Bio: Kate Mendenhall, is the Director of the Organic Farmers Association, a national non-profit organization, who's mission is to provide a strong and unified voice for domestic certified organic producers. Kate worked with Pesticide Action Network and CUESA at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market in San Francisco before traveling to the east to work for NOFA-NY for a decade, the last five years as their Executive Director. Now Kate lives in her hometown in Okoboji, Iowa.  She worked as the Managing Director for the Iowa Organic Association for three years while starting her own organic livestock farm. She continues to farm while leading Organic Farmers Association.  Her nationwide experience and dedication to organic farmers throughout her career makes leading the Organic Farmers Association her dream job, and she is a fierce advocate for what organic farmers need and want from the ground up!     The Best Gluten-Free Vegan Carrot Cake     Preheat oven to 350*   3 cups gluten-free Flour 1 cup ground oat flour 1 cup ground coconut 4 tsp cinnamon 1 Tbs baking soda 1 Tbs baking powder 1 ½ t. salt 1 cup raisins 2 cups walnuts ½ cup potato starch ½ t. nutmeg 1 cup puffed millet or rice 4 cups shredded carrots 2 cups apple sauce 1 ½ cup maple syrup or Agave 4 Tbs flax seed dissolved in ¼ cup warm water 6 t. vanilla 1 ½ cup oil 1 Tbs apple cider vinegar 1 can organic crushed pineapple, drained   Mix the first twelve ingredients into a bowl. Mix the remaining ingredients, except for the carrots, into a separate bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry. Mix in the carrots. Bake at 350 for 40 min. or until a knife comes out dry.