Uttapam

The idly dough has been in the refrigerator for almost a week. At this point, it would make sour, flat idly. When the dough gets like this, though, it's perfect for making uttapam!

Uttapam with a bit of ketchup for dipping

To the idly batter (approximately 2 cups remaining) add

1/2 of a red onion, chopped
1 carrot, shredded
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
5 curry leaves, minced
1 inch piece of ginger, minced
sprinkle of salt & pepper
1 green chili, minced

Heat small skillet with a tsp of oil. Add about a cup of the batter and press lightly to spread to fill pan. Cook over med-low heat until golden brown, flip to cook other side.

Carrot Cake

Carrot cake is amongst my favorite cakes. I love hearty, dense cakes--full of goodies. That's why I added nuts to this recipe. And honestly, next time I may add in some other varieties of dried fruits, like golden raisins and dried cranberries. Perhaps almonds. Yumm-o. The beautiful thing about this cake is that there is no refined sugar added. It  gets its sweetness naturally, hence its inclusion in the cookbook, Sweet & Natural.

Carrot Cake

3 large carrots
1 egg (or egg substitute) *I used 1 Tbs ground flaxseed, whisked together with 2 Tbs warm water
3/8 cup oil
1 8 oz can crushed pineapple, in juice
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup walnuts
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Scrub & grate the carrots. Measure 1 cup and set aside.
Grease an 8x8 inch square baking pan.
In a blender, combine egg, oil, pineapple & juice, raisins, and vanilla. Process until raisins are finely chopped.
Measure flour, spices, salt and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Stir well.
Add blended mixture, grated carrots and walnuts to dry ingredients, mixing until batter is uniform.
Spread batter into an oiled pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until done.
Cool.

OK- I cheated and made a cream cheese frosting,
so I can't say this is completely free of refine sugars.

For the frosting,

I just softened a package of neufchatel cheese, added barely 1/4 cup of powdered sugar, and maybe a 1/4-1/2 tsp of vanilla flavoring. Lightly sweet. And oh, so delicious!

Allam (Ginger) Chutney

Ginger has many health benefits. I'm sure it's most popular use is for soothing nausea and aiding digestion. That's why idly with allam chutney is a perfect start to the day. Idly are simply steamed rice and lentil cakes, so when paired with the ginger chutney, are very easily digested. Healthy and light on the stomach. Now that's a good morning!

Ingredients & Process

3 inch piece of ginger, cut into 3 pieces

1 spoon brown sugar or jaggery

1/2 tsp tamarind concentrate (can use dried tamarind soaked in measure of water listed below)

1/2 cup water

1/2 tsp salt

Popu made with

1/2 tsp mustardseeds, 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds, 1/2 tsp urad dal, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, 1/4 tsp turmeric,1/8 tsp asafetida, 7 curry leaves

In blender, combine ginger, jaggery, tamarind, water and salt. Puree until smooth. Will be thin, slightly watery is ok. Add the popu and puree for 30 more seconds to thoroughly blend ingredients.

*Ginger has a natural peppery flavor, but you can add additional green chili or dried red chili if your taste preferences are for more spicy chutney.