I first made these muffins in 2005 (I always write comments on any recipe I make, including the date and who I made the recipe for), and back then, they deemed an “Excellent!” When I realized I had a few scraggly carrots lying around that needed to be used, I decided to revisit these muffins.

They’re called “Spicy Carrot Muffins” in the book, but I can’t taste the “spiciness” of them, so I’ve renamed them. This time around, I also made a few changes. I didn’t include any nuts this time, and upped the amount of raisins to 1 cup. Also, I only used 1/2 cup oil and 1/4 cup apple sauce – the original wants 3/4 oil – and they’re just as good, if not better.

Next time, I would add even more cinnamon, and use only 1 cup sugar. But even without those alterations, this is a good and simple muffin recipe that you can whip together in no time (if you don’t mind grating all those carrots; am I the only person who consistently grates their thumb when it comes to carrot-grating?). The cinnamon is wonderful, and of course plays well with all that carrot. They’re moist and a good muffin-texture. Just make sure you don’t over-mix – muffins will become sooo tough if you do.

Carrot Raisin Muffins
adapted from Robin Hood’s Home Baking

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup raisins
1/2 chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, optional)
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups grated carrots (peeled first)
3 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners and grease muffin pan lightly.

1. Combine flour, sugar, raisins, nuts, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl. Stir well.

2. Beat carrots, eggs and oil. Add to dry ingredients all at once, stirring just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin pan.

3. Bake for 25-27 minutes until tops spring back when lightly touched.

It’s been pretty hot here lately, so I figured what better recipe to post than a slightly spicy, very flavourful and cheesy Chili Cheese Bread? It’s a simple quick bread to prepare, and I think it would be an awesome choice for any summer picnic or BBQ.

This bread is extremely moist, with a slight crunch on the top crust. It uses three different types of peppers: fresh jalapeno, some canned peppers and red bell pepper, so there’s a definite heat to the bread, as well as a freshness coming from the bell pepper. The cheese, of course, only makes the bread more flavourful.

I reduced the amount of pepper used in the recipe. For me, I could’ve had things a little spicier, but since I was making it for others who aren’t all that impressed with spicy foods, I reduced it. However, some still found it spicy, so take care when choosing the amount of your peppers. I used canned jalapeno peppers, so but only half the can.

Given how easy this bread is to make, and just how packed with flavour it is, I can see myself making it time and time again.

Chili-Cheese Bread
Adapted from Pink Parsley Catering, adapted from Savory Baking, Mary Cech

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
4 ounces (1 cup) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup whole milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 4-ounce can chopped green chilies
3 Tablespoons finely chopped jalapeno chili, veined and seeded
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 375, and  grease or spray an 8×3 inch loaf pan.

2. Sift together the flour, salt, pepper, sugar, and baking powder in a medium bowl.  Add the cheese and gently toss and stir until it is evenly distributed throughout the mixture.

3. Whisk the milk, oil, egg, green chilies, jalapeno, and red bell pepper in another bowl.  Make a well in the center of the flour and cheese mixture, and pour the milk mixture in the center.  Briefly blend with a spatula, only until the dry ingredients are just incorporated.

4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and place in the oven.  Bake until the top is golden-brown, and springs back when touched in the center, about 45-50 minutes.  Cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then remove the bread from the pan and cool completely.

When I first saw the chocolate-caramel-banana upside down cake on The Food Librarian, I fell in love. I adore upside down cakes because of all their rich, sweet caramel soaking through the top, so making a chocolate cake and using thick slices of bananas on the top sounds like the perfectly heavenly cake. Sounds like the cake to make for Mother’s Day!

This cake certainly did not disappoint! It was quite the flavour combination: the chocolate cake was not overly rich, but moist with a still strong chocolate taste. However, all the caramel somewhat takes away from any strong chocolate flavour, making the chocolate a background note. The Food Librarian thought the original recipe was too sweet and would decrease the amount of sugar and butte topping, but I disagree; I thought it was the perfect amount! Upside-down cakes are supposed to be heavy on the caramel, and I thought the amount played wonderfully with the chocolate of the cake. As for the bananas, this cake had a great banana flavour. The bananas cooked their flavour down into the cake and across the caramel.

I served this warm with a dollop of caramel ice cream, and it was just divine. The next day, I ate a piece cold, and it was just as good, with a heavier, denser texture. Both ways, absolutely wonderful. If you are looking for a fun variation on the usual upside-down cake, then this is for you. If you just love chocolate, caramel and bananas, then this cake is great for that too. All in all, it is a simple cake to make and soooo good to eat.

Chocolate Caramel Banana Upside Down Cake
adapted from The Food Librarian

TOPPING
1 stick butter
3/4 c light brown sugar
3 ripe bananas, cut into 1/4-inch slices

CAKE
3/4 c plus 2 T unbleached all-purpose flour
6 T (1/4 c plus 2T) unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
3/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
6 T (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 c granulated sugar
2 large eggs (room temp)
2 t vanilla
2/3 c buttermilk (I just soured some normal milk with lemon juice)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use a 9″ x 2″ cake pan.

