Everything's changing

The last few days have been a whirlwind with graduation, moving, saying goodbyes to friends and a roommate, parting with two dear friends (one of them being my boyfriend) as they left to hike the Appalachian Trail for 5 months, and of course, celebrating recent accomplishments.  Many things are ending while so many new things are beginning. Today I went to my new (and quite empty) apartment and found myself sitting on the floor, taking in the last few days and thinking about the future.  I completed my undergraduate degree and will start the next school year as a graduate student.  I have a new apartment that is situated away from campus and I will live alone for the first time in my life.  Despite all of these major changes, one constant in my life is my desire to spend time in the kitchen.  Getting out my measuring spoons and turning on the oven is soothing.  And so, in between washing the cupboards and windows at my new apartment and taking the pictures off the walls at my old place, I baked a cake. Surprise? not really...

I made a pledge to myself that I would NOT go to the grocery store for anything other than fresh produce this week in an attempt to use up the neglected food in my cabinet before I head home for the summer.  I wanted to try something new: a recipe for an all natural cake that was relatively healthy as far as cakes go.  I found the recipe on a blog that I have been exploring lately, the author is vegan and emphasizes the use of natural, unrefined ingredients. This apple cake is filled with spices and has quinoa in it, my new favorite grain.  For those of you unfamiliar with quiona (as I was just a few months ago), it it a grain grown primarily in South America.  It is gluten free and is praised for it's high protein content of 12-18%.  With its outstanding protein, iron, fiber and magnesium content, quinoa has been making its way onto my dinner plate often. Its delicious with wilted spinach, cranberries or served with fish; its role in a cake is slightly unusual.

As I looked through my cupboards, I realized I did not have the exact ingredients that this recipe called for.  So, in the spirit of adjusting, I made some substitutions.  I looked up substitutions for palm sugar and soon discovered that brown sugar mixed with maple syrup works well; that is, if you have brown sugar.  I then discovered that you can make your own brown sugar with white sugar and molasses and decided to use raw cane sugar and molasses to keep this cake on the 'unrefined' track in which it was intended.  I did not have enough raisins, so I added in some dried cranberries.  I also added in a handful of chopped walnuts and extra cinnamon, for good measures. Not only does this cake have a few unusual ingredients, it is baked in a loaf pan making it the perfect size.  You aren't left with 26 servings of cake calling your name...

Making my own brown sugar with raw cane sugar and mollases

Quinoa

Cake before baking

Apple Quinoa Cake (www.anjasfood4thought.com)

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

1 large apple, cored and coarsely grated
1/4 cup palm sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup cooked quinoa (1/3 cup uncooked quinoa)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons sunflower seeds
1/4 cup raisins

Cinnamon Oat Topping
1/4 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon palm sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease or line a loaf tin with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, sift together flour, palm sugar, baking powder, soda, ginger, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix the grated apple, oil, quinoa, vanilla, sunflower seeds and raisins. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until combined.

Pour into prepared pan and smooth the top. Combine all ingredients for the topping and sprinkle them on top of the cake batter. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until cake tester comes out clean. Let cool before cutting into slices.