The Collapsible Kayak and Plum Cardamom Walnut Torte!

End of summer, with a last few carefree days before teaching and rehearsals begin.

Riding in the car with sister in-law Tracey the other day, she asked how kayaking was going. I mentioned that it was becoming harder to lift our fifty pound kayak onto the roof of the car and that our kayaks had spent a good deal of the summer propped up against a tree in the woods, collecting a wide variety of spiders and other insects.

The following happened in a manner that was both spontaneous and serendipitous: That very morning, my osteopath and I had been discussing collapsible kayaks and how great it would be to use something so light and easily transported. In the car, my husband Paul, who was in the back seat, looked up collapsible kayaks on his phone and saw that an REI Sporting Goods store was just 5 minutes from us with an end of summer sale on Oru collapsible kayaks. We quickly made an executive decision to seek out the kayaks. I turned around and headed the car in other direction on the highway.

The store was out of stock but a young eager salesperson said that she had one in her car and would we like to see how it worked? A moment later she returned proudly carrying a neat small package that unfolded like a big origami paper sculpture into a boat! We were impressed with the ease of use and decided on the spot to order one. And, two days later, it arrived!

It took only a few minutes to get it ready and then I glided smoothly off- heaven! Best of all, it weighs less than 17 pounds; I can carry it under my arm and it makes me look like I am very strong!

It also fits quite nicely in the back of my small car with one seat down!

Along with a noticeable shortening of the days and the arrival of fall, I look forward to the appearance of Italian plums at the local farmers markets. One of the New York Times most requested recipes is for plum torte, first printed over 40 years ago! The recipe is rich with butter, sugar and eggs and is delicious! I have tinkered with the recipe over the years and have come up with a guilt free version made with whole grain spelt flour, whole wheat pastry flour, coconut sugar, monk fruit sweetener, soy milk and canola oil. For my latest edition, I added ripe banana, toasted walnuts and ground cardamom. The result tasted rich and not too sweet; this would also be perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice cream! I hope you enjoy this.

Plum Walnut Cardamom Torte

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 cup monk fruit sweetener

1/4 cup coconut sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

1/2 very ripe banana

1/2 cup toasted chopped walnuts

1/3 cup canola oil

1/2 cup soy or almond milk

Topping:

8-10 very ripe plums- cut in half and pitted

To make cake batter:

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees farenheit

In a large bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, monk fruit sweetener, coconut sugar, ground cardamom and cinnamon.

Add egg, vanilla, canola oil, soy or almond milk and mix together just until the batter is smooth.

Lightly butter a tart pan or round pie dish.

Pour batter into pan and place plums cut side down over batter

Sprinkle top lightly with additional cinnamon.

Bake in middle of oven aprox. 30 minutes until plums are bubbling and a cake tester comes out clean.

ENJOY!

Rosh Hashana (The Jewish New Year) starts this weekend.

Best Wishes for a Happy and Healthy New Year!!