MIDI-CARROT CAKE FOR SMALL HOUSEHOLDS: no butter, dairy free option, low-sugar, high fibre

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Who doesn't love Carrot Cake?

At last! A midi-carrot cake for 2 or 3, as rich and luxuriant as family sized.

'Texture excellent, moist and slightly crumbly; flavour rich and delicious; cream cheese icing lovely.' 'I love carrot cake; yours was one of the best!'

 

A 'healthy-ish' treat that hasn't lost its wicked appeal, carrot cake is immensely gratifying.  Sweetness comes mainly from health-giving carrots; heart-healthy nuts add crunch; wholemeal flour, gut-friendly fibre.  

The cake is dense and rich but not heavy; gorgeous dairy or plant cream cheese is an elegant topping.   

It'a an all-season treat with a healthier vibe and particularly welcome when life is a little fraught.  So it is no surprise that the biggest craving chez 67goingon50 during Lockdown III is for Carrot Cake. 

Singletons/small households are at a disadvantage when it comes to something like carrot cake.  So it was time to create a small one that captures the sublime texture and flavours of the original.  Far from being a lesser version of the original, the midi-carrot cake was sensational -- so much so, 67 likes it better than bakery carrot cakes, some of which can be very moist.  

67 opted for ginger in syrup as the sweet accent but it is a little extravagant.    Feel free to replace ginger with fresh or tinned pineapple or even raisons.

If there is one complaint about this smaller cake, it is that the amount of batter is slightly larger than 67's usual 6inch/15cm (air fryer) midi-cake pan.  But using the excess for cupcakes/muffins that can be frozen (un-iced), means one might never need to look for a bakery with carrot cake again! 

For singleton or small households, it's now possible to have home-made carrot cake and eat it, deliciously, economically and without waste.

Cost: £2.50'ish (2021)
Serves: one 6in/15cm midi-cake and 3 large cupcakes (cooked in muffin - not cupcake -  tins) OR 6 large cupcakes or 10 generous sized cupcakes  

Ingred: 
  70gm/2.4oz light brown sugar  

  10gm/2 generous tsp dried unsweetened coconut 

   80ml light vegetable oil 

   27 ml buttermilk/OR 75% plant or dairy yoghurt, 25% water OR 27ml plant/dairy milk with 2 tsp lemon juice or vinegar, rested 10 mins
    1 large egg
    

    3/4 tsp vanilla   

   90gm/3.2ozplain white flour. 

    41gm/1.4oz wholemeal flour. 

    3/4 tsp cinnamon.  
    1/3 tsp nutmeg

    1/2 tsp ground ginger (opt)  
    1/2 tsp baking soda  
    1/3 tsp salt.  
   

    170 gm/6oz carrots, coarsely grated  

    2 large globes ginger in syrup finely diced OR 1/3 mug drained fresh or tinned pineapple wedges, shredded

    2 generous tablespoons chopped walnuts

    2 tbsp ginger syrup or pineapple juice for brushing over top of cake/s (opt)

 Lower fat & sugar Cream Cheese Icing: (Plant or dairy)
    57gm/2oz room-temperature reduced-fat cream cheese  
    20gm/ 3/4 oz thick plain yoghurt

    20gm/ 3/4 oz icing sugar

    few drops vanilla essence 

OR

Dairy-free 'buttercream'

    Garnish: 1 ball ginger in syrup, finely diced OR couple of generous tablespoons shredded pineapple

Method:

CHINESE TWICE (UN)FRIED CHICKEN, lower fat, wallet-friendly

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Crispy, tender but lower fat double un-fried chicken (baked) makes the most of supermarket specials...

Chinese (un)fried Chicken: crisp, crunchy, juicy, tender & exotic

Supermarkets are getting into the swing of acknowledging the struggles too many families are going through trying to feed their families in these difficult times. 

Sainsburys' decision to match Aldi prices was a welcome surprise.  67goingon50 had a quick look around and prices are indeed lower than usual, on a par, in fact with Morrisons.  67 has tested Sainsbury's economy chicken in the past and found it good value, especially the items on price lock.  Last week, in another suprise, 67 found a kilo of generously portioned drumsticks - 11 of them, enough for a family  - for £2.40 at Waitrose, of all places.

Chinese New Year celebrations go on for a fortnight so 67 used the (defrosted) Waitrose drums for this crispy, crunchy lower-fat (un)fried Oriental chicken.  The meat is very tender and the coating crisp and delicately flavoured with 5-spice powder, star anise, garlic & ginger.

The process is two-step but easy; start the night before needed by marinading in buttermilk then dredge before cooking in breadcrumbs - twice.  

They're also baked twice (like double fried chicken) for maximum juiciness and texture.

