Happy Spring Cupcakes

I recently became vegetarian not only for the benefit of animals but also because of the wonderful health benefits of cutting back animal protein from your diet. I also have really been enjoying practicing yoga. Being I’m at the yoga studio a lot I’ve made a few friends and all of them are vegan. Growing up and even now as an adult I’ve always enjoyed making things for my family, friends, and even a select few of my teachers. All of the baking I did for my degree all involved dairy, so I was a little lost at how they could eat any delicious baked goods. This brought up a challenge for me one that I was pretty excited about trying. Using ground flax seed instead of eggs in cookies and it coming out great amazed me! Using a banana instead of an egg in cakes and them still rising shocked me! And the list goes on and on.

So in light of it being spring I thought I would do a dairy free vanilla cupcake with a lot of tastes of spring! And whether your carnivore, herbivore, or omnivore this is a flavorful, moist, and fluffy cupcake for anyone! 

Happy Spring Filled Cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes

Cupcake

·      1 cup almond milk (I used unsweetened)

·      1 teaspoon white or apple cider vinegar

·      1 ¼ cups flour

·      2 Tablespoons cornstarch

·      ¾ teaspoons baking powder

·      ½ teaspoon baking soda

·      ¼ teaspoon salt

·      ½ cup vegan butter (I used earth balance vegan buttery sticks)

·      ¾ cup sugar

·      2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

·      ½ teaspoon almond extract

Procedure

1.    Preheat oven to 350 and line muffin pan with liners

2.    Whisk the almond milk and the vinegar together and let sit a few minutes to curdle.

3.    Sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.

4.    In a separate with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment at medium speed cream the butter and sugar for 2 minutes or until light and fluffy.

5.    Beat in the vanilla and almond extract and scrape down the bowl.

6.    Alternate adding the almond milk mixture and the flour mixture scraping down the bowl after each addition.

7.    Fill the cupcake tin two-thirds of the way or about three tablespoons and bake for 18-20 minutes or until bounces back when touched.

8.    Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. 

Dairy free pastry cream:

·      ½ cups flour

·      2 cups almond milk (I used unsweetened)

·      1/3 cups sugar

·      1/8 teaspoon salt

·      ¼ cup lemon juice

·      2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

·      1 teaspoon vanilla

Procedure

1.    In a small bowl, place the flour and whisk in ½ cups of almond milk and set aside.

2.    In a small saucepan, place the remaining almond milk, sugar and salt and whisk to combine.

3.    Add the flour mixture to the liquid ingredients and whisk well to combine.

4.    Cook the mixture over medium high heat for 5-6 minutes or until thickened.

5.    Add the remaining ingredients, and whisk well to combine.

6.    Cook the mixture a minute longer and remove saucepan from the heat and transfer to a large glass bowl or baking dish.

7.    Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the pastry cream to prevent a skin forming on the top.

8.    Place the pastry cream in the fridge for several hours to cool. 

Fluffy “butter” cream

·      ½ cup shortening

·      ½ cup vegan butter (I used earth balance buttery sticks)

·      3 ½ cups powdered sugar, sifted

·      2 teaspoons vanilla extract

·      ¼ cups almond milk (I used unsweetened)

Procedure

1.    Beat the shortening and butter together until light and fluffy.

2.    Add the sugar and beat for about 3 minutes.

3.    Add the vanilla and the almond milk and beat for about five minutes or until fluffy.

Assembly

1.    Place the butter cream in a pastry bag with a large tip then place the pastry cream in a pastry bag with a medium size tip. Set aside.

2.    Using a cupcake corer or a knife create a hole. Then use the pastry cream to fill the middle of the cupcake.

3.    Next you will take your butter cream and make round mounds on top of the cupcakes.

4.    For decorations either add colored sprinkles or die shredded coconut with a drop of food coloring. 

 ENJOY

Roasted Veggie Pizza!

I was determined to fine a recipe that had no meat or dairy that my boyfriend would eat and not say after eating it “it was good but need chicken”. This led to my search on the Internet for that certain recipe. That’s when I found this recipe sans a few changes and additions I made.  When he ate the pizza he was silent which had me worried. Once he finally spoke he said he loved it and wasn’t missing meat. SUCCESS!! It takes a little bit of time to make up but the outcome is well worth it! Once its made your whole house will smell amazing and your tummy will be smiling!!

Roasted Veggie Pizza

Ingredients

Pizza Dough

• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F)
• 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for brushing 
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon blue agave maple syrup

Bean Puree

• 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini rinsed and drained
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 3 cloves garlic
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
• ¾ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Pizza Topping

• 4 tablespoons olive oil                         
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups (½ -inch) cubes peeled butternut squash
• 1 cup baby spinach
• Artichoke hearts chopped
• 1 large gala apple, peeled and thinly sliced

Procedure

Pizza Dough:

1.    In a small bowls, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until bubbles form, 10 minutes.

2.    In a separate large bowl, combine flour, oil, salt, sugar, and the yeast mixture.

3.    Using floured hands or an electric mixer fitted with dough hook; mix until stiff dough has formed. (If the dough is too sticky, add flour 1 teaspoon at a time as needed.)

4.    Place the dough in a large oiled bowl making sure it has a thin coating all on it.

5.    Cover with a kitchen towel and place in a warm part of the kitchen until it has doubled in volume or 1-½ hours.

6.     Place dough on a lightly floured work surface, shape into a disc, and knead for five minutes.

Use dough immediately or cover tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze for a later use. Thaw to room temperature before using.

