Spiced Carrot Coconut Date Pudding Food

SPICED CARROT, COCONUT & DATE PUDDING

Steps:

• Mix the chia seeds with 6 tbsp water, then set aside for 5 mins until thickened. Blitz the orange juice and dates in a food processor until puréed.
• Put all the other ingredients, except the oil, in a large bowl and mix with the date purée. Drizzle over the chia seed mix and mix well. Oil a 1.2-litre pudding basin and line the base with a circle of baking parchment. Spoon in the pudding mix, pressing down firmly. Cover with pleated baking parchment and foil, and secure with kitchen string (see our how to video).
• Lower the basin into a large pan with an upturned saucer or scrunched-up foil in the base to stop the basin from touching the bottom. Fill the pan with boiling water so it's halfway up the side of the basin, then cover and simmer for 6-7 hrs, topping up the water as needed. It's ready when a skewer poked into the centre of the pudding comes out with only moist crumbs - there should be no wet mix. Leave to cool. Will keep in a cool, dry cupboard for up to a year.
• On the day, re-steam as above for 2 hrs. Leave to rest for 10 mins before carefully turning out. Serve with coconut custard (see below).

SPICED WALNUT CARROT CAKE WITH PINEAPPLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a large mixing bowl, toss together the carrots, walnuts, pineapple, raisins, and coconut with 1/2 cup of the flour to coat them and keep them from sinking to the bottom of the cake batter.
• Sift together the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt.
• In a mixer with a whip attachment, mix the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy (the "ribbon" stage) then drizzle in the vegetable oil. Fold in the dry ingredients and pour over the carrot mixture. Fold carefully to blend, then pour the batter into a buttered, floured 10 by 3-inch cake pan containing a circle of parchment paper in the bottom. Bake until firm to the touch in the center, about 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Let cool on a rack and then turn out. Dust the top with powdered sugar and cut into wedges to serve.

CURRY-SPICED CARROT AND DATE MUFFINS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 190C/375°F.
• Line a muffin tin with paper muffin cases.
• In a bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients - flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, curry powder, and salt.
• In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients - coconut oil, sugar, and egg.
• Mix the wet ingredients into the dry.
• Fold in the carrots and dates.
• Scoop 80ml of batter into each muffin case.
• Bake for 20 minutes.
• Transfer to a cooling rack and leave to cool completely.

CARROT DESSERT / PUDDING

Steps:

• In a saucepan over medium heat, combine carrots and milk. Bring to a boil, and cook until most of the milk evaporates, about 10-15 minutes. Stir in sugar, and simmer until mixture becomes dry. Stir constantly to ensure that it doesn't burn. Remove from heat.
• Stir in cashews, raisins, and Cardamom.