Classic Vegan Carrot Cake

Classic Vegan Carrot Cake

Ingredients:

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (or plain flour)
1 tsp baking powder
1½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp salt

6 tbsp flax seed meal
3/4 cup warm water
1½ cup sugar
1 cup oil
1 tsp vanilla
2 cup shredded carrots
1 cup walnuts, chopped

Cream Cheese Icing

230g vegan cream cheese (e.g. Toffutti's brand of "Better Than Cream Cheese" available in Coles, Woolworths, IGA, etc)
¼ cup margarine, softened (e.g. Nuttlex)
1 tsp vanilla
2 cup powdered sugar

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180ºC (350ºF). Line two 8×8″ pans with baking paper.

2. In a small bowl, sift together dry ingredients (flour through to salt).

3. In a large bowl, whisk together flax seed meal and water. Beat in sugar and oil. Add vanilla and carrots and mix until combined.

4. Add dry mix and stir until moistened. Fold in walnuts.

5. Pour equal parts into pans. Bake for 18-20 min, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pans 10 minutes.

6. For the icing, beat together "cream cheese" and margarine. Add vanilla and powdered sugar; whip until smooth. (Don’t overbeat; in my experience, store-bought vegan cream cheese has a tendency to get runny.)

7. Use a knife to loosen edges of cake from pans. Using the baking paper, lift cakes out of pans. Carefully remove paper from the cakes.

8. Ice both cakes (one acts as filling), layer one on top of the other, and decorate as you wish. Serve chilled.

Source: http://hellyeahitsvegan.com/?p=1739

Rating: 5

Makes: makes 2 8×8″ cakes (or 2 9″ round cakes)

Sweet Potato Salad

Sweet Potato Salad

Ingredients:

2 large sweet potato (Kumara)
1/2 tsp curry powder
3 spring onions (shallots), chopped
salt
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp chopped walnuts
1/4 sour cream

Method:

1. Cook sweet potato in boiling, salted water until just tender.

2. Drain and leave to cool. Cut into 2.5cm cubes.

3. Combine sweet potato and spring onions in a serving bowl.

4. In another bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, curry powder, and salt to taste.

5. Pour this over sweet potato. Toss to coat.

6. Garnish with walnuts.

Rating: 4

Beetroot, Pumpkin and Spinach Salad with Fetta Polenta and Walnut Vinegarette

You will need a small butternut pumpkin weighing about 1kg, unpeeled, for this recipe. The Polenta and dressing can be made a day ahead and stored, in an airtight container, in the fridge.

Beetroot, Pumpkin and Spinach Salad with Fetta Polenta and Walnut Vinegarette:

Intredients:

Salad:

2 cups water
2 cups vegetable stock
1 cup polenta
200g fetta cheese, crumbled
600g fresh beetroots
2 Tbsp olive oil
700g pumpkin (peeled and de-seeded weight), diced into 4cm pieces
150g baby spinach leaves
3/4 cup toasted walnuts, chopped coarsley

Walnut Vinegarette:

2 Tbsp walnut oil*
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180*C. Grease a 20cm x 30cm lamington tin and line with baking paper

2. Combine the water and stock in large saucepan and bring to the boil. Add polenta, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and cook, constantly stirring, for 10mins or until the polenta thickens. Stir in cheese then spread polenta into prepared pan. Cool 10 mins then cover. Refridgerate 1 hour or until polenta is firm.

3. Meanwhile, discard beetroot stems and leaves and quarter the beetroot (unpeeled). Place in a large, shallow baking dish, drizzle with half of the olive oil. Roast, uncovered, in 180*C oven for about 15mins.

4. Add pumpkin to the beetroot tray and drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Roast, uncovered, in 180*C oven for about 30 mins or antil the vegetables are tender.

5. Meanwhile, make the walnut vinegarette, by combining all the ingredients in a screw-top jar and shake well.

6. When cool enough to handle, peel beetroot. Place in large bowl with dressing and toss gently to combine.

7. Turn polenta out onto a board and trim the edges. Cut polenta into 12 pieces and cook, in batches, on a heated, oiled grill plate (or under the griller, or on a barbecue) until browned on both sides and heated through.

8. Add the pumpkin, spinach and nuts to beetroot mixture and toss gently to combine. Divide polenta pieces among the serving plates and top with the salad.

* Note: If you do not have walnut oil, any other nut oil will do, e.g. peanut oil, macadamia nut oil, etc

Serves: 4

Rating: haven't tried this yet.