The Avacado Cake

YES! THIS IS REAL!

• 3/4 cup Sugar
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
  
• 1/2 cup margerine, i use smart balance margerine
  
• 2 Eggs, well beaten
• 1 cup Pureed avocado(about 3-4 avocados)
• 1/3 cup Buttermilk (milk with a bit of vinegar will do)
  
• 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp Nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp Allspice
• 1/2 tsp ginger
  
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 1/2 tsp Baking soda
• 1 tsp Baking powder
  
• 2 cup All purpose flour
• 1/2 cup Chopped dates
• 1/4 cup Golden raisins
• 1/2 cup Walnuts

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the sugar, maple syrup, avacado, and margerine. Add the eggs, and fold in thoroughly. Add buttermilk, and mix well. Add the spices, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and flour. Mix well one by one, adding dry ingredients slowly. Fold in the dates, raisins and walnuts.

Pour into a greased 9x9 inch baking dish or cake pans. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Remove from oven, and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

I used a simple butter cream frosting and made a 2-layer cake.

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup margarine
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted if clumpy
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  
• 1/4 cup plain soy milk or soy creamer

hmm

Super easy strawberry salad.

Okay so I whipped up this salad a few months ago but I feel like I finally got it right. We happen to live in an area where we can get any kind of produce pretty much all year round, so I was able to get strawberries in January.

You will need:

One bunch of spinach
about 10, good sized strawberries, sliced
1/2 cucumber
crumbled goat cheese
candied pecans (recipe below)

so put all of the spinach in a bowl after it has been cleaned, top with sliced strawberries, cucumber and goat cheese, and pecans. The pecan recipe is from the post punk kitchen, it is quicker and healthier than using a bunch of eggs butter and sugar. I top it all off with Annie's Raspberry vinaigrette, when I figure out a good recipe for a dressing I will post it for sure.

1 C. Pecan Halves
1 T Veg Oil
1/8 t. Salt
1⁄4 C. Pure Maple Syrup

1. Preheat a heavy bottomed pan over low medium heat. Toast the pecans for about 5 minutes, tossing them frequently after the first 2 minutes.
2. Sprinkle with vegetable oil and salt, and toss to coat.
3. Add the maple syrup and toss to coat. Let maple syrup bubble for about 30 seconds tossing the entire time.
4. Transfer to a flat plate lined with parchment paper and let cool. Break apart the pieces and serve.


Enjoy!