let me just start by saying i believe that what you put in your body, or the bodies of your children is a personal choice. it is up there on my list of things not to engage people too deeply on. right along with personal religion and child rearing choices. it is your body, your life, your future. i don't care if you eat fast food all day or have never let an animal product pass your lips. i just hope you are happy with whatever choices you are making. 

with that being said, i don't prescribe to the idea that we should be eating animal proteins every day. nor am i in the camp that believes you should not consume animal products for health or moral reasons. i believe in everything in moderation. animals, sweets, exercise, indulgence, depravation. EVERYTHING in moderation. 

the reality is that i have friends and family that fall into all types of eating genres. gluten free, vegans, full on meat eaters, those that only eat fish. the full spectrum. so i'm often pushing myself to cook in new ways so that when i do have someone that is dining with me with a restriction, i know how to meat it in the best and most delicious way possible. 

enter these vegan carrot cake loaves. i combined a few recipes i researched to come up with what i believe is the most flavorful and moist combination. what i love about vegan baking is that the ingredients i subbed for standard baking ingredients like eggs and milk had their own unique flavor that they bring to the party. almond milk & applesauce are delicious in their own right. and the hint of coconut doesn't hurt either. 

vegan carrot cake loaves
serves: 12 loaves
*cooks note: you could easily make this into a 9 x 13 sheet cake version or two 8 or 9 inch rounds prep time: 10 minutes
active time: 5 minutes
bake time: 20-25 minutes
total time: 45 minutes
ingredients: 2.25 cups all purpose flour. 3 teaspoons baking powder. 1 tsp baking soda. 3 tsp cinnamon. .25 tsp nutmeg. .25 tsp allspice. 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 cup applesauce. 1 cup almond milk. 2 tsp vanilla. .5 cup sugar. .5 cup brown sugar. .5 cup melted coconut oil. 2 cups grated carrots (if you do not like yours too chunky you could also give the carrots a couple turns in your food processor for a smoother texture). vegetable oil cooking spray. mini loaf pan. optional for serving: butter, cream cheese frosting or one of them many great vegan frostings the interwebs have to offer). 

start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees f. in a large bowl, combine all of your dry ingredients. in another bowl, whisk together your oil, almond milk, apple sauce, vanilla and both sugars. 

slowly add your wet ingredients to your dry ingredients, stirring as you combine. 

mix in your carrots. 

spray your loaf pans (or whatever pans you are going with) with your cooking spray. pour your batter in evenly. 

bake until a toothpick comes out of the cake clean. about 20-25 minutes. allow the loaves to cool slightly. 

remove them from the baking pan and set them on a wire rack to cool. 

if you are eating them warm with butter, you can enjoy now. you can also top them with cream cheese frosting and store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. bring them back to room temperature or even warm them a bit in the oven or toaster oven before enjoying. they are fabulous with coffee or great on their own. 

xo, a

vegan carrot cake loaves
serves: 12 loaves
*cooks note: you could easily make this into a 9 x 13 sheet cake version or two 8 or 9 inch rounds prep time: 10 minutes
active time: 5 minutes
bake time: 20-25 minutes
otal time: 45 minutes
ingredients: 2.25 cups all purpose flour. 3 teaspoons baking powder. 1 tsp baking soda. 3 tsp cinnamon. .25 tsp nutmeg. .25 tsp allspice. 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 cup applesauce. 1 cup almond milk. 2 tsp vanilla. .5 cup sugar. .5 cup brown sugar. .5 cup melted coconut oil. 2 cups grated carrots (if you do not like yours too chunky you could also give the carrots a couple turns in your food processor for a smoother texture). vegetable oil cooking spray. mini loaf pan. optional for serving: butter, cream cheese frosting or one of them many great vegan frostings the interwebs have to offer).
start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees f. in a large bowl, combine all of your dry ingredients. in another bowl, whisk together your oil, almond milk, apple sauce, vanilla and both sugars. slowly add your wet ingredients to your dry ingredients, stirring as you combine. mix in your carrots. spray your loaf pans (or whatever pans you are going with) with your cooking spray. pour your batter in evenly. bake until a toothpick comes out of the cake clean. about 20-25 minutes. allow the loaves to cool slightly. remove them from the baking pan and set them on a wire rack to cool. if you are eating them warm with butter, you can enjoy now. you can also top them with cream cheese frosting and store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. bring them back to room temperature or even warm them a bit in the oven or toaster oven before enjoying. they are fabulous with coffee or great on their own. 

this morning on my way home from yoga, i stopped at the store for a few ingredients for some cake recipes i am testing later this week. i walked out of the store with three of the four ingredients i went in for (of course i forgot the almond milk), bobby pins, a giant bag of blood oranges and a giant bag of pink zebra lemons. you know, just in case they run out before i get back in there again. 

