Month: May 2020

Disappearing Carrot Almond Lemon Cake

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Well, there is a big hunk out of this cake. And I ATE IT! Inspired by Deborah Madison’s fabulous book Vegetable Literacy, it’s delicious. I only tweaked the recipe a bit.
Raleigh City Farm-stand @raleighcityfarm Wednesdays 4-7
has carrots (green onions, kale & French radishes) this week!
  • 4 T melted & cooled + 1 t butter (1t for pan)
  • 1 1/2 C blanched almond flour
  • 2 t fine lemon zest (grated from about 2 lemons)
  • 3/4 C + 2 T sugar
  • 1 1/4 C cake flour
  • 2 t baking powder
  • 1/4 t salt
  • 4 large eggs (room temperature is better)
  • 1/4 t each almond & lemon extract
  • 1/2 t vanilla extract (double strength)
  • 2 C finely grated carrots (not packed cups)
  • Confectioner’s sugar (optional for top)

Heat oven to 375°F. Parchment line a 9″ springform or cake pan, using 1 t butter to stick paper to pan sides & to lightly butter the batter side of the paper. Sprinkle a bit of the almond flower in the cake pan bottom over the buttered parchment.

Mix the almond flour, lemon zest & 2 T sugar in. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder & salt.

In an electric mixer, whip the eggs on high for about 2 minutes. Add the 3/4 c sugar & whip until pale, thick & creamy, about 5 minutes.

Reduce speed to low. Add extracts, almond flour mixture & carrots. Mix until well combined. Add butter & mix until just combined. Fold in flour mixture, combining gently until the dry mixture is just incorporated.

Pour batter into baking pan. (I pull the batter a bit from the center so it bakes more evenly.) Bake 30 minutes until lightly browned & the center springs back. It will most likely have a couple of cracks in the top when it’s done. Remove from oven to a cooling rack. Let the cake cool completely in the pan.

Remove the cake from the pan & display on a cake stand with a glass dome so you can walk by & easily eat it. Hence the name “disappearing.”

P.S. Sprinkle the top with confectioner’s sugar before serving, if you like. I never made it to this step.

Russian Kale – Two Yummy (очень вкусно) Ways!

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Raleigh City Farm FRESH HARVEST NOW Russian Kale. www.raleighcityfarm.org
Toasted Kale Chips with Tasty Nutritional Yeast Sprinkles
Cruciferous Slaw — Kale & purple cabbage join with carrots, seeds, blueberries & a Dijon garlic splash.

TOASTED KALE CHIPS

  • 4 – 6 C kale leaves torn into 2-3 inch pieces
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 1 t each white & black sesame seeds
  • Greek seasoning or sea salt & fresh pepper

Preheat oven to 400°F (convection setting preferred). Mix kale with all ingredients. Spread the kale in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake 12-20 minutes, checking every 5 minutes or so until kale is crispy. That might mean pulling out leaves as they are done. They are delicious with or without the yeast sprinkles.

NUTRITIONAL YEAST SPRINKLES

  • 2 T nutritional yeast
  • 1 T olive or avocado oil
  • 4 drops Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 t dry oregano
  • dash cayenne

Mix all together with a fork until the mixture forms crumbs. Sprinkle over warm kale chips.

CRUCIFEROUS SLAW

  • 3 C diced kale (think smaller pieces for a tender bite)
  • 1 C diced red cabbage
  • 1/2 C grated carrot
  • 1/4 C minced parsley
  • 2 T each pumpkin, hemp & sunflower seeds
  • 1/2 C fresh blueberries

DIJON GARLIC SPLASH

  • 3 T olive oil (I used the very best – which has a kick to it)
  • 2 t Dijon mustard – the real thing from Dijon, France
  • 2 t Braggs vinegar
  • 1 clove very finely minced garlic
  • 1 t honey (taste the dressing before you add)
  • Sea salt & fresh black pepper

In a small bowl mix the splash. In a larger bowl add slaw ingredients, and toss with the splash. Serve at room temperature. Top with blueberries to serve. (Sans blueberries, I like this as a sandwich relish too.)

Is this healthy? Yes EAT ALL YOU WANT! Often.

Radishes Roasted For your health!

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Raleigh City Farm French Breakfast Radishes are delicious roasted!
Any fresh green topped radishes are great too.

Shop Raleigh City Farm Farmstand Wednesdays 4-7 https://raleighcityfarm.org/farmstand

All you need – Radishes, EVOO, seasoning of choice (Greek follows).

• Radishes • EVOO • Seasoning Greek blend follows. • Balsamic vinegar or Dijon mustard (optional)

Preheat oven to 400° F. I use a convection setting.

Wash your radishes. Wash your radishes again. And one more time. In the commercial kitchen we wash anything with greens at least 3 times to clear the grit. Drain on a clean tea towel. BTW your towels should be washed in non scented, natural detergent.

Radishes are really pretty so try to serve them close to their original design. Carefully remove the green tops. Slice the radishes in half, keeping the roots intact. I’ve tried to keep the greens attached & roast them whole but the greens usually cook so much faster than the roots so separating them works better.

Toss the greens with olive oil & seasoning in one bowl & the roots in another. Place roots on one side of a parchment lined pan. Roast for about 10 minutes. Add greens to pan spread in one layer. Roast for 5 minutes. You want the greens just crisp not burnt so watch them.

Serve. Drizzle with fresh EVOO. If you like, mix the EVOO with a bit of Dijon mustard or Balsamic vinegar. Great cold too.

  • Greek Spice Blend *3x for fresh herbs
  • 1 T dry oregano*
  • 1 t garlic powder
  • 1/2 t onion powder
  • 1 T dry marjoram*
  • 1 T dill weed*
  • 1 t parsley*
  • 1 T lemon pepper seasoning
  • 1 t sea salt
  • 1/2 t black pepper

MUSINGS about radishes. Radishes can be spicy hot. Roasting mellows the heat, as does steaming or blanching. You can parboil & then quickly ice & add to your salads to calm their dominant bite. Or enjoy a crunchy fresh one.

Boasting vitamin C & potassium & fiber &…, radishes BOOST IMMUNITY, regulate blood pressure & EASE & even PREVENT respiratory problems.