Chilli Carrot Pasta and Orange Drizzle Cake

You know I do appreciate my weekends.  Come Friday afternoon, I look forward to closing the laptop and tucking it away in its case along with the mouse.  I can then turn my head to my Friday evening and watch some light TV like Gogglebox or Have I Got News For You (but that was not on this week),  so I turned to Netflix and settled on watching  Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods about four African American veterans return who return to Vietnam decades after the war.  There were echoes of Treasure of Sierra Madre.   

I haven't cooked much this weekend though as I needed to rest.  Its been an extremely busy week, in fact its been unbelievably manic since April, which is in stark contrast to  a number of people I work with who say that their pace of life have slowed down and they could get used to it, I can only wish I had that privilege.  

So I am sharing this Chilli Carrot Pasta Salad that I made late last month.   It was one of those recipes where I thought i was being both frugal and innovative with the carrots. However the idea in my head was better than the actual execution of the recipe.  I don't know why I thought the carrots would break down like red lentil dal and cling to the penne pasta like sauce, but that is not what happened. The carrots were grate-y, in fact looking at it you would think there were red lentils in this, but no.

The flavours were alright though - mildly spiced.  The recipe is not dissimilar form the Garlicky Rainbow Chard Pasta Salad, but with the addition of carrot.  Once the carrot had softened up, I used my hand blender thinking it would turn smooth, but it just grated the carrots - I don't know what I was thinking, in fact i wasn't thinking properly.  Regardless of the texture, it tasted okay and was alright to tuck into for working lunch at home. 

I also made Orange Drizzle Cake adapted from the  'Lemon Balm - Lemon Drizzle Cake'  that I shared last month.

It was good. 

I am sharing this Chilli Carrot Pasta Salad with Soup, Salad and Sammies hosted by Kahakai Kitchen.

Orange and Carrot Soup

Yesterday I shared a Orange and Cumin Madeira Cake and as promised, today have a Orange Carrot Soup for you. It not just orange in colour, its also orange in flavour too.

I am not normally into sweet soups, but I enjoyed as it was not overly candied.  The orange gave the soup a citrus lift.  This was originally a Lemon and Carrot Soup, but I substituted the lemons with oranges. 

It was such a pretty bowl soup to look at too, enhanced further by a thinly sliced piece of orange on top as garnish accompanying the fresh parsley from the garden.  

I am sharing this Orange and Carrot Soup with Soup, Salad and Sammies hosted by Kahakai Kitchen. 

Other Carrot Soup Recipes

Carrot and Thyme Soup 

Carrot and Coriander Soup

Carrot and Potato Soup

Carrot Soup with Tamarind Swirl

Orange Cumin Madeira Cake

The  oranges I picked up well before quarantine are still rolling about in my fruit bowl, as D has failied in his duty as orange juice crusher. They are still super juicy and tasty, so can be eaten naturaly, but I find that I am left to be creative with them. Regular readers will know that I have already I made Orange Ginger Apple Loaf Cake early this April.   

Today I have this Orange and Cumin Madeira Cake to share; and tomorrow I have a Orange Carrot Soup for you. 

This recipe for Cumin and Orange Maderia Loaf comes from a cookbook called Spice Trip by Stevie Pearle and Emma Grazette. I had not heard of either of these chefs before, until I bought the cookbook from Oxfam second hand bookshop about 6 years ago. And although many of the recipes are meat based, there is lots of good stuff to read around medicinal use of spices.

For those of you who want the recipe, well its essentially a Orange and Caraway cake with cumin instead.  It was wonderfully buttery. 

I hope your all keeping well and are finding things to keep you occupied, by the way let me know what you have been baking? 

Orange Curry and Orange Ginger Apple Loaf Cake

We woke up early to go to the supermarket to top up on fruit and vegetables, along with other basic essentials. When we got there just before 7am, noticed that had changed the time of opening to 8am. We drove back home empty handed. I must admit, I was a bit anxious. It was my first time leaving the house.  Surprisingly the roads were busy as if we were going into work, which was unusual.  D commented on how busy it was, I stared out of the car window at the windows of the houses we drove past, displaying colourful rainbows. I wasn't sure what this was about, but when I got back home I did a search and learned that pictures of rainbows have started springing up in windows after schools had closed in response to the coronavirus outbreak, and primary schools are encouraging pupils at home to put up paintings to "spread hope". It was genuinely heart warming to see.

