Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes 2

I've made vegan chocolate cupcakes before but this recipe is quite different! The first ones were super yummy but they had quite a bit of molasses in them and tasted a lot like chocolate gingerbread! Not a problem for me but other people may be a bit weirded out by that! These are a lot more traditional and are some of the most moist cupcakes I have ever had! You would never know these were vegan if you just grabbed one and tried it! :)

It's our nephew's first birthday tomorrow and I was asked to make a batch of vegan cupcakes for the party. Originally, I had planned to make 1 batch of the molasses ones and 1 batch of these but I decided after some thought just to go with these.

This is also my first time using agave nectar as a sweetener - I'm sold! This stuff is totally natural, 100% plant-based, and has a lower glycemic index than regular sugar. It also makes a wonderful vegan substitute for honey. You can mix in into any baking recipe in place of granulated sugar (the ratio is 3/4 cup agave nectar to 1 cup sugar) or stir it into tea in place of honey.

I didn't make the frosting but I'll include the recipe just in case you would like to try it - I've had it before and it is very tasty! Good excuse to satisfy your curiosity and buy a carton of soy milk. :)

PS (and then I swear I will get to the recipe!): The uncooked batter is soooo tasty! :) Best part about vegan baking, really, you get to lick the spoon! And the whisk, and any that drips on the counter, and the spatula... ;)

Here's the recipe - I got this from the mother of one of my students. My changes are in green.


Makes 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups agave nectar (or 2 cups sugar)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tbsp. white or cider vinegar or freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup applesauce (I made some and used that - see tip below!)
1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (yeay for chocolate being a superfood! in moderation, of course!)
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt

For the frosting:
3 cups powdered sugar (you can get some that is "vegan")
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup vegan buttery spread (Earth Balance works well) or vegetable oil
1/3 cup vanilla soy or rice milk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Optional fresh raspberries, strawberries, or edible flowers as a garnish

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 cupcake pans with cupcake papers.

2. Sift the flour and cocoa into a large bowl. Add the baking soda and salt and stir until combined. If you're using dry sugar, mix it in with these ingredients.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the agave nectar (if using it), water, oil, lemon juice, applesauce, and vanilla. Stir well. Pour the water mixture into the dry mixture, whisking vigourously until the mixture is smooth and free of lumps.

4. Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners (mine was really runny! This is OK). Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes (mine only needed 15) or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

5. To prepare the frosting, blend powdered sugar and cocoa. Melt the buttery spread and then add it, along with the soy milk and vanilla, to the sugar and cocoa mixture. Beat until smooth. Frost cooled cupcakes and garnish if desired.

**Note: You can also make this into a layer cake. Use the same amounts as above but place the completed batter into 2 9-inch round cake pans or 1 9x13-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Bake these cakes for 25-30 minutes at 350 (or until a toothpick comes out clean).

**Applesauce note: So I made this really yummy applesauce yesterday to put into these cupcakes. I kept telling myself "OK, you'll need to give this a quick spin in the food processor so it's not lumpy." Yeah, guess what blondie here forgot to do?! :) Took me a minute to figure out why my batter was lumpy, too! I thought something weird had happened and the agave had reacted with the cocoa or something. :) No, I just had a blonde moment. I was a bit worried the cakes would have weird chunks of apple in them but you can hardly tell.. in the future, or if you try this, make sure and puree the applesauce before adding it to the batter.
Additionally, the applesauce is actually totally optional but it really does add to the moistness of these cakes so it is worth it to throw it in if you have some. It's also super-quick to make! :)

Reference:
I found this in the Fresh Mama's cookbook. The recipe in that book was inspired by one from The Passionate Vegetarian.

Split Pea and Lentil Soup (Vegetarian)

I'm not sure I've ever had traditional split-pea soup! I've been wanting to try it for a while but I know it usually has ham in it... I can't remember the last time I ate ham! Needless to say, I needed to find a vegetarian version. Well, that failed (or I just didn't look hard enough!) but I did find a recipe for "crowd pleaser split pea" in a recipe book a parent from work gave me so I figured I'd try it and just leave the ham out.
I had a feeling it may be a bit boring or lacking in flavour.. boy, was I wrong! This is great - I don't think you'd ever miss the ham! I did decide at the last minute to add some lentils for protein - they are totally optional if you don't have them.
Just made this again and added some fresh lemon juice to it. Not sure it really added anything to the flavour but it is a little extra vitamin C, right?! :)

No photo since split pea soup is hardly the most photogenic dinner! ;) It was damn tasty, though!

Serves 6 (I only made half of this - the leftovers should freeze well!)

