I can’t believe it’s week 21 and some folks are getting their last veggie boxes this week! It’s been a wonderful year, and full of surprises as always. We hope you’ve loved your bounty of organic goodies and discovered new tastes along the way.
I went out and managed to bring in most of the field of peppers just hours before a heavy frost last week thanks to baby-wearing. It was very tiring but my work paid off! Anything not sheltered by the rest of the plant had cooked!
Here’s your late fall haul:
Half Shares
-black kale
-yellow potatoes
-carrots
-green onions
-baby bokchoy
-red peppers
-chicoga beets
-rapini
-rutabaga
-celery root (super ugly root veg but so yummy in soups or even mashed…also called celeriac)
Whole Shares
-2nd carrots
-red Swiss chard
-red hot peppers *be careful with the seeds…nice and hot. Use gloves to cut and wash hands with dish soap after handling
-Collard greens
-mint
I’ve been going a little crazy with the homemade snacks since falling in love with my dehydrator. A few successful batches of fruit roll ups gave me the courage to take on a gluten free baking recipe (and trust me, Ive had some epic fails in this category). I knew I wanted to include some veggies in my snack and went with the obvious choice of carrots. I found this recipe that fit the vegan and gluten free bill: https://minimalistbaker.com/one-bowl-carrot-apple-muffins-vegan-gf/, but considered how I would actually like to send these to school with the kids. Let the substitutions begin!
Of course I thought I’d add some more good fats to the mix and lure the kids in with some icing.
Lo and behold, it went over great with my sweet-tooth queen, myself and my oh-so-picky-about sweets son. I think we have a win here folks!
GF, Egg and Dairy Free Carrot Muffins with Creamy Goat Cheese Frosting
Makes 12 Muffins
Ingredients
1 1/2 flax eggs
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup mashed very ripe banana
1/4 cup molasses (or honey, agave nectar or maple syrup)
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce or 1 sweet apple, finely grated
1/2 cup brown sugar (or sub muscavado)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup plain almond milk, unsweetened
1 heaping cup (packed) grated carrot
2/3 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 cup flax meal (ground flax seed- I do mine in a coffee grinder)
1 cup + 2 Tbsp gluten-free flour blend (I used my favourite blend of tapioca starch, brown rice flour, sorghum and millet mixed with 1 heaping tsp guar gum)Directions
Prepare flax eggs in a large mixing bowl and preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C).Prepare muffin tin with liners or lightly grease them.To flax eggs mashed banana, molasses, agave or maple syrup, olive oil and whisk to combine.Next add applesauce, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and whisk to combine.Add almond milk and stir.Add grated carrot and stir.Add coconut, flax meal, and gluten-free flour blend and stir.Divide evenly among 12 muffin tins, filling them all the way up to the top.Bake for 32-36 minutes, or until deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. When you press on the top it shouldn’t feel too spongey, so don’t be afraid of over baking! The GF blend just takes longer to bake.Remove from oven and let set in the pan for 15 minutes. Then flip on their sides still in the pan to let cool completely.If you try to unwrap them too quickly, they have a tendency to stick to the wrappers.Once cooled, store in a covered container or bag at room temp to keep fresh. Freeze after that to keep fresh.
Notes
*If baking in a loaf pan or cake pan (8×8), bake for 45 minutes – 1 hour and check every 5 minutes thereafter for doneness.
