Now that it’s warming up, we’re probably not doing much baking (unless you have an incurable addiction to baked goods, like myself ;). That doesn’t mean we have to sacrifice sweets, we might just have to think out of the box, the recipe box. How about opening up the veggie drawer for ideas? But remember, zucchini bread and carrot cake require cranking up the oven!

I shouldn’t have brought up carrot cake, in that case. But there’s hope! Avi’s version of Carrot Halwa is the answer, he even says it reminds him of a ‘creamy carrot cake’. That description comes from the naturally sweet carrots and ricotta cheese. The flavor of the cardamom powder might also remind you of the warm spices in a carrot cake.

Avi’s Carrot Halwa comes together quickly over the stove, in under half an hour! Because there isn’t any frosting involved, this is also a dessert that travels well. Speaking of traveling, be sure to check out Avi’s blog Aambrosia to read about other tasty recipes that he tries out while documenting his travels in India.