Meskouta

I am sure that by now you must be thinking that I have a true sweet tooth (which I do!) and that I bake cakes all day long (which I really do not). Actually savory is more my forte in the kitchen. But somehow, lately, weddings and birthdays have been providing me with the perfect excuse to dust off old sweet recipes and try some new ones...
So here is Meskouta (or Maskouta), a traditional orange and almond cake that has orange as a key ingredient. It was my friend Lotty whom told me about this incredible Moroccan cake she made last summer (that passed the test of her baking queen Finnish, very critical mother-in-law). She encouraged me to try it since, she said, first of all it was a 'no brainer' and second, it would fit my health bill.
So I did. And indeed, it is fresh, simple and fool proof.

You need
•parchment paper
•a round 8 inch (20 cm) spring form pan
•hand mixer
•minipimer

Ingredients
•2 well cleaned oranges
•2,5 cups (250 g) almond meal
•6 eggs
•1 tsp baking powder
•1/2 cup (120 ml) of agave nectar
•1 ounce (28 g) slivered almonds

Baking the cake
•boil the (whole) oranges in water for two hours. Then allow them cool down completely. This might take quite a while. Preferably, let them sit in the empty pan overnight after boiling and disposing of the water.
•preheat the oven to 356F (180C)
•grease the pan and line bottom and sides with parchment paper (cut a round circle for the bottom and then a strip to cover the side. The grease will make the paper stick to the pan).
•whisk the eggs and once they are fluffy start pouring the agave into the mix, while you keep the blender running
•add the oranges and puree them with a minipimer till they have become one with the egg/orange mixture
•add the baking powder to the almond meal
•add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and blend well
•pour into the spring form
•sprinkle the slivered almonds on top
•bake for approximately 45 min (or until you insert a toothpick in the middle and it comes out clean)
•take it out of the oven and allow it to cool down for about 15 min. Then take it out of the spring form, put it on a wire rack and allow it to cool completely

Tips & remarks
•I bake in an electric oven where the heat spreads very evenly. I have baked in a gas oven before and notice that for some reason, there is some 'heat loss'. So I have had to increase the heat in a gas oven by 5C/41F
•if you find that the almonds on the top get too dark too quickly, lower the heat a little bit by 41F (5C).
•I have read that Meskouta may vary depending on the family traditions. Some people will add nuts to it or some vanilla to the mixture...







Traditional Carrot Cake

You thought that in a healthy lifestyle there would be no room for a carrot cake? I am happy to say you were wrong!
It was my husband's birthday a few days ago and watching the leaves of the trees turn golden brown around me, made me want to include a Traditional Carrot Cake to the table.

You need
•parchment paper
•a round 8 inch (20 cm) spring form pan
•hand mixer
•food processor

Ingredients for cake
•3 cups (400 g) of almond flower
•1 tsp of sea salt
•1 tsp of baking soda
•2 tsp of cinnamon
•1 tsp of nutmeg
•1/2 tsp of cardamon
•1/2 tsp of ginger
•6 eggs
•1/2 cup (236 ml) of agave nectar
•4 tbs of (sunflower seed) oil
•3 cups (400 g) of finely grated (raw) carrots
•1 cup (250 g) of dates (pureed in food processor)
•1 cup (250 g) of chopped pecans
•1 cup (250 g) of chopped walnuts

Ingredients for frosting
•1 cup (250 g) of coconut oil
•1/2 cup (236 ml) of agave nectar
•handfull of walnuts, chopped

Baking the cake
•Preheat the oven to 325F (165C)
•grease the pan and line bottom and sides with parchment paper (cut a round circle for the bottom and then a strip to cover the side. The grease will make the paper stick to the pan).
•combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside
•whisk the eggs and once they are fluffy add the wet ingredients, bit by bit, letting them blend in nicely
•mix carrots and dates and add them to the wet ingredients
•add the wet into the dry ingredients, allowing them to mix well till the batter has become a whole
•pour into the pan and make sure the mixture is spread evenly
•bake for approximately 45 min (or until you insert a toothpick in the middle and it comes out clean)
•take it out of the oven and allow it to cool down for about 15 min. Then take it out of the spring form, put it on a wire rack and allow it to cool completely.

Frosting
•mix the coconut oil with the agave nectar. You will need a hand mixer to do this and it will be easier if agave and coconut oil are at room temperature.

