Cookbook authors Tracy and Dana Pollan share plant-based carrot cake and rainbow frittata recipes

The women of the Pollan family have a new cookbook -- "Mostly Plants: 101 Delicious Flexitarian Recipes from the Pollan Family" -- that's filled with simple, seasonal dishes that are also predominantly plant-based.

Sisters Tracy and Dana Pollan joined "GMA" to whip up their vegetable frittata filled with mushrooms, bell pepper and zucchini.

Their brother, author and journalist Michael Pollan, started a national conversation with just seven words about how to eat for optimal health. "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants."

Now, the ladies of the family are presenting their family recipes with a produce-centric vision.

Their co-author and mother, Corky Pollan, and third sister, Lori, joined them Tuesday morning and chimed in about another family favorite from the book -- carrot cake.

Check out their full recipes for both dishes below.

Rainbow Frittata

Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients:1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1 cup thinly sliced stemmed cremini mushrooms
1 cup diced red bell pepper, cut into half-inch pieces
1 cup sliced zucchini, cut into quarter-inch-thick rounds
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
8 large eggs
1/3 cup whole milk
3/4 cup shredded Gruyère cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a 10-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-low heat, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, about four minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until they have softened and released most of their liquid, four to five minutes. Stir in the bell pepper and cook for one minute. Add the zucchini and cook for an additional three minutes, or until the zucchini begins to soften. Add a quarter teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper and stir.

Meanwhile, whisk the eggs just enough to combine the whites and yolks (overbeating will cause the frittata to fall). Add a half teaspoon salt and a quarter teaspoon black pepper. Add the milk and half cup of the cheese and gently stir to combine.

Pour the egg mixture over the vegetables in the skillet, covering them evenly. Cook the frittata, without stirring, until its edges start to set and curl away from the pan, about five minutes.

Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until just puffed and set (be careful not to overcook it). Remove from the oven, sprinkle the remaining quarter cup cheese evenly over the top, and bake for an additional two minutes. Switch the oven to broil and broil for one to two minutes, until the cheese is lightly golden.

Slice the frittata into wedges and serve.

West Tisbury Carrot Cake

Makes: One 9-inch layer cake (8 to 10 servings)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut 2 cups raw walnuts
Unsalted butter, for greasing
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1-1/2 cups vegetable oil
1-1/2 cups honey
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoons plain whole-milk yogurt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups grated carrots
1 cup raisins

Frosting
One 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 pound (about 3-1/2 cups) confectioners’ sugar

Directions:
Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

Spread the shredded coconut on the prepared baking sheet. Spread the walnuts on a separate, unlined rimmed baking sheet. Put the baking sheet with the coconut in the oven and toast for five to seven minutes, until lightly browned, flipping once halfway through. Remove from the oven, transfer to a plate, and let cool.

Place the baking sheet with the walnuts in the oven and toast for eight to 10 minutes, until they give off a nutty aroma, flipping once halfway through. Remove from the oven, transfer to a separate plate, and let cool. Roughly chop one and a half cups for the cake. Finely chop the half cup and set aside to decorate the frosting.

Butter two 9-inch round cake pans. Line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper cut to fit. Butter the paper, then dust the pans with flour, tapping out any excess.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cloves. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl using a handheld mixer, beat together the vegetable oil and honey until well combined. Beat in the eggs one at a time and add the yogurt and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet until fully incorporated. Stir in the carrots, the 1 and 1/2 cups roughly chopped walnuts, and the raisins.

Pour the batter into the prepared pans, dividing it equally. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, rotating the pans front to back halfway through, until the cake is springy and a cake tester inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean.

Transfer the pans to a wire cooling rack and let cool for 20 minutes. Run a knife around the sides of the cakes and invert them onto the wire rack. Remove the parchment and let cool completely, about 20 minutes more.

For the Frosting

In a medium mixing bowl using a handheld mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the speed to low, gradually add the confectioners’ sugar, mixing until smooth. Increase the speed to high and beat the frosting until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Place one cake layer, flat-side up, on a serving plate. With a knife or icing spatula, very generously spread frosting over the top and sides.

Place the second layer on top, rounded-side up, and spread frosting evenly over the top and sides. Sprinkle the top with the toasted coconut and the 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

From the book "Mostly Plants." Copyright © 2019 by Old Harvest Way, LLC. Published on April 16, 2019 by Harper Wave, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Reprinted with permission.