No rainbows in my window though...instead in my home was this Orange Cake and Double: Sweet Potato Curry. I say was, as I made it early this week and its all gone. 

Mid March, well before the quarantine  - D picked up a load of oranges to make juice with his manual juice maker, but typically I end up having to find ways of making the most of ingredients he picks up. 

So this egg free Orange Ginger Apple Loaf Cake was one way that I found myself using some of those oranges, but as I went to make the cake I realised that I did not need to use the whole orange - only the zest!  The cake also contains mixed dried fruit, black treacle aka molasses. 

The Double Potato and Pepper Curry with Chickpeas was made to use up what we had in the house. I found the Double Potato Curry a little sweet, so squeezed the juice of half of zested orange into it for liven it up a little.  It definately perked it up a little for my tastebuds. 

The  Orange Ginger Apple Loaf Cake was reminisce of steamed pudding or even closer to malt bread which is dark and squidgy, full of dried fruit. The recipe was adapted fromThe Vegetarian Gourmet: Easy Low Fat Favourites cookbook.  This was nice to eat warm (reheated in the microwave), but by day four it began to feel a bit dense and stodgy so we fed it to the birds, by the following day it was all gone. Nothing at home is going to waste, it rarely did before so I can continue to feel smug in that knowledge. 

No Ordinary Blood Orange Tart

Early on in the month, I made a Blood Orange Tart when blood oranges were still in season.  I have been wanting to make this for a while, and when I saw blood oranges at a supermarket, it was decided that this was my weekend mission. 

I started with great excitement, measuring out the ingredients, bringing out bowls, whisks and measuring spoons.  I made everything from scratch, the shortcrust pastry.  The orange custard creme brulee-like filling and then sliced the blood orange as thinly as I could with such concentration that you think I had telepathic skills.  

Creamy Carrot and Sweet Potato Rice Pudding with Blood Oranges

Some of you may remember last month I made a Beetroot Rose Rice Pudding, my husband loudly asserted You can make that again!  Well I have been looking for a reason to make  a variation of it again and it came with the Food 'N' Flix  hosted by Wendy at A Day In The Life on a Farm. The movie chosen this month is The Martian. 

I had not watched it, so we picked it up when we were in Bath, Somerset for the day.  I watched it that evening.  The Martian is about an astronaut  Mark Watney (played by Matt Damon) a Botanist who is accidentally presumed to be dead and is left by his crew on Mars.  When he wakes up, he realises he is all alone and has to survive.  He embarks on a journey, a journey of survival where he attempts to grow potato crops on a land where nothing grows, biding time for his colleagues to come and rescue him.   Here is a trailer to the movie if you have not watched it.  

The most obvious food reference was of course to potatoes and yes, I cook with potatoes a lot, sweet potatoes that is.  I took my inspiration from the myriad and bursting shades of orange, rust, bronze, marigold, clay, sandstone found  in the landscape of the planet, from the rockery to the grainy dry sand.  

I decided to make a Creamy Carrot and Sweet Potato Rice Pudding with Blood Oranges.  I have to thank Coffee and Casseroles for spotting the oranges in the movie about 29 minutes into the movie, there is a bowl of oranges on the table behind two actors in an Earth scene, as I blinked and missed them, but I  felt I just had to incorporate them into my dish too, Thank you once again.

Upside Down Sicilian Blood Orange Chocolate Cake

This Upside Down Sicilian Blood Orange Chocolate Cake is my second Sicilian Blood Orange recipe.  This cake, like the gluten free Blood Orange Almond Cake was also very delicious and I say that with a bit of surprise.  

Why? 

Well for those of you who know me now, will know that I don't really do sweet cakes, and I don't go gaga or doolally tap for chocolate either.  I am drawn more towards savoury eats and treats, but my man, my husband has a very sweet tooth - be it for cakes or chocolate.  He likes them both but not always together.

This cake was wonderfully moist on the first day.  A couple of days later the chocolate sponge had got a bit cold and stiff, but it was still very good.  I think it is best served at room temperature too.  

I especially loved the Blood Orange topping and the orange caramelised and became both sticky and chewy.  We enjoyed the cake without cream, but it could benefit with you are that way inclined.

I am sharing this Upside Down Blood Orange Chocolate Cake with We Should Cocoa Challenge; and Simple and In Season hosted by Feeding Boys ; and Hijacked by Twins for CookBlog Share; and Simply Seasonal and Good Egg Foodie.

