Celebrate with Cake

BY SIDONIE MAROON, THE FOOD CO-OP CULINARY EDUCATOR, ABLUEDOTKITCHEN.COM

We are what we eat, and our beliefs reside in what we buy. In honor of The Food Coop’s 50th, I wrote a special cake recipe that includes my top five shopping values.

I prefer to cook from scratch, so I want minimally processed whole foods. My rule of thumb, with exceptions, is if the ingredient list on the package has over three items, then it doesn’t go in my cart.

Buying without excess packaging is important. I want the food to speak for itself, not with idealized images and snappy marketing. Because I cook from scratch, I need quality dry goods, so legumes, seeds, nuts, pseudo grains, dried fruits, and spices make up most of my pantry.

I shop with concern for how we treat animals, plants, land, water, air, and people. I appreciate the decision making that happens before products arrive on the Coop’s shelves. No business is perfect, but I shop somewhere that strives to care.

Our Coop supports and promotes local farms and small entrepreneurs. The center of my culinary philosophy is eating in season and as close to home as possible. I’ve followed with pride our steady increase in commitment to locally grown food, and believe that besides teaching people how to cook, it’s the best investment we can make.

My values would mean little without the strong bonds, history, continuity, and fellowship of community. I’ve raised children, worked, formed friendships, and forged alliances within my weekly rounds of Coop shopping.

Over the past 27 years, The Food Coop has given me a lot, professionally and personally, and I am grateful. I take my responsibilities as a food educator and family gatekeeper seriously, and they make my job worth having.

1. Use a Vitamix on high speed for one minute and then sift.

2. Use a Kitchen Aid with a grain mill Attachment.

3. Try a Nutrimill or Mockmill or a large coffee grinder.

4. Borrow equipment from a friend, or get together to mill up baking mixes and put them away for later.

Our inner community, the microbiome, also matters to our health and wellbeing. When I buy bulk, cook from scratch, use my conscience, and purchase seasonal food, I’m by default feeding my gut flora what it needs.

Question: How many prebiotic foods are in this cake recipe? Answer: There are 18 sources of fiber that feed gut bacteria for a healthy microbiome!

Question: How many are in a standard American cake? Answer: Hmm…not so many.

My cake recipe calls for grinding your own flour, but don’t let that scare you off!* It’s easy and efficient once you get the hang of it. I measure and mill the dry ingredients in separate bowls for several cakes at once. Then I label and freeze the mixes in baggies with the recipe inside. When you’re ready, just add the wet ingredients and bake. It’s that simple.

A light, fluffy, sweet, spicy, and completely cake-like cake. Perfect for celebrations and children’s birthday parties. Recipe can be made gluten-free, egg-free, processed-sugar-free, and dairy-free.

½ cup pre-washed raw quinoa ½ cup raw chickpeas ½ cup carob powder ¼ cup roasted chicory root ¼ cup flaxseeds 1 tablespoon psyllium seed husk powder 1 teaspoon sea salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon 100% monk fruit powder or sweetener of your choice 3 teaspoons chai spice (recipe below) 2 teaspoons cinnamon

½ cup melted butter or non-dairy equivalent—I melt my butter in the preheating oven 1 ½ cups apple sauce ½ cup pitted Deglet dates, chopped 1 ¼ cups whole milk or plant-based milk 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1.Using a Vitamix, large coffee grinder, or home flour mill, grind the dry ingredients and sift into a large mixing bowl. 2.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper. 3.In the Vitamix, a food processor, or by hand, blend the wet ingredients together, including the dates. Once blended, stir into the dry ingredients. Smooth the batter into the cake pan. 4.Bake for 35 minutes. Serve warm with Coconut Whipped Cream.

14-ounce can of traditional coconut milk, left overnight in coldest part of the fridge to solidify ¼ teaspoon 100% monk fruit powder or liquid sweetener 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a food processor, whip the solids from the coconut milk, monk fruit powder, and vanilla into a thick cream. If needed, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of the coconut water to thin the cream.

Makes 1 cup ground powder, so you’ll have extra chai spice for tea or other baking.

3 tablespoons fennel seed 4 tablespoons whole green cardamom pods 1 tablespoon cloves 2 tablespoons allspice berries 4 tablespoons dried ginger root, not powdered 1 tablespoon black peppercorns 1 whole nutmeg 4 tablespoons broken pieces of cinnamon sticks 2 tablespoons coriander seeds

1. Start with whole fresh spices. 2. Measure and grind the spices, using a Vitamix or spice/coffee grinder. 3. Keep mix in a sealed tin or jar, in a cool dry place, and use within 3-4 months.

To make chai tea, add 5 teaspoons loose-leaf black tea and 1 to 2 teaspoons chai powder to 1 quart boiling water and steep for 5 minutes. Strain. Add milk and sweetener to taste.

*The Co-op also carries Nash and Finnriver flours if you cannot grind your own.