Pumpkin, carrot and walnut cake with cashew orange frosting

This one's gluten-free and comes from the Clean Cakes recipe book reviewed on my site by our resident recipe book-reviewer Lynn.  You'll love the flavour of this one and it's crunchy, soft texture.  Top Tip: buy several pumpkins, roast them up and freeze them so you've always some to hand.  If you're in a hurry, tinned pumpkin does the job

Pumpkins are brilliant at heart health because of their high fibre vitamin A content.  Vitamin A is also helpful for preventing cancers and ageing, is good for the eyes, lungs and mouth. Pumpkin contains useful phytonutrients such as cryptoxanthin, zeaxanthin and lutein that are free radical scavengers, in particular protecting the eye from macular degeneration.  

Cinnamon helps keep hunger at bay by controlling blood sugar levels.  Because this cake is also high in fibre and has good levels of protein in the pumpkin and cashews, it will help to keep you fuller for longer.

Serves 8-12 | Oven 170C/325F/Gas 3

18-20 cm (7-8”) loose bottomed cake tin lined and oiled

Ingredients

90g // walnuts or pecans, dry roasted on high heat.  Cool

70g //  teff flour 

70g // brown rice flour

15g // arrowroot

3/4 tsp // Celtic sea or Himalayan rock salt

1 tsp // bicarbonate of soda

1 1/2 tsp // mixed spice

1 1/2 tsp // ground cinnamon

95g // raw cane sugar

60g // sultanas

150ml // olive or coconut oil (for greasing)

210g // pumpkin puree (or good quality tinned)

60g // grated carrot

1 // orange zested

2 // eggs *

Ingredients: Cashew orange frosting

1 x recipe // cashew nut cream

2 tbsp  // clear raw honey

1/4 // vanilla pod split lengthways and seeds scraped out

2 // lemons zested + 2 1/2 tbsp of juice

1 // orange zested

Pinch of // Celtic sea or Himalayan rock salt

140g // coconut oil, melted

1 to 2 tbsp water

fresh dried // edible flowers e.g. marigolds

*Eggs or whites can be replaced with 1 tbsp ground flax seeds soaked in 3 tbsp water for 15 minutes. or half that if replacing whites only

Method

Make frosting first.  Combine all the ingredients except the coconut oil in a blender.  Then add the oil and blend until totally smooth.  Keep in a sealed jar in fridge 2-6 hours to thicken

Chop nuts into pea-sized pieces. In one large bowl mix all the dry ingredients 

In another bowl mix all the wet ingredients.  Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, pour in the wet ones and combine well working from the centre outwards in widening circles

Slacken a little with nut milk (almond or cashew) if necessary to loosen mixture slightly

Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 30-35 minutes rotating halfway through the baking.

Test to see if a skewer comes out clean from the centre. Leave to cool in the tin

When cool cut cake in half and fill with cashew orange frosting.  Decorate with flowers

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Cashew nut cream

Makes about 380g   

200g  //  cashew nuts soaked 

130ml // almond milk

Method

Soak the nuts in 500ml filtered water and a pinch of Celtic sea or Himalayan rock salt for 3-4 hours

Drain and rinse thoroughly

Blend the nuts with the almond milk until completely smooth - scrape down sides of blender as necessary to achieve this

The cream will keep in the fridge for at least four days in a sealed jar

Apple, Cranberry and Walnut Loaf

This loaf is a winner either for breakfast or for a teatime snack. Wrap in greaseproof and foil so it keeps longer. Try it with butter (if tolerated) or pumpkin seed butter and jam or toasted with ricotta and honey.  You can also make it with a pear, cherry and pecan combination

Walnuts are a very good source of omega-3 essential fats, anti-oxidants, manganese, molybdenum, and the b vitamin biotin.  They're great for hair, skin and nails, they're anti-inflammatory, with 'manganese for creaky knees' to help your joints.

