Garden Cake

Tomorrow morning we head out for our first camping trip as a family of four. I'm so excited; a long weekend away with my amazing, sweet little family AND our great friends, Charles and Sara. Lainey and I spent this morning cooking and baking a slew of yummy snacks to take along. We had a pasta salad, a batch of my pesto-ish spread (this time with broccoli rabe, garlic scapes, and basil), and a batch of mini cupcakes all done before 11 a.m.

These garden cake mini-muffins came from one of my new favorite cookbooks--"More Vegetables, Please!" by Elson M. Haas, MD and Patty James, MS. It's kind of like the non-deceptive version of Deceptively Delicious....full of ideas to incorporate veggies in your meals, but by preparing them in better more appealing ways, instead of trying to trick your family into eating them.

Lainey so enjoyed making these muffins with me; this was the most enjoyable thing we've ever made together because of how involved and into it she was. She helped me grate all the vegetables with my cool old hand-cranked grater (called a King Kutter, find one on ebay!)

and loved tasting them in the grated form (and found she loves grated carrots!). She mixed, poured, grated, drank applesauce, and discovered a love of a new veggie...what more could I ask for? :)

My mom always told me to eat a rainbow of colors...I'm so in love with dessert that has all these beautiful colors baked right in!

GARDEN CAKE

from More Vegetables, Please!

1/2 c walnut oil (I used canola)

1/2 c applesauce

3 eggs

1 1/4 c sugar (I used just 1)

2 tsp vanilla

2 c whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 c unpeeled and grated carrots

1 c unpeeled and grated zucchini

1/2 c unpeeled and grated beets

1 c chocolate chips (optional)

1/2 c chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 9x13 pan. (I made mine in mini-muffin tin...just adjust bake time depending on what you bake it in).

In a large bowl, mix the oil, applesauce, eggs, and sugar, beating well with a hand mixer or whisk for 3-4 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir into wet ingredients. Add shredded veggies, chocolate chips, and walnuts. Stir until blended and pour into prepared pan. Bake 35-40 minutes (mini muffins took about 12 minutes), until toothpick comes out clean.