V.K.Rees Photography

Happy New Year everyone! Sorry I haven’t posted in a while. I had a really awful cold for the first 10 days of 2012 and couldn’t smell or cook a thing. But I’m feeling better now and back to work!

You may notice that the photos on this post are unlike all the previous ones. I try to challenge myself to do something new in each post. Usually that means trying out a unique lighting technique or camera trick but this time it meant doing something really different. I’ve been told, a lot,  that I should include more about myself on the blog. So, I thought I’d give it a try – here are a few pictures of mornings in my apartment.

A big thanks to Roy for letting me stick the camera in his face all morning. =)

I’m weird about breakfast. It’s not that I don’t like it, I’m just picky about what I will eat first thing in the morning. Here is the criteria:

• Something kinda decadent. Sweet and comforting.
• Not unhealthy. I don’t want to start the day off all wrong.
• Not heavy. I don’t want to feel gross for the rest of the day.
• Will keep me full for awhile.
• Super easy to make. I’m lazy first thing in the morning.
• Super fast to make. I’ve got things to do.

What I’ve got here is a recipe for single serving carrot cake that literally takes 2-3 minutes to make in the morning. It’s ridiculously good! If you make anything from my site, make this. Seriously.

The ice cream is made out of bananas so it is super healthy. You will want to start making a big batch of it 24 hours in advance. Don’t be scared. It’s not labour intensive, it just takes awhile to freeze. This recipe for  banana ice cream will be enough for 6-9 servings of Breakfast Carrot Cake. If you only want ice cream for one serving, make the banana ice cream with just 1 banana, 1/16 tsp of vanilla, and a very small pinch of salt. The recipe for banana ice cream is all over the internet so I’m certainly not claiming to be the one who came up with it! It is a vegan staple at this point. Saying I came up with it would be like saying I came up with the recipe for grilled tofu.

Banana Ice Cream Ingredients

• 1 bundle of very, very ripe bananas. The peel should be going brown!
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 very small pinch of salt

Banana Ice Cream Directions

1. Peel the banans, chop them into small chunks, and stick them in the freezer until they are almost frozen (it is fine if they are completely frozen, just take them out of the freezer and let them defrost for about 10 minutes before doing the next step).
2. Put the bananas, salt, and vanilla in the food processor and process until the banana mixture is smooth.
3. Pour the mixture into a container and let it freeze again.
4. Once the banana mixture is frozen, use an ice cream scoop to make balls somewhere between the size of a golfball and a tennis ball. Hacky sack size, maybe?
5. You can store the ice cream scoops in individual containers such as cupcake liners or lined up on a baking sheet. Keep them in the freezer until you are ready to use them.

Ingredients for the Carrot Cake

• 3 Tbs flour (experiment with different kinds, I’ve used spelt and AP)
• 2 Tsp sugar
• 1 packet stevia (optional but cake will not be very sweet without it)
• 1/4 Tsp baking powder
• 1/8 Tsp salt
• 1 Tsp Cinnamon
• 1/8 Tsp Nutmeg
• 1/8 Tsp Ginger
• 1/8 Tsp Cloves
• 1 Tsp shredded coconut (optional)

• 1 Tbs Oil (I used coconut)
• 3 Tbs milk (I used almond)
• 1/4 Tsp vanilla extract

• 1/4 Cup shredded carrots
• 1 Tsp Raisins (optional)

*Note that the spices can be switched out for 2 Tsp of allspice.

Directions For Carrot Cake