Yum.

I have been asked a lot for these recipes. So, being the nice person that I am. ( I can hear you snickering over there behind the couch...) I thought I would share. Neither one are mine entirely, both are based on other recipes.

Coconut, Pineapple Carrot Cake. ( Originally from the back of the Bakers Chocolate Box.)

2 Cups Unsifted all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 cup canola oil
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 can(8oz) crushed pineapple in juice
2 cups grated carrots
1 1/3 cups sweetened flake coconut


Mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt.
Beat oil, sugar, and eggs thoroughly.
Add flour mixture. Beat until smooth.
Add pineapple, carrots, coconut.
Pour into greased 13x9 pan.
Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes.
Cool 10 min. Remove from pan. Cool on rack.


I cut the cake in half and stacked the layers with a thin layer of frosting between. After stacking, frost cake generously. Sprinkle flake cocount on top and press into sides.


Coconut Cream Frosting
Cream 1 pkg (6oz) cream cheese with 1/2 cup butter.
Alternately add of sifted confectioners sugar.
1/2 tsp. vanilla.
Beat until smooth.
Frost cake and top with coconut.

yeah, I know there is no measurement for the confectioners sugar. It took a little more than one small bag for me to get the consistency that I wanted for frosting. It will depend on how soft your butter is and what the humidity is like on the day that you make it. I also tinted it with a little bit of yellow so that the coconut would show up better.

I cut the cake in half and stacked the layers with a thin layer of frosting between. After stacking, frost cake generously. Sprinkle flake coconut on top and press into sides. Jelly beans are a nice touch too. This cake is the most dense cake that I have ever baked. It is even better the day after it's baked, so plan ahead!


Quinoa Salad ( adapted from a class at PCC based on the book, Feeding the Whole Family, by Cynthia Lair.)

1 cup dry quinoa
8 cups water

1/2 cup diced carrots
1 red pepper diced
3 scallions diced
1 cup cooked beans (usually chick peas)

Dressing.

2-3 cloves garlic, minced and salted. (After the garlic is good and minced salt it well and then use the back of your knife to smash it some more, chop, smash, smear, repeat... this will make a paste that will distribute itself throughout the dressing. No one wants a hunk of raw garlic in the dressing.)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tbl sesame oil
1 tbl tamari
1 tbl maple syrup

Mix well.

Rinse quinoa in a cheesecloth lined sieve until the water runs clear. Rinse another minute to be sure. You are washing off the naturally occurring saponins. The quinoa will be bitter if you don't get it all rinsed away.

Bring the water to boil and drop in the quinoa. Cook 8-10 minutes. It's done when the little spirals appear. ( That is the high protein germ of the quinoa.) Drain and add vegetables and dressing immediately. The heat from the grain will soften the carrots just enough. Eat hot, warm or cold. Like the cake, it tastes even better the next day.

You can substitute any vegetables, and any beans. You can even change out the grain. Rice is pretty good, so is barley, but quinoa is by far our favourite. Crusty eats this for breakfast everyday until it's gone.