As long as I can remember, I have always taken exceptional pleasure in concocting stuff. Concocting took place in very different regards: For example, I made up stories in my mind, invented places and characters, and designed clothing and equipment for them. I built paper castles. I regularly snitched my mom’s hand cream and converted it into an organic super power lotion by mixing petals and leaves from daisies, clover, dandelions, and buttercups into it. And I also liked to “bake”.
~ lalala ~
I put this into quotation marks because it was not what you would call baking. The purpose was not to create a nice cake, but the fun along the way. My favorite ingredient was green food color, and I was the master of what I may call “volcano mud cakes”. I would sit in front of the oven and eagerly observe how my concoction inside would first grow and then implode, while the slugde would spill over the edges of the cake-pan. It was the greatest pleasure.
~ imagine this in green ~
Today, I am still not a baker. I am a concoctionist (have I just concocted this word?), and when I prepare something in the kitchen, it can be best described as throwing together stuff. With cooking, this is usually fine, but baking often calls for elaborate recipes that want to be followed thoroughly to work out at all … Not so much my cup of tea. I like cooking better.
And still, when I recently read on Katy‘s blog that she was looking for a protein-rich breakfast baked-goodie thing, I felt determined to challenge my baking “skills” once again, and concoct something for her – without green food color, this time.
I wanted for something that was nutritious, tasty, and gentle on the blood sugar level. So, it needed fiber, protein, and healthy fats. One look into the food shelf – okay, ground almonds are there. What might go well with almonds? Hm … Poppy seeds, maybe? For a nice, marzipan-y taste? Katy might like that. Protein has to come from eggs, since she asked for something without protein powder. And we need a sweet-tasting vegetable for the fiber – such as carrot, since I have already baked with pumpkin in the past. Too boring to do that again (next time, maybe). And then some spices … Calls for a dive into my spice shelf, with sniffling my way through all the jars and everything … Oh, and look, there are also hemp seeds! – So you see, this is how I concoct.
And I can happily say that she (who got the recipe at once) made these little thingies immediately and loved them. If you want to make them yourself, just go easy on the recipe – you know, it is a concoction, right? So, just switch nuts, seeds, and spices according to what you like and have in your kitchen. Also, you can add a little brown sugar if you want for some sweetness, because I made them sugar-free. As long as you stick to the veggie-egg-nut mixture in somewhat the original proportions, the stuff will stick together and taste good.
ALMOND AND CARROT PATTIES
makes about 9 patties
Ingredients
100 g (3 1/2 oz) ground almonds
100 g (3 1/2 oz) shredded carrots (use a blender or kitchen machine)
2 tbsp poppy seeds
2 tbsp hemp seeds, crushed
1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
1 dash of salt
1 pinch of ground cardamom
1 pinch of ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground five-spice
2 tbsp brown sugar (optional)
2 eggs (or flax eggs, to veganize)
Directions
Mix all ingredients together.
Form little patties with your hands and put them on a paper-covered baking tray.
Bake at 200 °C (390 °F) for 15 minutes, or until slightly brown. The patties should be a little crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Enjoy!
