Turn Nutrition Nettles into a Cake!
Stinging nettle is considered by many to be a weed, but for the initiated, it is instead a superfood. Nettles contain many vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, and amino acids—which is part of the explanation for why they’re a nutritional powerhouse.
Most people associate nettles with being stingy, but nettles are so much more than their sting! The nettle is a fantastic little plant that you can do much good with, including adding them to soups, green smoothies, ice cream, and brewing them as tea.
Nettles are extremely nutritious! Among other things, they contain carotene, vitamins A and C, and, most importantly, minerals. Nettle also contains a lot of iron. It has an anti-inflammatory effect and is used as a poultice and tea for infection, inflammation, and more.
Why spend money on nettle powder or tea when you can forage for this nutritious plant yourself? Armed with rubber or garden gloves and a pair of scissors, you can venture out to pick your own nettles. Just remember to choose areas away from busy roads and free from pesticides.
During spring, when the nettles are small and most delicious, we pick them, soak them, and either dry them or freeze them. This way, we can have nettles at any time of the year to drink as tea or as a basis for dishes. Did you know you can replace greens for nettles in recipes that call for spinach or other green vegetables?
Our family likes adding nettles to sweet cakes, and here is our recipe, which is both vegan and gluten-free.
Nettle Cake:
1 cup almond flour
1 ½ cups teff flour
1, 5 cups coconut, maple, or date sugar
¼ cup psyllium husk powder
4 tsp baking powder
Zest from one lemon
2 tsp cardamom powder
1 tsp salt
1 ½ cups almond milk
1 cup oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
2/3 cup blanched and minced nettles
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Mix dry ingredients in one bowl and mix wet ingredients in another. Mix until everything is combined. The dough will be a bit thick. Pour and spread the dough evenly on a parchment paper in a baking dish. Bake for 40 minutes. Let the cake rest before slicing it.
Enjoy this spring delight!
For more nettle tips and recipes check out this link and to learn more about foraging, read my post here
