Happy Canada Day and Happy 4th of July! – Low-Fat Patriotic Carrot Cake
Happy Canada Day! Today is Canada Day, marking the day in 1867 when three colonies came together to form the country of Canada. In celebration of Canada Day and of the July 4th Holiday here in the U.S. I decided to make patriotic cake in celebration of both occasions. I was kind of surprised the Canadian flag turned out as well as it did. I thought it would be hard to do but it was actually easy!
My husband and I were married on Canada Day 11 years ago, and since our families were both Canadian and American we had both flags in celebration at our wedding. So it seems appropriate that I would make these cakes now especially considering on our wedding day we almost didn’t have a cake! When we arrived at the reception we realized the cake table was empty. After a panicked call to the cake company a rush order was prepared and our cake was literally served warm at the reception!
So about the cake. Since I don’t like to eat high-fat, high-sugar cakes I set out in search of a good carrot cake recipe that fit this criteria. I found a really good one which I have adapted slightly. I took the cake to Sunday Service this morning and it disappeared in a matter of minutes. It is really delicious and moist, made with half whole wheat flour and relatively little sugar compared to other carrot cakes, but it doesn’t sacrifice any flavor. You will love this recipe! Adapted from Amanda’s Cookin Low-Fat Carrot Cake recipe.
Here’s what you’ll need:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 egg whites
1 egg
2 1/2 cups shredded carrots (3-4 large)
3/4 cup crushed pineapple (canned or fresh)
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
3 tbsp pineapple juice (can be taken from canned pineapple if you use canned)
Frosting:
8 oz package fat-free cream cheese, softened
1 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and spray a 13″ x 9″ baking pan with non-fat cooking spray.
Combine the flour, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and mix together well.
Whisk the egg whites and egg together in a large bowl. Add the carrots, pineapple, oil, walnuts, and pineapple juice and mix together well.
Gradually add in the flour mixture to the carrot mixture and stir until well blended.
Spread the batter evenly in the pan.
Bake for approx. 35-37 minutes until cake is nicely browned and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan. Let cool completely before icing.
Beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth.
Gradually beat in the powdered sugar and vanilla.
Turn cake upside down on a large platter or baking sheet. Spread icing over the top and sides of the cake.
Decorate with strawberries if you are creating a Canadian flag.
Decorate with strawberries and blueberries if you are making an American flag.
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Meatless Meatloaf and Meatless Crumbles
I never really cared much for meatloaf even back when I was still eating meat, but this recipe is really good. You can make it as a loaf, or crumble it to use as a substitute for ground meat.
While I was in Canada last week with my Mom, we made this recipe as a loaf. It has a really great flavor, but it didn’t stick together very well. We used long-grain rice so I thought that might have something to do with it. This weekend I tried it again using sticky rice but it still didn’t stick together very well. Regardless it is worth making and just know that it might not cut into nice neat slices.
We had it the first night with mushroom sauce as shown below. I’m not crazy about using canned soup in recipes but we were in a hurry and this worked well in a pinch. I promise to post a better mushroom sauce soon though. The second night I had it while the rest of the family had spaghetti with meatballs. I had the meatless meatloaf with tomato sauce over it, a few noodles, and a sprinkle of fresh-grated mozzarella cheese.
The recipe is adapted from Edna Staebler’s Meatless Meat Loaf recipe in More Food That Really Schmecks. She was a really neat lady from the Kitchener-Waterloo area in Ontario, Canada and published a series of cookbooks based on Mennonite cooking in that area. Most of her recipes come with little stories behind them. In this case she talked about how she made this recipe for several members of an Ashram in Toronto who stayed at her house after talking to the local University Women’s Club about their yoga beliefs.
I hope you enjoy it!
Here’s what you’ll need:
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts or other nuts
1 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
1 cup cooked rice (approx 1/4 cup uncooked)
1 1/2 cups carrot, grated
1 300g pkg frozen spinach
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp basil
1 tsp thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
3 shakes Worcestershire
3 tbsp water or enough to moisten
3 tbsp olive oil
Mushroom Sauce (optional)
Cremini mushrooms
Olive oil
Low sodium cream of mushroom soup
Mix all the ingredients except the olive oil in a large bowl using just enough water to moisten it.
Spray a loaf pan with non-stick spray. Press firmly into loaf pan. Sprinkle olive oil on top.
Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes.
For the mushroom sauce, first cook the cremini mushrooms down in a little bit of olive oil. Then add some undiluted canned cream of mushroom soup and heat well.
Serve mushroom sauce over the mushroom loaf or crumbles.
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Riviera Chickpea and Artichoke Salad
Here’s a salad that is not only easy-to-make but it is light and deliciously filling as a meal in itself!
This week has been a real treat for me as I spent the week with my Mom.She is my inspiration! And especially so when it comes to cooking. The first day we tackled two great recipes and several more over the following days, so stay tuned over the next couple weeks as I post them. You’ll notice some different hands in the photos 🙂 – those are hers!
It’s been really fun to try some of these recipes together. My mom is a great cook and since I became a vegetarian she has never stopped seeking out and sending me great vegetarian recipes. When I find a recipe I want to adapt, she’s the one I go to to find out what will and won’t work and what she’d recommend. Thanks Mom for an amazing week and for providing so much inspiration to me!
This recipe was adapted from a Canadian Living recipe and is really delicious as a full meal. It makes about 6 servings. The original recipe called for marinated artichokes but we used regular canned artichokes. We also used dry sun dried tomatoes from the bulk food store so they weren’t marinated in oil.
Here’s what you’ll need:
1 can (approx. 14 oz) artichokes
1/3 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1 can (19 oz or 15 oz) chickpeas
2 cups thinly sliced celery
1 sweet red bell pepper
1 sweet yellow bell pepper
1/2 cup grated carrot
1/2 cup diced cucumber
Handful of chopped cilantro
Dressing:
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp dijon mustard
Chop sundried tomatoes into small pieces.
Place all ingredients in a large bowl.
Whisk together dressing in small container.
Toss together salad and dressing adjusting amount of dressing to taste.
Veggie Yogi 