Cranberries pack a punch with vitamin C, fibre and manganese, as well as vitamins K and E, B5 and copper.  If you decide to use pecans you'll be getting up to nineteen different vitamins and minerals, while cherries are high in anti-oxidants ; sweet cherries have anti-carcinogenic compounds and sour cherries contain significant amounts of melatonin which make them great for improving your sleep.

Oven 160c/Gas 3. Bake 40-45 minutes.

1kg/2lb 4oz loaf pan - lightly oiled.

Ingredients

350g // Buckwheat flour

1 tsp // Bicarbonate of soda / baking soda

1/2 tsp // Celtic sea or Himalayan rock salt

1 tsp // Ground cinnamon

2 // Eating apples

75g /// Roughly chopped dried cranberries

75g // Roughly chopped walnuts

250 ml // Fresh apple juice

1 // Free range egg lightly beaten*

50g // Melted butter or coconut oil

1 Tbsp // Raw honey

1 Tbsp // Gluten-free rolled oats

*Or 1 Tbsp of flax seeds soaked in 3 Tbsp of filtered water and soaked for 15 minutes then whipped or 1 egg yolk and half the quantity of flax seeds above if intolerant to egg whites.

Method

Set aside some walnuts to decorate the top.

Combine the dry ingredients; flour, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and salt in a large mixing bowl.

Stir in the grated apple, chopped cranberries and remaining walnuts.

In a separate bowl or jug, mix together the wet ingredients; apple juice, egg, butter/coconut oil, honey.

Pour into the flour mixture, mix gently, avoid over-mixing to keep the loaf lighter

Spoon into loaf tin, scatter walnuts and rolled oats over the top.

Bake as above until top is lightly golden and skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Leave in tin for 10 minutes.

Remove from tin and either slice and serve warm or leave to cool on wire rack.

Substitute fruit and nuts with any combination you care for e.g. pecan, cherry and pear.

Lentil and Tomato Soup

A very tasty and easy to prepare with store-cupboard ingredients Summer-Autumn soup.  Lentil and tomato soup will bridge the gap between seasons and help use up those home-grown stocks. Prepared in 5 and ready in 30 minutes this nourishing soup looks as good as it tastes!

Tomatoes are an excellent source of the carotene, lycopene with high bio-availability in processed/tinned tomatoes, great for vision, skin, delicate skin tissue linings, and supports the immune system.

Ingredients

1 sm // onion finely chopped

8ozs // tomatoes or 1 x 14oz can

2 tbsp // olive oil

4 ozs // lentils

1/2 pt // tomato juice

1 1/2 pts // vegetable stock

1/2 tsp // thyme

Celtic sea or Himalayan rock salt

Method

Chop the onions and sweat in oil (fry, no colour under a lid) until transparent

Add remaining ingredients, cover and simmer for 30 minutes

Adjust seasoning and serve

Cashew Nut Milk

A delicious dairy alternative and a good source magnesium, cashew milk is creamy and refreshing, nutritious and easy to make. You shouldn't need to strain the mixture after blending if you have a decent blender. That means less hassle and less waste! The following recipe yields 5 cups.

Ingredients

1 cup // raw cashews

2-4 cups // water

1 tsp or so // maple syrup or raw honey to taste

1/2 to 1 tsp // vanilla extract

A few grains // sea salt

Pinch of // cinnamon (optional)

Tiny point of knife // turmeric (colour)

Method

Soak the cashews in water at least 4 hours, or overnight in the refrigerator. Drain and rinse until the water runs clear. 

Add the cashews and two cups water to a blender.  Blend until smooth (may take up to 2 minutes)

Add more water until you get the consistency you want - milky or creamy.  Add flavourings.  

Taste for flavour and adjust according to preference

Store the milk in a lidded glass container in the refrigerator. It should keep for 3 to 4 days.

Note: This recipe yields milk that is somewhere between 2% and whole milk in terms of creaminess. Use less water for even creamier results.