I think I have figured out what I love most about making healthy, delicious, nourishing dishes for others.
I love the moment when someone has tastes the food I’ve made, right when that first bite hits their tongue. Their taste buds register the ingredients, dissolve the flavors, and evolve into a reaction on their face.
For example, the Raw Pumpkin Spiced Carrot Cake I made my for my family. My father who doesn’t eat totally healthfully, at least not when it comes to sweets or desserts, tried my cake only to express a wow. He’s pretty skeptical of my all of my recipes anyway, dubbing them “salad-foods” and just a little too healthy.
Well, after taking one bite, he sad down and ate a whole piece to himself. The best part was when I told him it was raw, sugar-free, and made with carrots. His expression went from “it’s delicious!” to “this is healthy? I guess it’s just ok…”
Well, that “just ok” piece of cake was enjoyed by my dad in its entirety. I even overheard him talking it up hours later. Trust me, that’s saying a lot.
So, this cake is dad-approve, along with everyone else who tried it loving that it’s healthy and perfectly honey-sweetened. It’s even a super easy recipe with almost everything being in 1/2 cup amounts.
This Pumpkin Carrot Cake was made in cute little pumpkin-shaped cookie cutters for single serving pumpkin “slices.” Easy to make, fun to eat, and delicious in taste.
(Almost) Raw Pumpkin Spiced Carrot Cake with Walnut Pumpkin Frosting
Makes about 8 large pumpkin shaped slices with plenty of frosting for spoonful “sampling.”
- 1 cup grated carrots
- 1 cup cooked pumpkin flesh (canned or fresh)
- 1/2 cup almond meal (or ground almonds)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup RAW Garden of Life protein powder (or protein of choice or more almond meal)
- 1/2 cup raw honey
- 1/2 cup golden raisins
- 1 tbsp chia seeds (or ground flax seeds)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp pumpkin spice
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix together until a batter forms, adding in tiny amounts of water (or almond milk) as needed for thinning batter.
Place a [pumpkin shaped] cookie cutter on a parchment lined baking sheet. Fill the cookie cutter with pumpkin carrot batter to the top, packing down the batter as much as possible, making the cake dense. To remove cookie cutter, lightly squeeze cookie cutter sides in toward batter to loosen the edges and pull up slowly.
When you have created all of your pumpkin cakes, place baking sheet in the freezer for 1-2 hours, or while you make your frosting.
Walnut Pumpkin Frosting
- 1/2 cup raw walnuts
- 1/2 cup cashews (or more walnuts)
- 1/2 cup water
- 4 soft medjool dates
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/8 tsp sea salt
Blend all ingredients in a blender or food processor until creamy, stopping to scrape down sides if needed. If frosting is too thick to blend properly, add in more water 1 tbsp at a time, as needed.
Remove pumpkin cakes from freezer. Frost each pumpkin shaped cake and sprinkle with a dash of cinnamon.
Guess what? Not only is this dessert delicious and decadent, but it’s completely healthy, loaded with protein and even veggies, raw, vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free, and Paleo. 
I love health!
Is there a health skeptic in your house?
How do you try to “sneak” health into your loved ones lives?
What do you love best about serving or sharing healthy, nourishing food with others?
Hi everyone, I'm Lori and this is my blog What Runs Lori.
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Food & Wine: Articles