Putting it all together
•Allow the cake to cool down completely (this might a few hours) and then apply the frosting. If you find the frosting has become a bit too runny for your liking, put the carrot cake in the fridge for 10 minutes after applying the frosting, allowing the coconut mixture to fix. Before this,
•sprinkle chopped walnuts on top of the frosting

Tips & remarks
•I bake in an electric oven where the heat spreads very evenly. I have baked in a gas oven before and notice that for some reason, there is some 'heat loss'. So I have had to increase the heat in a gas oven by 5C/41F
•choose oils that are cold pressed (virgin) and have no types of additives.
•if you live in the Netherlands or you can get your hands on some 'koekkruiden', substitute the ginger, cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg by the same amount of the delicious spice mix that goes by the name of  'koekkruiden'.







Nutty Autumn Loaf

I just love this recipe and I have been making it for years. There is a lot of chopping involved, but if your food processor is anything like mine, you will prefer to do it by hand. It can then take a bit of extra time to get everything ready but I don't really mind.  To me, cooking is therapeutic and very rewarding.
Prepare this wonderful autumn loaf on a windy and rainy day, and have fun on your day off.  You will get approximately 12 slices. It freezes very well, so think of it as an investment for many meals of enjoyment.

You need
•2,5 l loaf pan (I prefer the non-stick kind)

Ingredients
•150 g Shiitake mushrooms
•650 g (a combination of white button and brown button) mushrooms
•25 g dried Porcini mushrooms
•300 g carrots
•1 tbs Herbes de Provence
•20 gr of fresh parsley
•6 eggs
•50 g shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)
•2 large (or 3 small) red onions
•2 large (or 3 small) garlic cloves
•(coconut) oil
•300 g of mixed nuts
•(salt) and pepper

What to do
•put the dried mushrooms in a bowl, add some boiling water to cover them and let them sit for about 30 min.
•slice the Shiitake mushrooms, button mushrooms, carrots and garlic
•fry the garlic, onions and carrots in a large (non stick) pan with a bit of oil till they are soft (few minutes at medium heat)
•add the mushrooms and herbs and cook till the mushrooms are soft and set aside to cool
•chop the nuts and add to mushroom/carrot mixture
•chop the parsley and add it to the mixture together with the Herbes de Provence
•squeeze the water out of the soaked mushrooms, chop finely and add to the mushroom/carrot mixture
•once the mushroom/carrot mixture has cooled down completely, add (the cheese and) the eggs
•add (salt) and pepper
•grease the loaf pan and add the mixture, compact it making sure it is well distributed
•put in the middle of the oven and bake at 175C for 45 min.
•once the loaf is ready, let it cool down on a rack. Slice and serve or freeze

Remarks
•I find that if the nuts are (partly) salted, and if you do add the Parmesan, there is no extra salt needed;
•The best time to slice the loaf is when it has had the chance to set and cool down a bit, but before it is completely cold;
•You can use any type of nuts. I like to use a mixture of pecan, macadamia, cashew and walnuts.
•Any type of mushroom will work. Button mushrooms are economical but can be quite bland. That is why I like to add Shiitake and some dried Porcini. If you have access to a bigger variety of (inexpensive) mushrooms, I would definitely experiment and leave out some bottom mushrooms for, let's say Chanterelle.
•You could leave out the Parmesan cheese completely. But I do like the extra kick of this old Italian favorite. I wouldn't break the non-dairy rule for just any cheese. That would just not be worth it :-D




Blueberries

Blueberries are wonderful and because of their health benefits (they are high on anti-oxidants), you want to include them in every breakfast bowl!
They are more affordable at the end of the summer. My friend Janine tought me a simple method to 'hamster' them:

•wash the blueberries thoroughly (specially if they are not organic!);
•lay them down on a table cloth on your kitchen counter, well spread out (not on top of each other);
•when they are completely dry, put them on a tray (or Tupperware lid) and carefully slide them in your freezer (making sure they do not touch each other);
•within an hour (or less) they will be hard as a rock and completely frozen. You can now transfer them to a freezer zip-lock bag that will keep them fresh for months.

Sometimes (organic) farms will let you pick your own blueberries at the end of the summer (for a small price). Can you imagine a better way to spend a few hours in the fields and be in touch with nature? And just think of the thrill of picking your own fruit -and avoid the local store from plucking your wallet!
Look for farms in your neighbourhood.


De Wei (Lanaken, B)
Fruit of Life (Dwingeloo, NL)
Kwekerij Zeldenrust  (Wapse, NL)
Pur Fruit (Oeselgem, B)
Pampa Berries (La Pampa, Arg)
Pick-your-own (USA)





Tidbits


To me, quality and healthy goods are a top priority. But of course, I too like to be thrifty! I can imagine my suggestions may not always be helpful to everybody, since we all live in a variety of places, cities and continents. Still, I feel impelled to share all my tidbits, hoping to not only contribute to your health, but also to your pocketbook!

Wicked Chocolate Cake.