2. Topping: Heat butter over medium heat until melted and foamy. Whisk in brown sugar, turn heat to low and cook, whisking constantly, for two minutes or until the mixture is thick. Spread on the bottom of the 9″ cake pan.

3. Arrange the bananas in a circle on top of the sugar mixture. Set aside.

4. Sift together flour, cocoa, soda and salt.

5. Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Stir in vanilla.

6. On low speed, alternate adding the flour mixture and buttermilk (3 flour and 2 milk additions).

7. Scrape down the sides and then beat batter on high for 30 seconds.

8. Pour batter over the bananas and smooth out.

9. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let sit on wire rack for 5 minutes. Then carefully invert onto your serving tray. Let sit at least 20 minutes before diving in.

Making your own pizza sauce will always get you a tastier pie than if just using the jarred stuff. I like the control making your own sauce gives you – you can make it as sweet, as spicy, as basily as you want. I used Let’s Start Simple’s basic recipe, though changed a few things as I went along. The end result was a sweet sauce with a tang of balsamic vinegar, the subtle sweetness of maple syrup and a bit of heat from some dried chilli peppers. It was great on the vegetarian pizza, and it went really well with the salty olives. Any leftover sauce can be kept in the fridge for a later pizza, or can be used as a marinara dipping sauce. I enjoyed dolloping sauce along the crust of my pizza after it was baked. Can never get too much sauce!

As for the pizza I made, I went with a premade crust, as we had gotten it for free. I sautéed some mushrooms and onions in butter to get some of the moisture out and to caramelize the onions a bit. Then, like with any pizza, I spread on the sauce, topped generously with shredded mozzarella, some chunks of black olives and a few basil leaves. Bake and enjoy!

Spicy Sweet Pizza Sauce
adapted from Let’s Start Simple

1/2 cup of tomato concentrate
1/2 cup of water
2 cups diced tomatoes (I used fresh tomatoes, but you can use a 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes)
1/4 cup of chopped fresh basil
3 tbsp. of olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp. of maple syrup
1 tsp. of balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup of wine ( I used white, but you can also use red)
Dried chilli peppers, ground (to taste)
salt & pepper (to taste)

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan and add chopped onions. Sauté for about 5 minutes, add garlic and continue to sauté until fragrant.

2. Deglaze pan with balsamic vinegar and wine and add the remaining ingredients. Turn heat to medium-low and simmer for about 1 hour.

3. Puree sauce in batches and return to saucepan. Continue to simmer until the sauce is at your desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper and chilli peppers

I think it’s fairly obvious that we do not live a vegan lifestyle at montcarte. We clearly like our eggs and butter, especially when it comes to desserts, so I’ve always been a bit hesitant when it comes to vegan baked goods. I have high doubts that they’ll ever be delicious, so when I was approached by my sweet friend Patra (the recipient of the oh-so-popular vanilla cupcakes with lemon-lime curd filling) to bake something vegan for an information booth about cruelty against animals, I wondered if I could pull it off.

And in the end, I think I was successful! These brownies come together in a flash, and are extremely low in fat, but not lacking in flavour. I’m not going to say that they beat out regular, buttery brownies, but they’re a fantastic alternative for anyone who doesn’t want animal products in their food, or even just someone trying to cut some fat out of their diet. Their texture was a bit off, if you compare them to regular brownies. They had a chewiness to them, but that wasn’t unappealing in the least. They were still sweet, chocolately and fudgey, which is all that really matters. They didn’t get that flakey crust, but that’s okay – they were delicious, and at at least half the fat. I liked the fudginess of them, and they had a healthy vibe to them.

It was interesting that the batch I made with walnuts turned out chewier than the batch without. I chalk that up to the oils in the walnuts. Also interesting was the response to the brownies at the info booth! I work in a school setting, and a lot of the students were not only eager to try some vegan goods, but were enthusiastic and extremely excited. Those who weren’t? Well, once they had a bite, they were convinced that these brownies are not really lacking in any way.

Here’s the recipe I handed out with the brownies, along with a bit of information not commonly known, except by the vegans among us.

Easy Vegan Brownies

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups demerra or turbinado sugar *
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
1 cup hot water
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan with some vegetable oil.

2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.

3. Stir coffee granules in hot water until dissolved. Add water to the dry mixture. Add vegetable oil, applesauce and vanilla.

4. Mix well, until blended. Add nuts, if you’re using them.

5. Spread evenly into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is no longer shiny. Let cool for at least 20 minutes before cutting into squares.

*Granulated sugar can be a refined sugar derived from sugar cane. If it is, then the purification process involves filtering the sugar through activated carbon, or, charcoal. Many cane refineries use bone char, which is charcoal made from animal bones, to filter their sugar. Some people feel that this can make granulated sugar non-vegan. Demerra or turbinado sugars do not go through this process, making them a great vegan choice!