Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Orange, Awesome and Oh-So-Good!

Occasionally, I like to roast, as opposed to steam, my vegetable selections come dinnertime. In fact, I adore the nutty, slightly bitter flavour of Brussels sprouts and green beans, or the buttery-ness of beets far more after they’ve taken their time in the oven. Parsnips and carrots are fair game too – especially when cut into “fries”!

Me, being – well, me, with a history of chronic overeating (seriously - you could never guess though, could you?), my eyes were once again bigger than my stomach the last time I roasted up my roots. I ended up with about 2 carrots’ worth of “fries” left over. As much as I fully support the fight against food waste and espouse eating leftovers, cold, limp and slightly “clammy” textured carrots just don’t sit right. That’s not to say that I was about to waste perfectly decent, mould- and other-nasty-thing -free food. There was nothing wrong with them, except for the whole “texture” thing – completely my perception, I’m sure. Obviously they would be of no use in carrot cake, soup or a stir-fry, being far too soft to stand up to any sort of further cooking. I would have pureed them and used them as baby food, but neither I nor anyone else I knew had a little bundle of joy around.

But puree does have good potential, being thick, rich and full of goodness without the troublesome “bits” regular mashed food can have. In short order I had just shy of a cup of caramelized carroty “butter” on my hands... but now what? Soup and sauces were still more or less out, given the plethora of both still sitting in our freezer from over the Summer. Cake was definitely out... a diabetic, two kids who don’t like any cake but vanilla or chocolate, and a woman trying to watch her weight? Talk about wasted food! The one thing that seemed to fit the bill was bread. Not a quick, sugar and butter-laden bread, mind you – a yeasted, whole wheat loaf.


I set about concocting this recipe with the idea to capture all the flavours that I love from carrot cake (except for the nuts and raisins... ick!) and turn it into a toaster-friendly, jam-smearable morning snack for my mom. Along with the carrots, the end bits from a jar of pineapple jam, the last of some coconut milk and some remaining coconut shreds in my freezer melded into the slightly sweet, moist dough – and while the end result looked nothing like it’s inspiration, it got the thumbs up in the taste department! Hopefully those reading Susan’s YeastSpotting roundup this Friday think so too!

Yeasted Carrot - Coconut Bread
Serves 16
2 cups flour
1 1/3 cups whole wheat flour
1 tbsp instant yeast
1 tsp allspice
1 tbsp ground flaxseed
1 tsp vital wheat gluten (optional)
2/3 cup of warm, full-fat coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla
¾ cup pureed, roasted carrots
2 tbsp pineapple jam
3 tbsp brown sugar
¼ tsp salt
2/3 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

  1. In a large bowl or stand mixer, whisk together flours, yeast, allspice, flaxseed and gluten.
  2. In another small bowl, combine warm milk, vanilla, carrots, pineapple jam, brown sugar and salt.
  3. Add to the dry ingredients and begin mixing on low to incorporate slightly, then add coconut and continue mixing to form a cohesive dough.
  4. Knead for 7-10 minutes (a stand mixer is helpful as it is a very sticky dough).
  5. Cover and allow to rest 40 minutes.
  6. Pat dough out into a large rectangle, then roll up tightly from the short end into a log.
  7. Place into a greased loaf pan (tucking the ends under), cover and allow to rise 45 minutes.
  8. Preheat oven to 350F.
  9. Bake loaf 40-45 minutes, then turn out of pan immediately and cool completely on a rack before slicing.
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 147.4
Total Fat: 3.7 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 8.9 mg
Total Carbs: 26.2 g
Dietary Fiber: 2.3 g
Protein: 4.1 g

3 comments :

  1. I should try some roasted veggie. I have to tell you, I am used to eat fresh veggies or boiled in a soup...but now........

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  2. I've been known to throw leftovers into bread too - beans, carrots, zucchini, cheese, you name it! Love your idea!

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Thanks for the feedback!