Cost: min £3

Feeds: 3-4

Ingredients:

1 kilo chicken drumsticks or thighs

Marinade
    250 ml buttermilk (OR dairy or plant milk mixed with 2 tbsp vinegar OR 75% unstrained plain yoghurt mixed with 25% water

    1 tbsp Dijon mustard

    1/2 tsp salt

    1/2 tsp celery salt (opt)

    1 tsp pepper

    1 small onion, finely sliced

    1 tsp cayenne

    1 tbsp smoked paprika

    1 tbsp 5-spice powder

    1 whole star anise or 1/4 tsp dried (opt)

Coating

    650gm/23oz fresh or packaged fine breadcrumbs (try panko or make your own by blitzing stale bread in a blender)

    1 tsp celery salt

    1 tsp salt

    1 tsp pepper

    2 tsp 5-spice powder

    1.5 tsp garlic salt

    1.5 tsp ginger

Method:

FLAT RICE STICKS WITH VEGETABLES & CHILLI SWEET SAUCE, Vegetarian, Triple Duty

Rich Chilli Sweet Vegetables & Noodles continues Chinese New Year celebrations...

Flat Chinese Noodles with veg in a robust Chilli Sweet Sauce

It may not look it but this dish has a bit of a kick; it's for adventurous palates or  kids with sophisticated appetites.  

The sauce (unlike 67's Lower-Sugar healthier Sweet Chilli Dipping Sauce) is thick and robust; the sturdy flat noodles - affectionately known as rice sticks or Ho Fun - soak up flavours beautifully.

'Ho Fun' Noodle Sticks

Flat Noodle Sticks are more solid and have greater culinary 'heft'  than the usual strands of Asian noodles (see how to use your noodle/s).  Flat sticks stand up well in intense Asian dishes, especially those with black beans or chillis.

The flat noodles do require proper cooking for 10 mins in boiling water rather than just soaking.  But from there they are simply drained, cooked and stirred into a sauce.

The photo above shows a vegetarian side dish but it can easily become a main course with the addition of cooked meat, fish or plant protein.

Cost: depends on what's in the cupboard but a minimum of say £3.50'ish

Feeds: 2-3

Ingreds:  

2-3 nests of rice stick noodles

Sauce:

125ml water

125ml rice vinegar (67 didn't have any and used 50-50 apple cider & white wine vinegar)

     4 tablespoons maple syrup or honey

   50gm/1.75oz sugar (67 used low sugar apricot preserves)

     1 tsp finely grated peeled ginger

     1 tsp finely grated garlic

     1 fresh red chilli or 1/4 tsp chilli flakes

     1-2 tablespoons soy sauce (the minimum for anyone with blood pressure issues)

      1-2 tsp hot sauce (sriracha?) or a few shots tabasco

     1 tsp tomato paste

     1 tbsp cornstarch or rice flour mixed with 2 tbsp cold water (opt)

Vegetables:

1 tablespoon groundnut or plant oil (not olive)

1 large courgette, cut into batons

couple of handfuls mushrooms, in med slice

generous handful grape (small) tomatoes, halved

Garnish:

toasted sesame seeds

toasted sesame oil

Equipment: large frying pan with lid, serving dish with a lip       

Method:

WALLET-FRIENDLY BANANA-CHOCOLATE BREAD & BUTTER PUDDING (NEW)

 Budget friendly version of indulgent Chocolate Banana Bread Pudding...

Leftover bread, ripe bananas & a few handfuls of chocolate
'Quite a treat considering it's budget friendly.' Taster

Not everyone can afford an egg-and-cream-rich pudding in Lockdown III.  But this  frugal version of the indulgent chocolate croissant banana bread and butter pudding is still a great Sunday lunch treat.  

It's another recipe that makes great use of ripe bananas and uses up stale bread.  No more than two eggs are required. 

The pudding - with an optional sophisticated alcohol twist - can go into the oven after the main course and be ready in 30 mins. 

The Blogger tried the recipe (adapted from Robert  Carrier) with homemade wholemeal bread in the interests of using up leftovers.  It was lovely, with a firmer texture than usual but creamy with pockets of melted chocolate underneath and deliciously crispy on top.

There's a bit of buttering, slicing and possible chopping of chocolate involved but none of the steps are difficult.  Using chocolate chips will make life easier.

Cost: £1.50 min, depending on available leftovers. 
Serves: 4

Ingred:
     8 slices bread, buttered

     3 ripe but not black bananas

     1/3-1/2 cup chocolate chips or a bar of backing chocolate cut in shards

     1/4 cup/60 ml orange juice or orange liquor, brandy, whisky or white grape juice (opt)
     1-3 oz/25-75g sugar (67 didn't bother but compensated with maximum 56% dark chocolate; 70% chocolate will need a bit of sugar)
     3/4 pint/226 ml milk
     2 eggs
     4 tbsp light cream or Greek yoghurt

     1/2 tsp vanilla
     

Garnish:

1/2 tbsp sugar (opt)

icing sugar
    

Method:

THE HEALTHIEST MOST DELICIOUS CHINESE NEW YEAR CHICKEN

Astonishingly succulent, sweet, tender chicken with almost zero effort...and that Ginger Spring Onion Sauce is stunning!

