March's Mindful Recipe - Savoury Vegetable Cake
Enjoy this fabulous ‘mindful food’ recipe taken from Food at Heart.
Meredith joined us in January with her delicious Calm Cocoa.
Vegetarian, Gluten Free, Dairy Free
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
150g rice flour 100g polenta 15g cornflour 1 tbs nutritional yeast flakes (or see flavour options below recipe) 1 1/2 tspn baking soda 1 tspn rosemary, chopped (the leaves of about 2 x 15cm sprigs) 1/2 tspn baking powder 1/2 tspn sea salt 1/2 tspn freshly ground black pepper 3 eggs 150ml non-dairy milk (e.g. oat, almond, cashew) Extra virgin olive oil for greasing tin
Filling
1 medium red onion (or 2 small), sliced Extra virgin olive oil, splash 1 clove garlic, finely chopped 200g mushrooms, sliced 2 generous handfuls of spinach, chopped 1 tspn balsamic vinegar Salt & pepper to season
Topping
2-3 medium carrots (approx. 200g), thinly sliced at an angle Extra virgin olive oil, splash 1 tspn maple syrup Salt & pepper to season 10g green carrot top fronts, roughly chopped (optional)
Method
1. Pre-heat the oven to 170°C (150°C
fan). Line the base of a 20cm spring form cake tin with baking parchment. Grease the base and sides of the tin with a little extra virgin olive oil.
2. Start by making the filling. Gently heat a good splash of olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, and fry for 5-10 minutes until soft. Season with a little salt and pepper, then add the mushrooms and fry, stirring regularly, for 3 about minutes until they turn lightly golden. Stir through the balsamic vinegar and then add the spinach, stirring until is has wilted down. Check the seasoning (add a little more salt or pepper if needed) and then remove the mix from the pan and leave on the side to cool.
3. Prepare the topping using the same frying pan. Add another splash of oil, then the carrots (and the carrot tops if using). Fry for 3-5 minutes until the carrots are slightly softened and a little browned. Add the maple syrup and some salt and pepper to season. Stir again and then take the pan off the heat, letting the carrot cool a little.
4. Now it’s time to make the cake batter! Put all the dry ingredients in a medium bowl and mix them together. In a separate small bowl whisk together the eggs and milk. Take the mushroom filling and gently squeeze it over the bowl, mixing the liquid that comes out with eggs and milk. Pour the wet mix into the dry mix and stir until everything is well combined and there are no lumps left.
5. Place the tin on a baking sheet. Pour half the batter in, making sure it is spread out evenly in the tin, and top with the filling. Pour over the remaining batter and spread it out evenly over the filling. Arrange the carrots on the top of the cake. Place the tin on the bottom shelf of the oven and cook for 50-60 minutes, turning half way through. When it’s ready, the top should be lightly golden. Check that the middle is fully cooked by gently inserting a skewer in to the top layer and testing that it’s dry.
6. Remove the cake from the oven and pop it on a write rack (in the tin), leaving for about 10 minutes. Gently run a knife around the inside edge of the tin and carefully release the tin. Leave to cool for another 15-20 minutes (the cake will fall apart if you cut it too soon!). Remove the tin and the parchment from the base of the cake (place a plate on top of the cake and turn the cake upside down while holding the rack in place, and then turn back over again).
Serve warm with a side of green salad and a generous drizzle of olive oil and/or tahini. You might also want to add a quick tomato salsa on the side for some extra moisture!
Some other flavour options:
– Stir in 1/2 teaspoon of chilli flakes for some spice
– Use spelt flour instead of rice flour for a lighter cake (it won’t be gluten free!)
– Add 1/2 teaspoon of seaweed flakes in the cake batter instead of salt
– Swap the spinach in the filling for another green, such as kale, rainbow chard or rocket.
– If you don’t need to make this dairy free, add 25g of grated cheese instead of nutritional yeast flakes (cheddar, parmesan or strong flavoured cheese of your choice
Check out more of Meredith's mindful living tips here. If this has inspired you to get creating your own recipes, check out the beautiful hand made recipe journals we have online from Mell at The Sunshine Bindery.