the woman had to ask me what most of my items were (not uncommon). what i'm rambling on about is that i think i have a citrus addiction. i just can't get enough citrus in all it's many shapes, sizes and colors. lately, my favorite use is for meat marinades. this chicken marinade is quick to whip up and packs a lot of flavor. grilling the chicken is quick, easy, healthy and it adds even more delicious flavor. i'm usually in some sort of a hurry so i usually eat it over some sort of bed of greens with a dressing, but you could serve it over rice, roasted vegetable or mashed potatoes. whatever your little heart desires. 

sweet citrus grilled chicken
serves: 4
prep time: 5 minutes
inactive time: 1-24 hours
cook time: 20 minutes
total time: 1 hour 20 minutes
ingredients: 1.5 lbs chicken breast tenders (they cook more quickly and evenly, otherwise use thinly pounded chicken breasts). 1 tbs citrus zest. 1 cup citrus juice (depending on your preference, but i used orange juice, lime juice and blood orange juice). 5 garlic cloves, smashed. .5 cup olive oil. 3 green onions, chopped. 2 tbs brown sugar. 1 tbs whole grain mustard. 1 tbs salt. 1 tsp pepper. optional: .5 cup white wine for marinade reduction. 4 cups mixed greens (i used half radicchio, half arugula) for serving. 

start by prepping your chicken. pat your chicken dry with a paper towel and sprinkle with half the salt and pepper. set it aside. 

then in a medium bowl, combine the citrus zest, juice, sugar, olive oil, garlic, green onion, mustard and the rest of the salt and pepper. 

whisk the marinade together. 

drizzle the marinade over the chicken, cover and set aside. let the chicken marinade for at least an hour, up to overnight. when you are ready to grill, warm your grill to a medium high (or cook it over a medium spot if you have a coal grill). 

place the chicken on the hot grill and allow it to cook until grill marks develop on each side, flipping once. about 4 minutes a side (longer if you are not using tenders). 

once your chicken is done grilling, remove it from the heat and cover it with foil. allow it to rest for 5-7 minutes. 

if you are making the optional marinade reduction, while the chicken is cooking, pour the marinade into a saucepan. bring the liquid to a boil over medium high heat. allow the marinade to boil for a minute or two until it is very bubbly and thickening (you want to make sure you cook out any bad chicken bits as well). pour in the white wine and allow the liquid to come back to a boil allowing the alcohol to cook off. about 2 minutes. turn off the heat and allow the sauce to just stay warm. 

serve over your mixed greens, drizzled with the marinade reduction. 

xo, a
sweet citrus grilled chicken
serves: 4
prep time: 5 minutes
inactive time: 1-24 hours
cook time: 20 minutes
total time: 1 hour 20 minutes
ingredients: 1.5 lbs chicken breast tenders (they cook more quickly and evenly, otherwise use thinly pounded chicken breasts). 1 tbs citrus zest. 1 cup citrus juice (depending on your preference, but i used orange juice, lime juice and blood orange juice). 5 garlic cloves, smashed. .5 cup olive oil. 3 green onions, chopped. 2 tbs brown sugar. 1 tbs whole grain mustard. 1 tbs salt. 1 tsp pepper. optional: .5 cup white wine for marinade reduction. 4 cups mixed greens (i used half radicchio, half arugula) for serving.
start by prepping your chicken. pat your chicken dry with a paper towel and sprinkle with half the salt and pepper. set it aside. then in a medium bowl, combine the citrus zest, juice, sugar, olive oil, garlic, green onion, mustard and the rest of the salt and pepper. whisk the marinade together. drizzle the marinade over the chicken, cover and set aside. let the chicken marinade for at least an hour, up to overnight. when you are ready to grill, warm your grill to a medium high (or cook it over a medium spot if you have a coal grill). place the chicken on the hot grill and allow it to cook until grill marks develop on each side, flipping once. about 4 minutes a side (longer if you are not using tenders). if you are making the optional marinade reduction, while the chicken is cooking, pour the marinade into a saucepan. bring the liquid to a boil over medium high heat. allow the marinade to boil for a minute or two until it is very bubbly and thickening (you want to make sure you cook out any bad chicken bits as well). pour in the white wine and allow the liquid to come back to a boil allowing the alcohol to cook off. about 2 minutes. turn off the heat and allow the sauce to just stay warm. once your chicken is done grilling, remove it from the heat and cover it with foil. allow it to rest for 5-7 minutes. serve over your mixed greens, drizzled with the marinade reduction.