Sicilian Blood Orange Almond Cake (Gluten Free)

It is the Blood Orange Season.

I had picked up some Sicilian Blood Oranges from a supermarket and wasn't completely sure what to do with them other than just peel and eat them, of course.

It was only when I started reading an on line article by Media Diversified on the much celebrated cook Claudia Roden and author of A Book of Middle Eastern Food (1968) and The Book of Jewish Food (1996) that I decided to make Orange and Almond Cake.

In the article the writer mentions Claudia Roden's famous Almond and Orange Cake which she made with blood oranges.  This Orange and Almond cake has featured on many gluten free cookbooks and food blogs as its made without flour. Even Nigella Lawson spun the recipe replacing the oranges with clementines.  

Even though I have New Book of Middle Eastern Food by Claudia Roden
- the cookbook from which the recipe is from, I took my lead from the article and made the Orange Almond Cake with Sicilian Blood Oranges.  

The Blood Orange did not impart any colour to the moist sponge, but plenty of flavour.  The cake itself was truly amazing to eat.

I wasn't going to  post the Sicilian Blood Orange Almond Cake recipe, its plastered all over blogosphere with minor variations: lemons or grapefruit in place of the oranges and a hint of spice: cardamon, caraway or fennel seeds, then I decided to do so.  Another gluten free Orange Almond Cake recipe on blogosphere wasn't going to make a difference, but complete credit goes to the amazing Claudia Roden for sharing the recipe with the Western world.

Blood Orange Chia Cake

Another cake to enjoy with a cuppa tea if you so wish.

I won't fib, this is really a Lemon Poppy Seed Drizzle blinged up.  The Lemon is replaced with seasonal Blood Oranges and the Poppy seeds replaced with the trendy chia seeds.  After all chia seeds are the new poppy seed!

Darjeeling Pecan Tea Loaf

This is a softly scented Darjeeling Pecan Tea Loaf.

Vegan Friendly Giant 'Jaffa' Cake

How Golden Am I?  Have you noted the last four recipes have been made with gold coloured vegetables and also happen to be accidentally vegan too.

Well here is another - my Giant 'Jaffa' Cake.  

Turmeric Pasta with Blood Orange Chilli Vinaigrette Dressing

This marigold yellow pasta with marmalade coloured roasted peppers and butternut squash was lunch for work - twice, last week.  

As I was tucking in, it got some of my colleagues all intrigued and curious 'Gosh, that pasta is glowing'.

The pasta is simply infused with turmeric powder.  I've also tried this method with beetroot See HERE.   Although I have used ready made penne pasta here, you could easily make vegan Turmeric pasta from scratch too, just add a teaspoon or half to the flour when your mixing and kneading. 

Anyway, the turmeric pasta on its own was a bit bland, so I decided to make make a vinaigrette dressing for it with some Blood Oranges that were mingling with the lemons in a bowl.

The Blood Orange Chilli Oil was spicy and quite tasty elevated by the addition of my bottle of Welsh Blodyn Aur Rapeseed Chilli Oil.   Of course, you can make your own Chilli Oil at home and I probably would had I grown my own chillies, but sometimes when you have excellent produce on your front door why would you not want to make the most of it. 

The Turmeric Pasta with Roasted Squash and Peppers and Chilli Oil was blooming delicious and I'd happily make it again for lunch or evening meal. Probably best served with some salad greens, but that is optional. The only thing I was very disappointed in my supermarket bought Blood oranges.  Once sliced they were not as blood red inside as I had expected...oh well.

Vegan Orange and Lemon Poppyseed Cake Again

I've made vegan lemon and orange poppy seed cake many times in the past, see here and here; even Orange and Poppyseed Waffles.  So why on earth would I make the cake again?

because I'm need more zingy citrus inspiration.  In stead I find myself following some trusty old recipes.  Still these were very enjoyable to eat.  

   The only thing missing, was a bit of icing drizzle - maybe next time. 

Vegan Orange Chocolate Cake

Some of you may remember me mentioning my new garden friend last month: who I have named Moggy.  Well she certainly has adopted us and we definitely now have a pet.  It's so nice to come home to a warm excitable cat, especially after a long day at work. 

