October.local.grub

artichokes, dried beans, beets, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, swiss chard, corn, cucumbers, fennel, garlic, kale, leeks, lettuce, mustard greens, red and yellow onions, parsnips, peppers, potatoes, pumpkin, radishes, rutabagas, spinach, winter squash, tomatoes, turnips, zucchini, apples, crab apples, cranberries, pears and quince.

I LOVE Sundays, after a late Sunday morning walk at Lighthouse Park in West Vancouver we stopped in at the West Van farmers market. My absolute favorite time at the local markets as we really are in the most abundant season. We picked up a variety of winter squash and sugar pie pumpkins as well as some decorative gourds, cabbage and brussels (since some strange tick like bug attacked ALL my brussel plants in my garden this fall), peaches and apples, brought in from the Okanagan, colorful swiss chard, peppers and beautiful heads of garlic.

carrot.cake.cupcakes.with.chai.icing

My sister, Tanya and my brother came for dinner the other night for Tanya's birthday. We feasted on crab legs with garlic butter, soy and maple marinated sablefish, herbed rice and spicy baby bok choy. For dessert Jeremy and I whipped up a batch of carrot cake cupcakes (I based the recipe off his Gramma's recipe- an absolute fav of his) and adapted it to make just 12 cupcakes with less sugar than the recipe called for as well as a number of small adjustments. The outcome was delicious! Jer prefers the regular cream cheese frosting as I really enjoyed the addition of the masala chai spice!

Yield: 12 cupcakes

• 1/2 C sugar (I use an organic)
• 3/4 t baking soda
• 1 t baking powder
• 1/2 t cinnamon
• 1/2 t ground cardamom
• 1 C finely chopped carrot
• 1 C (200 g) crushed pineapple, drained
• 1 C coconut, large flake if you can find it
• 1/2 C unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 eggs
• 1 C flour

1. In a large bowl, combine everything but flour, eggs, oil, and butter.
2. Add oil and butter and stir vigorously to combine.
3. Add eggs in one at a time, combining well after each addition.
4. Add flour in 2 batches, mixing until just combined.
5. Divide evenly among cupcake liners.
6. Bake at 350 F for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out dry.

Masala Chai Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

• 6 oz cream cheese, room temperature (3/4 pack of cream cheese)
• 1/4 C unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 C powdered sugar
• 3 t masala chai tea spice (ground black pepper, ground ginger, cadamom, nutmeg, clove and black cardamom)
• 1 t vanilla extract

1. Mix cream cheese and butter until creamy and light.
2. Mix in powdered sugar one cup at a time. You can add more or less to get your desired consistency.
3. Mix in chai tea spice and vanilla until fully integrated.
4. Pipe or slather onto your cupcakes.