Carrot Cake

I love carrot cake. 
I remember when I got my very first cook book (still my favourite) how surprised I was to see that carrot cake really exists, not in jokes only. We didn't know it in Hungary, you know.
Then the first tea houses opened in the nineties and there they come the carrot cakes with. When I went there I always asked for one. Or, I should say, that's why I went there :)


I have tried lots of carrot cakes since that. I cannot tell which one is the best but I must say, this recipe is one of them. 
This time I made Teresa Cutter's recipe. If you don't know her, she's called the Healthy Chef in Australia. 
And, not at last, she's started to follow Paleo just recently. 

Ingredients


500 g (3 large) grated carrots
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
3 cups (300 g) almond meal
¼ cup (60 ml) macadamia nut or grape seed or olive  oil
¼ cup honey or 2 tbsp xylitol
1 cup raisins (you can use prunes instead)
2 teaspoons gluten free baking powder

Please read the rest here.

Variations for wellbeing

Dairy intolerance: enjoy as is.
Gluten intolerance: enjoy as is.
Paleo: enjoy as is.

Hot Chocolate

There is nothing better than a creamy, thick hot chocolate on a cold, winter night sitting next to the warm fireplace. 

It's not easy to make it without dairy and starch; not easy, but possible :)

Ingredients per cup
1 tbsp 100% cashew spread
1 tsp Duch cocoa powder,
1-2 tsp sweetener of your liking (eg. honey, stevea, Natvia, agave...)
approx. 1 cup hot water


Place the cashew spread, cocoa powder, sweetener and a few teaspoon of hot water into a sauce pan and mix them well. 
Pour the rest of the water while continuously stirring. Heat on medium-high temperature until it's creamy and thick. Pour more water if necessary. 


Enjoy :)


Variations
With vanilla: add 1 tsp of vanilla bean paste or vanilla essence at the beginning. 
With cinnamon: add 1 tsp of cinnamon at the beginning.
With mint: add a few drops of mint essence to the mixture at the end. 
With chilli: add a little chilli powder to the mixture at the beginning. Be careful not to overdose it.

Variations for wellbeing

Dairy intolerance: enjoy as is.
Gluten intolerance: enjoy as is.
Paleo: enjoy as is.

Home Made Mayonnaise

I don't buy Mayonnaise in supermarkets. It's not just easy to make it at home but also you know all the ingredients you put in it. My version never has soybean oil, sugar, natural flavour or calcium disodium for example. 
You can keep the mayonnaise in a closed jar in the fridge for quite a while, so don't worry if you need with a tablespoon only. 

Ingredients
1 egg yolk
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 pinch of salt
1 tsp mild mustard
200ml grapeseed oil
freshly ground white pepper


Place the egg yolk in a large mixing bowl and add mustard and lemon juice. Beat well with a whisk for a couple of minutes.
Begin to pour in the oil in a very thin stream beating all the while. 
Once it's all incorporated, add the salt and pepper and mix in it.


Enjoy :)


I prefer grapeseed oil to olive oil. On my opinion, olive oil has a very strong flavour, while grapeseed oil is neutral. You can use groundnut oil instead.


Tip
Use 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard instead of the mild mustard.

Variations for wellbeing

Dairy intolerance: enjoy as is.
Gluten intolerance: enjoy as is.
Paleo: enjoy as is.