Garlic White Bean Puree:

1.    Blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth.

Store in a bowl and place to the side. Can be made up to three days ahead of time.

To make the pizza topping and assemble the pizza:

1.    Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2.    In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat and sauté onions until soft and lightly caramelized, 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

3.     Next toss the remaining 2 tablespoons oil with squash and season with salt and pepper.

4.    Transfer to a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and roast for 30 minutes or until squash is fork tender, turning twice with a spatula.

5.    Remove from oven and set aside.

6.    Turn heat up to 450 degrees F.

7.    Brush a 9 X13 rectangle baking sheet with oil. (You can use a circle pan a well)

8.    Stretch pizza dough into a rectangle and fit it into the prepared baking sheet.

9.    Spread a layer of the Bean Puree evenly over the rolled-out Pizza Dough. (I only use half to 3/4^th of the bean puree on the dough)

10. On top of the dough, arrange the spinach, caramelized onions, roasted butternut squash, artichokes and apple slices.

11. Season with salt and pepper, and brush the edges of the crust with olive oil.

12. Bake for about 17 minutes, rotating midway, until the crust is slightly browned or golden.

ENJOY

Avocado Pesto on Whole Wheat Pasta

 Summer is just around the corner and all of my herbs in my garden are just itching to be cooked! Whether you have a garden and want to use what you’ve worked hard for or just buying the fresh basil from the store this recipe is a hearty vegan recipe that will keep you full! If you’re not willing to have a meal with out meat and dairy both grilled chicken and Parmesan cheese are great additions for the animal protein lovers.

 

 Avocado Pesto

Ingredients

• 1 pound or package of whole wheat spaghetti noodles  
• 1 bunch fresh basil, reserve some leaves for garnish
• ½ cup pine nuts
• 2 avocados, pitted and peeled
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 3 cloves garlic
• ½ cup olive oil
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup julienned sun-dried tomatoes
• 1 can artichoke hearts chopped

Procedure

1.    For the pesto combine basil, pine nuts, avocados, lemon juice, garlic, and oil in a food processor.

2.    Process until smooth. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne.

3.    Place in bowl, cover, and set aside.

4.    Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain and allow to cool for a couple of minutes.

5.    Toss pasta with pesto and chopped artichoke hearts.

6.     Divide pasta among serving bowls and place sundried tomatoes on top of the pasta.

7.    If desired garnish each serving with a few basil leaves.

8.    ENJOY

My new found love of coconut water

Here in Mobile, Al the Mardi Gras season is more popular than Christmas. From the first parade (about three weeks before Ash Wednesday), until till the end of Fat Tuesday the celebration is extravagant and abundant. That being said there is a lot of dancing, eating, and late nights drinking. Which also means a mean hangover in the morning. I lucky had a friend from New York visiting and she recommended I try coconut water. I was timid at first but I gave it a try and woe and behold I loved it! After I drank the surprisingly tasty beverage I started feeling a lot better and hydrated again. Now that Mardi Gras has come and gone it had me thinking about how much that little drink made me feel so much better and decided to do a little research on how healthy coconut water really is. 

The first thing that caught my attention is that coconut water is natures natural sports drink. It has five essential electrolytes potassium, phosphate, magnesium, calcium and sodium. These are really great for keeping you hydrated and healthy during a work out. Coconut water has more potassium than the leading sports drinks and even has more potassium than a banana! If your worrying about the sugar in this water think again there are only 5 mg of natural sugar in coconut water which is a lot better than the 10- 15 mg of refined sugars found in the average sports drink. Now I did read in my research that for very high impact activity coconut water doesn’t have enough sodium to keep those athletes hydrated. However I don’t think too many people are professional athletes or climbing Everest. So for the average person doing a hard workout coconut water will help hydrate and is a far better option to the sugary sports drink.                  

Here’s a list of more benefits coconut water has:

·      Low in carbohydrates and 99% fat free

·      It helps hydrate and keep your body at the proper temperature

·      Raises your metabolism and helps aid in weight loss.

·      Helps detoxify the body and helps fight off viruses

·      Helps eliminate kidney stones and boosts poor circulation

·      Its naturally filtered 

·      Has less fat and lower calories than both milk and orange juice

·      Contains fiber that helps slow down the absorption of sugars

·      Aids in regulating and helping the digestive system

·      Reduces nausea

·      During World War II many wounded soldiers were saved because of using coconut water as an alternative to an IV. 

Once I knew the benefits I wanted to go out and stock up immediately which then inlayed a few problems. I first went to Winn Dixie and they only had a Sobe version and it was only 10% coconut water. My second try I went to the Fresh Market and they had a deal on certain type of coconut water for 2 for 7 dollars. That’s a pretty good deal for 2 litters, but when its not on special its almost 6 dollars. For me that’s a little pricy for a sports drink so I kept looking and found the lowest price for just under 5 dollars at Publix.  

         There are three relatively popular brands Vita Coco, Zico, and O.N.E. My favorite of the three is O.N.E for many reasons first being it tastes the best of the three to me. Second the company funds money to childhood obesity organizations and the education system. Lastly the company only uses recycled products to make the bottles.

         These are just a few of the reported benefits of coconut water and I think I found my answer on why this beverage made me feel so much better. Whether you’re a bit hung over, or are catching a cold, or just want a good hydrating drink this is definitely a drink not to many people know about to consider.