Yes, yes work.  I have found paid employment and I have to say I am not enjoying it one bit.  Its been made unenjoyable (is that even a word?) because of the people I am working with, namely women who have been most unhelpful in helping me adapt and learn my new routine in my new environment.  I have barely had any training and its like I am meant to know where everything is and how everything operates.  I have been coming home really tired: physically and mentally and frustrated that this is what I have been reduced too.  I thought the role would be a little more rewarding, but I am expected to do so much in so little time with very little help from those around me.  I am going to keep my eyes peeled for other opportunities, but in our current economic environment, well you know paupers can't be choosers and its a job.  I am hoping it will get better with time as its only been a couple of weeks, but I have a gut feeling I may not last long there, but I will persevere for now as I have very little in the way of options right now and we need the money.

Anyway, onto some sweet things.  I made this Orange Chocolate cake just over a month ago and it was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone who had a slice.  I've put some 'vegan cream cheese frosting' on the cake, it's completely optional.   Oh I could happily do with a slice of this cake right now. 

Vegan Orange Chocolate Cake
You will need a 10 inch round spring form cake tin for this cake
Serves 12
425g plain flour
75g cocoa powder
11/2 teaspoon bicarbonate soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
180g golden caster sugar

400ml soy milk
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
200ml vegetable oil
Zest of two oranges
Method
Sieve the dry ingredients first over a large bowl, then stir in the sugar. In another bowl, combine the wet ingredients and the grated zest, then carefully pour into the dry ingredients and combine well. Then pour into baking tin. 
Bake at gas mark 4/180oC for 45 - 50 minutes of until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool.  Best served the following day

Vegan Orange Poppyseed cakes

What's the weather like where you are?  Here the snow has finally melted away, replaced by incessant cold sleet rain.  Moments ago, there was even thunder and lightening.  I am so glad I am home dry and warm. 

On Friday 25th January, I had a 'Burns Day and Night Menu' on offering.  Amongst my creations: Vegan Haggis, Neep and Tattie Pie, Spicy Neep Samosa Pies, Vegeterian Haggis and Portobello Mushroom Lasagne, Vegan Haggis Burgers, Scottish Raspberries and Chocolate Bundt Cake and Irn Bru Jelly.  I haven't got round to downloading those photographs yet, so today its another cake to feast your eyes on.

For those of you who read this blog, I must let you know that this is exactly the same recipe for the Lemon Poppy seed mini loaf cakes, except her I have used orange zest and juice here.  I don't know if I mentioned in the Lemon Poppy seed cake post, but this recipe can be a bit hit and miss.  This time the batter did not rise as much as it should have, so these were a little on the slender side, so I sandwiched two cakes together with marmalade to give it more height and appeal.

This is the second time this month that I am sharing a Orange flavoured recipe with Karen at Lavender and Lovage and Kate of What Kate Baked for their Tea Time Treats. The theme for January is citrus; as well as One Ingredient with Laura of How to Cook Good Food and Nazima of Franglais Kitchen who are featuring on orange this month. 

Vegan Orange Poppy seed Cake with marmalade and flaked almonds
Yields 8 -  10 mini round cakes
Ingredients
460g plain flour
300g golden caster sugar
2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon salt
450ml water
275ml vegetable oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest or orange zest
Juice from 2 lemons or from 2 oranges
40g poppy seeds
Orange or Lemon Marmalade
Handful of lightly toasted flaked almonds
Method
Preheat oven to gas mark 4/180
Line 8 - 10 mini round cake/tartlet tins.
Combine the first 4 dry ingredients together, then stir in the wet ingredients and zest. Gently and evenly fold in the poppy seeds. Carefully pour into baking tin/s and bake for 20 - 25 minutes for the smaller versions or 35 - 40 minutes for larger cake. Bake until golden, risen and firm to the touch. When cool, turn them out of the baking tins.

Optional: using a spatula, generously coat the sides of the cake with marmalade and then stick the lightly toasted almond flakes to the side.  These are best eaten within a couple of days.

Orange and Chilli Granita

I know its snowing heavily in some parts of the U.K, and the last thing some people want to see is a recipe for something cold and icy, but in my defence the flakes of chilli in this granita will give you a little warmth, if not a little fire.  

This recipe is an adaptation of my  Lemon and Rosemary version; and its proved to be quite popular amongst my taste testers - the  young nephew and my husband - the chief taste tester.   I also made a coffee version of granita but that did not go down so well, main criticism for that one was it was not strong enough, fair enough. 

