3 medium carrots
1 large head of broccoli
2 cups Swiss chard
1 cup quinoa
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp red pepper flakes

Using a madoline (or really amazing knife skills) shred the onion, carrots, broccoli and Swiss chard.

Heat the oil in a large skillet and saute the vegetables for 2-3 minutes, until tender.

Add the quinoa, vegetable broth, salt & pepper, paprika and red pepper flakes to the skillet. Give it a good stir. Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer for 15-18 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed.

Serve alongside grilled chicken or sauteed shrimp for a super healthy and detoxifying meal or serve on its own as the main dish. Enjoy!

Roasted Baby Carrots with Garlic Scapes

Garlic scapes are another new experience for me, thanks to my CSA. And thank you to my CSA for introducing me to these amazing and delicious vegetables. Garlic scapes are the curly tops to the garlic plant with a mild garlic flavor. Toss these together with some carrots, and you have a simple side dish for any meal.

Recipe yields 4 servings

Ingredients
1 bunch baby carrots
1 bunch garlic scapes
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400F degrees. Trim the edges of the garlic scapes and the leaves off the carrots. I left some of the greens on the carrots, but you can cut them down to the edge if you prefer.

Toss carrots and garlic scapes with the oil and sprinkle with the seasonings.

Arrange carrots on a baking sheet and cook for 10-15 minutes. Add the garlic scapes and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

Serve on the side of your next meal and enjoy!

Mother's Day Breakfast (Sausage & Veggie Hash + Homemade Cinnamon Buns)

I hope everyone had a very Happy Mother's Day! This year, I treated my mom to a deliciously simple, homemade breakfast. We started off with Sausage & Veggie Hash with eggs and finished things off with Homemade Cinnamon Buns. First up, the hash.

Recipe yields 4 large servings

Ingredients
5 medium red potatoes
4 sweet Italian sausage
1 small red pepper
1 carrot
1 celery stalk
1 medium yellow onion
1 large clove garlic
1-2 tsp salt
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp paprika

8 large eggs (2 per person)

 

Start off by preparing all your vegetables. Finely dice the carrot, celery, pepper and onion. Mince the garlic and cut the potatoes into a small dice.

Coat the bottom of a cast iron skillet with canola oil and heat on high. Add your vegetables and stir to cover in oil. Remove the casing from the sausage and crumble it in the pan with the vegetables.

Cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until potatoes are tender.

Prepare your eggs however you like them, I did sunny side up. Plate the hash and top with your eggs.

Next up is the recipe for a batch of delicious cinnamon buns. This recipe was lightly adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction. Check out her website for many other delicious treats.

Recipe yields 15 cinnamon buns

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour

3 tbsp granulated sugar

1 tsp kosher salt

1 package dry yeast

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup milk

2 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter

1 large egg

Pan Preparation:

1/2 tbsp unsalted butter

3 tbsp brown sugar

Filling:

2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

Glaze:

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp milk

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour, sugar, yeast and salt. Combine ingredients using the paddle attachment.

In a separate bowl, add the water, milk and butter and heat until butter is melted and mixture is hot.

Change to the dough hook attachment on your stand mixer and add in the liquid ingredients. Mix on low speed and increase speed as ingredients become incorporated. Add in the egg and continue to mix. Now you have the option of removing your dough and kneading on a well floured surface, or you can leave it in your mixer and increase the speed to medium for 3 minutes. The mixer will knead your dough for you - now isn't that easy.

Remove your dough to a greased bowl and allow to rest for 10 minutes or so. Really all we are doing here is letting the yeast work its magic. In the meantime, you can prepare your baking dish. I chose to use a round dish, but you can use a baking sheet as well if you want to double the recipe and have more room. I greased the bottom and sides of my dish with the butter and then sprinkled it with the brown sugar. This gives the bottoms a little extra sweetness!

During your wait, you can also mix together the sugar and cinnamon for your filling.

Now it is time to roll out the dough. Make sure your work surface is well floured and use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a rectangle. Mine was about 9 inches wide and 14 inches long and it gave me 15 perfect sized buns.

Next, you want to take your softened butter and spread it all over the surface of your dough in an even layer. Make sure to get every last inch covered.

Now you can sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon mixture over the butter in an even layer.

Starting at one of the long edges, tightly begin to roll your dough into a long tube. Roll it nice and tight.

Once it is all rolled together, it is time to slice the tube into little buns. The best trick for this is to use a piece of unscented dental floss. It will make a perfect edge without squishing down the roll. Make the buns about 1 inch wide each. Arrange in your dish and lightly cover with tin foil.

Now we have to wait for our buns to rise, about 1 hour and 15 minutes should do it. I know, I know its grueling and painful when all you want to do is eat them. To keep my mind busy, I prepared my dough early in the morning and cooked the rest of my breakfast while I was waiting. The buns went into the oven once we were finished eating our eggs. With about 20 minutes to go, preheat the oven to 375F degrees. Once ready, pop the buns in the oven and bake for 28-30 minutes. While in the oven, whip together your sugar glaze by combining all ingredients with a hand mixer or a whisk.

Once the buns are ready, drizzle with a generous amount of glaze and serve warm. I hope you enjoy these delicious treats!

Super Moist Carrot Cake

Sorry for the lack of posts last week, my Internet was down. Luckily, it is now back up and running just in time for me to bring you this delicious treat. This carrot cake is so moist and flavorful all thanks to a few 'secret' ingredients. The oil keeps the cake moist and the pineapple really pumps up the flavor. This is such a classic recipe that is sure to please every time. I am the first one to admit I have an obsession with chocolate, but who doesn't love a good carrot cake.

Recipe yields 8-10 servings

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup canola oil
3 pineapple rings (from the can, in juice)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup walnuts

Frosting:
8 oz. light cream cheese
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups confectioners' sugar

Start by preparing your pan with butter and flour. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.

In a larger mixing bowl, combine the sugar, oil and pineapple rings. Using a hand mixer or your stand mixer, blend together.

Add the vanilla and eggs, one at a time, blending together between each.

Finely shred the carrots into a bowl and set aside for now.

Add the dry ingredients into the wet and stir together until just incorporated. You want to fold the ingredients together and be sure not to overmix. Add in your carrots and half the walnuts and mix it all together.

Fill up your pan with your cake batter and place it in the middle of the oven. Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Once the cake is finished, remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes before moving to a wire cooling rack.

While the cake is cooling, prepare the frosting. In the bowl of your stand mixer, blend together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add the vanilla and the sugar, 1/2 cup at a time. Blend until the sugar is incorporated before adding more. You want your frosting to have a smooth consistency.

If you have the patience, slice your cake in half and make two layers. Add the extra icing in between the layers for a surprise filling. As I was in a bit of a rush to eat this cake, I made only one layer and coated the top with the icing. Decorate the top with rest of your chopped walnuts and if your ambitious, draw some carrots with colorful icing. Slice and enjoy!