I have always wanted to make a true American-looking cake. The kind that has different layers, a rich filling, glossy frosting and the perfect decoration. When Susanne asked me to bake for her wedding, I could not resist the triple challenge and make a wicked gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free chocolate cake. The word started to spread among our friends that I was going to bring a healthy (probably uneatable) cake. I am glad to have proven the scepticals wrong! The cake turned out amazing (and was the first to go)!
Funny though, how we are all so different, depending on our background and culture. Listen to this: even though everybody loved the cake, most of the guests thought it was too tall! Because of it, they could only have a very thin slice, they commented, rather than a big sliver from a less tall cake... I guess  North American 'biggerness' in Europe just does not jive!

So far I have only posted recipes that have been tailored and tried out many times over the years. But I feel so much excitement about this pretty all-paleo chocolate cake, that I will post it right away -if you promise to accept there is room for improvement.


You need
•parchment paper
•a round 8 inch (20 cm) springform pan
•food processor
•sharp long knife

Ingredients for 1 cake base (you need 2)
•1/2 cup (120 ml) of sunflower seed oil (1)
•2/3 cups (94 grams) of coconut flour
•1/2 cup (50 grams) unsweetened good quality cacao powder
•1/2 tsp baking soda
•1/2 tsp sea salt
•6 medium sized eggs
•3/4 cup (180 ml) agave nectar
•1/2 cup (120 ml) water
•1 tbs vanilla extract

Ingredients for filling and frosting
•2 cups (500 grams) fat juicy dates
•1 1/2 cup (300 grams) of dark (70 % or more) chocolate
•1/2 cup (236 ml) of sunflower seed oil (1)
•pinch of black pepper

Ingredients for decoration
•20 strawberries

Baking the cakes
•Preheat the oven to 170C (350F)
•grease the pan and line bottom and sides with parchment paper (cut a round circle for the bottom and then a strip to cover the side. The grease will make the paper stick to the pan).
•combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside
•whisk the eggs and once they are fluffy add the wet ingredients, bit by bit, letting them blend in nicely
•add the dry ingredients into the wet, allowing them to mix well till the batter has become a whole
•pour into the pan and make sure the mixture is spread evenly
•bake for 45 min (or until you insert a toothpick in the middle and it comes out clean)
•take it out of the oven and allow it to cool down for about 15 min. Then take it out of the springform, put it on a wire rack and allow it to cool completely.

Date jam
•put dates into a food processor and section them to a paste
•scrape the dates out of the processor and put them into a small pan
•heat the pan slowly and add some water (probably about a medium glass), bit by bit, till you reach the ideal consistency to spread and a bit more (when the date paste cools down, it will harden some. So do not let it cool down completely before you apply it to the cake).

Chocolate frosting
•melt the chocolate in a small saucepan at low heat
•add the sunflower seed oil bit by bit
•add a pinch of black pepper

Putting it all together
•slice each cake (now cool) in half
•spread one third of the date jam on one cake, top it with the next layer, spread the rest of the date jam on the next layer and top it with the fourth and last layer. Save the prettiest, flat layer for the top.
•cover the cake with the chocolate. If you like a 'thick' frosting layer like I do, you can cover the cake with some chocolate, let it set for a few hours, and then do it another time, etc. (I did this three times and it took approximately 3 hours for each layer to harden). If for some reason your chocolate layer does not harden but stays sticky and glossy, who cares! I love this look just as much or maybe even more.
•before the chocolate dries up completely, slice the strawberries in half and arrange them on top of the cake, making sure they stick.

Tips & remarks
•I bake in an electric oven where the heat spreads very evenly. I have baked in a gas oven before and notice that for some reason, there is some 'heat loss'. So I have had to increase the heat in a gas oven by 5C/41F
•Even though I always take the usual baking precautions, my cakes sometimes like to balloon a little bit in the middle. If this happens to you, don't panic! Once the cake has cooled down some, take a sharp knife and slice it flat!
•If for some reason your chocolate does not set and stays glossy and slippery, it will be difficult to keep the strawberries in place. Your 'back-up plan' could be to chop up nuts and sprinkle them on top (watch out for possible nut allergy among your guests). All nuts, dates and chocolate go great together. Actually I am thinking of sprinkling chopped (unsalted) pistachio nuts myself next time. I think the green colour will look spectacular on top of the brown chocolate! Unsalted pistachio nuts are difficult to find where I live. So I have sometimes bought the salted ones, rinsed them with water and let them dry. Worked like a charm.
•Take these cake layers as a point of departure and dare experiment with different kinds of healthy fillings, frostings and decorations!

(1) Paleo diets like to stay away from seed oils because of the way they are processed. You could use coconut oil instead (keep away from the ones that have been chemically deodorized). I till try this myself soon to find out how much it influences taste and let you know.