I am sharing this Orange and Chilli Granita with Karen at Lavender and Lovage and Kate of What Kate Baked for their Tea Time Treats. The theme for January is citrus; as well as One Ingredient with Laura of How to Cook Good Food and Nazima of Franglais Kitchen who are featuring on orange this month. 

Orange and Chilli Granita
You will need a food processor for this recipe
Ingredients
Juice and zest of 5 unwaxed oranges
300g sugar
1 3/4 pints of water
1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes or to taste
Method
Gently bring all the ingredients to a boil, stirring frequently until all the sugar has melted. Simmer for a couple of minutes, then remove from the heat and leave it to cool.
When cool enough, pour into a suitable plastic container and freeze. Freeze, then after an hour or so take out of freezer and blend in food processor, pour back into container and freeze for another hour or so, then remove from freeze and blend again. This is to ensure that there are no mass of ice, but soft crystals. Then freeze. Twice should be enough, but you may want to do it a third time if you want softer crystals.

Vegan Lemon and Orange Poppy seed Cake

Another one from last years unblogged archive of photographs and recipes.  For some reason, these vegan Lemon Poppy seed cakes are not as popular as my vegan Chocolate cakes, maybe I just need to gussy them up with some glaze, icing or frosting.  I've even considered slicing them in two and filling it with lemon curd, but then it would not be suitable for vegans.  I still continue to make them, hoping that their lightness and gently sweetness will win some hearts, but no - they tend to get ignored.

I often make these vegan Lemon in mini loaf pans and it yields 12 mini loafs, but you can try and make one large tray bake . As for the Vegan Orange Poppy seed Cake in little round baking tins, a little more appealing to the eyes. 

I honestly don't know where I acquired the recipe, I found it a scrappy hand-written A4 paper tucked in one of my early vegan cookbooks: 365 plus one Vegan Recipes reprinted as Easy Vegan Cooking.  Anyway, I've adapted this recipe a little further, just by substituting the lemon juice with fresh orange juice.

I am still having problems downloading images onto my blog, this images for this blog entry had been uploaded last week.

A2K Vegan Lemon or Orange Poppy seed Cake
Yields 12 mini loafs
Ingredients
460g plain flour
300g golden caster sugar
2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon salt
450ml water
275ml vegetable oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest or orange zest
Juice from 2 lemons or from 2 oranges
40g poppy seeds
A2K Method
Preheat oven to gas mark 4/180
Line a 9 x 13 inch baking tin or 12 mini loaf tins.
Combine the first 4 dry ingredients together, then stir in the wet ingredients and zest.  Gently and evenly fold in the poppy seeds.  Carefully pour into baking tin/s and bake for 20 - 25 minutes for the smaller versions or 35 - 40 minutes for larger cake.  Bake until golden, risen and firm to the touch.  These are best eaten within a couple of days

Orange and Raisin Flapjacks

I enjoyed making these flapjacks, especially the zesting of the orange which filled the kitchen with its refreshing citrus scent.  The waft transported me back to Cyprus and our holidays there two years ago with my mother-in-law and late father-in-law.  Ah hot sunny days.  

I have to say, these are by far the best tasting flapjacks I've made for a while. These are dense, chewy and orangey. One slice is truly enough.  If you go back for another, I am really going to call you greedy.  Yes, I am talking to you D in case you are reading this. 

When they are gone, I know that I will be making them again. The only thing I would do differently is purely for presentation. I would press a very thin slice of (crystallised) orange on the top for visual effect. I think that would make them more popular.

I am also sharing it with Family Friendly Fridays.   May's edition of Family Friendly Fridays is being hosted by Clare over at The Vegetarian Experience on behalf of Ren over at Fabulicious Food .

Orange and Raisin Flapjacks
Ingredients
Makes about 16 
250g butter
250g golden caster sugar
175g golden syrup
Zest from 1 large orange
425g rolled oats
Handful of raisins or sultanas
Method
Preheat oven to gas mark 4 or 180oc.
Grease a medium sized baking tray.  
In a large saucepan, melt the butter, sugar, golden syrup and orange zest.Take of the heat, then evenly stir in the oats and raisins.
Using a spatula, carefully turn out into the baking tray and press down. Place the tray in the oven for 20 – 25 minutes or until the sides are golden.Remove from the oven.  Allow to cool, before slicing.