  

first posted Jan 2016; updated 2023

Clean, lean, moist and mean: low-energy Poached Asian Chicken 
with Ginger Spring Onion Dip, soy sauce & oyster sauce

  

Don't be put off by the simplicity of this recipe; chicken cooked by poaching is silken and velvety, succulent and tender, bringing out the 'chickeness' of chicken.  The meat is  so moist and delectable, people will wonder whether it's a special breed of chicken. 

While special breeds/organic are great for a very special occasion, not  many of us will indulge as food prices continue to skyrocket.

M&S higher welfare chickens (£5-10 5/23), however, come out extremely well using this cooking method.  (though removing the skin before poaching is better for your health)   

A whole chicken is best but a half chicken or if the budget is really tight, pieces will be fine.  (See Poached Chicken for Singletons)  

Poaching chickens make the flesh truly memorable.

The tender, yielding flesh provides a pillowy vehicle for a trio of bold sauces: piquant homemade ginger and scallion, commercial oyster or hoisin sauce and reduced salt soy sauce.   

Every Asian family has a version of this dish; it's health-giving and easy to digest.  Prepared in advance, it's ideal for crowds and  provides plenty of leftovers.

The chicken is also a low-cal/cholesterol de-tox food that tastes like a delicacy.  And you end up with a glorious broth for freezing.  

The chicken takes just minutes to prepare.  And, in a fuel-conscious world, cooking time lasts only twenty minutes; residual heat does the rest.  Don't go over the resting time or hold back on the ice; the chicken can dry out otherwise.


Cost: depends on the chicken (£5-£10, depending on size 5/23)
Serves: a crowd, or 6-8 with sides

Ingred:

   1 whole chicken 1-1.5 k/2-2.5 lbs

   6 slices ginger 1/4 in/1/2 cm thick
   6 spring onions, floppy leaves removed and bottoms trimmed, cut in three
   6 whole peppercorns or 1/2 tsp coarse black pepper
   a splash of dry sherry/white wine/white grape juice (opt)

    English Bibbs (soft) lettuce

Ginger & green onion Sauce
  3 tsp grated ginger
  6 tbsp finely chopped white spring onions
  3 tbsp groundnut/peanut oil
  1 generous tsp grated garlic (opt)
   

Method:

FAVOURITE VALENTINE TREATS: totally indulgent, stupendously more-ish but healthier than normal

Grown men sampling these two spreads think they've died and gone to heaven...

Almost guilt-free
 Guilt-Free Chocolate Hazelnut Spread 

Foolproof Lemon Curd

...and if I were with my one true love on Valentines' Day, this is what he'd be getting as a pressie: a jar of Lemon Curd and one of Chocolate-Hazelnut Spread.

Luckily both recipes are super-easy.  The curd is unforgettable - rich, smooth and  lemony - and there's no danger of lumps when cooking it.  Spread on toast, the curd is a revelation, poured into a cooked or store bought pie shell lined with fresh raspberries and covered with meringue (Special Occasional Lemon Raspberry Pie), it's sensational; stirred into puddings, it's a wonderful accent.

The Chocolate Nut spread is also magical spread on toast or layered between slices of plain cake.  But it's sublime made into a mousse-like icing; drizzled over brownies or - a favourite - eaten straight from the jar with a spoon.  A big spoon!  This chocolate spread - unlike commercial ones - is almost guilt-free; it's low in added sugar and preservative-free.

Hot Brownie & Chocolatella Pie

Both can be made in advance but should probably be eaten within 3 days.  If it lasts that long.

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These recipes  have been developed or adapted by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises.  They may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.

SHROVE TUESDAY/PANCAKE DAY 2021: THE BLOGGER'S FAVOURITES opt for butter/sugar free with plant milk

67's Recommended Pancake for this year is American Buttermilk topped with Toffee Apple Sauce...

American Buttermilk Pancakes

67goingon50 loves American Buttermilk pancakes.  They are sweeter than 67 usually likes but they are gorgeously fluffy and sturdy, with lovely crispy brown edges.  

Topping of choice is usually maple syrup but as a concession to good health, fresh fruit was required; hence, Toffee Apple Sauce. 

Caramel Apple Sauce

The pair's original recipes are not exactly healthy but are wonderfully delicious and satisfying.  The pancake batter and the caramel sauce can be made in advance.

American Buttermilk pancakes includes a vegetarian option -- butter and sugar-free with plant milk. 

For other fool-proof pancakes for lunch and dinner as well as breakfast, click here. 

Other Pancake Toppings:

 

Maple syrup, honey, chocolate sauce sprinkled with nuts or - for the health-conscious - lower sugar fruit compote or jam.  

Uber-indulgent toppings include two easy sweet spreads Lemon Curd or Almost Guilt-Free Chocolate Hazelnut Spread.  

A savoury route would be Bacon Jam, an excellent filling for a crepe rolled up or formed into a pocket, eaten by hand,

Whichever way you go, Shrove Tuesday is a great excuse for indulgent treats during this bleak Lockdown III.

Please leave a Comment in the box below

These recipes  have been developed or adapted by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises.  They may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.