Ingredients:
1 onion, diced (superfood!)
2 cloves garlic, minced (superfood!)
2 stalks celery, chopped
2-3 carrots, peeled and diced
1 cup diced potato - I used red potatoes and left the skins on; if you use russets, peel them first
1 bay leaf
4 cups vegetable broth (original called for chicken broth)
1 cup split green peas
1/2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice (new addition!)
1/2 cup lentils (superfood!)
1/4 tsp. dried marjoram
Good shake of freshly-ground black pepper (probably about 1/8-1/4 tsp.)

Method:
1. In a large pot, saute the garlic, onion, celery, and carrots in olive oil for 8-10 minutes. Add the broth, lemon juice, potatoes, bay leaf, peas, and lentils plus extra broth or water if you need it (make sure the peas and veggies are covered). Stir in the marjoram and black pepper. Bring this mixture to a boil and reduce to a simmer.'

2. Cook for 45-50 minutes or until the peas and lentils are cooked. Discard the bay leaf. Serve with crusty bread (I skipped the crusty bread since I had a filling today... I really wanted that crusty bread! lol)

Reference:
Based on the "Crowd Pleaser Split Pea Soup" recipe from Fresh Mama's. My changes are in purple (I left out the ham as I mentioned in my little story at the top - if you'd like to use ham, you'll need 1 cup of diced ham. Add it in with the broth, bay leaf, and peas).

Applesauce

I made this since I wanted a natural (high fructose corn syrup-free) applesauce to mix in to some vegan chocolate cupcakes I'm making for my nephew's first birthday this weekend! :) Our little man is one... hard to believe! This was a collaboration of some recipes and suggestions from some of the ladies on the Nest.

This made about 4 cups (it also makes a yummy dessert!)

Ingredients:
4 apples - any kind you like - peeled, cored, and diced
3/4 cup water
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground allspice

Method:
1. Combine apples, water, cinnamon, and allspice in a Dutch oven or heavy saucepan. Cover and cook over medium heat for 20-25 minutes (until apples are soft and the liquid has been absorbed).

2. Allow the apples to cool and then smush them with a fork or potato masher. You could also transfer them to a food processor or blender to get a really smooth consistency.

References:
Thank you to Beebe929, ses1199, and CJNeeley from the Nest. :) I also used this applesauce recipe from a Nestie blog (oops - didn't write down your Nest name...). I left out the sugar based on suggestions from other Nesties and my desire to not use refined sugar in this (it will be eaten by vegans, after all!) :)

Reason #2,000,357 Why I'm a Mac ;)

Photos! Look - I have photos on my blog again! Stupid POS work laptop (Dell) wouldn't let me use the card from my camera with the printer. No problem on my MacBook... plus, downloading and installing my printer driver on this thing was so much easier.
This really should come as no surprise to me but my Mac always makes my day :)

Oh, and reason #2,000,358 - their yoga commercial CRACKS me up! lol :)
"Breathe out and expel that bad Vista energy..."

Five-a-Day For Better Health

Oh my gosh, it's vegan comfort food! This was so tasty - I ate a HUGE plate of it and then had seconds of the veggies ;) Hey, there are worse things to over-indulge in!
Not sure of the gluten-free status of this dish due to the soy sauce - I'm sure you can find GF soy sauce, though if that's a concern! :)
This would also be great served over quinoa or couscous.

The original recipe only called for a couple veggies - tomatoes, onions, and zucchini - but I added a bit more! I'll mark my additions in purple. If you'd like, you can also add your choice of protein to this dish - tofu, chicken, pork, shrimp.. Don't worry about marinating the tofu if you use that - just roast it with the veggies and it will take on the veggie and soy sauce flavours as it cooks. I'd like to try it with some eggplant and yellow squash as well next time! Maybe some mushrooms... This is really just a "toss in whatever you have in the fridge" sort of meal!

2 servings

Ingredients:
1/2 cup brown rice
1 1/4 cup water or veggie broth
Reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tomato, quartered (I left the seeds in) - superfood!
1 zucchini, sliced into 1-inch rounds
1/4 onion, quartered (superfood!)
Olive oil (superfood!)
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup broccoli florets (superfood!)
1/4 cup sliced carrots
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped (superfood!)
1/8 cup petite peas (petit pois) :)

Method:
1. Cook rice in water or broth with 1 tsp. soy sauce adding in according to package directions. *Preheat oven to 350 degrees*

2. In a roasting pan (I actually used my Dutch oven!), combine the chopped veggies and toss with olive oil and about 1/8 cup soy sauce. Roast for 35 minutes.

3. Combine the rice and veggies and season with more soy sauce and pepper if desired (I skipped this/didn't miss it).

Reference:
The original recipe is from Fresh Mama's.

The New (Food) Love of my Life

Oh quinoa, where have you been all my life?! ;) Dang, I had it for the first time last night and LOVE it! Yummy! I made some taboulleh salad thing with it - so tasty! Believe me, you will not miss any additional salad dressing - I thought I might need some oil and vinegar or something but the lemon juice/quinoa/veggie mixture does the trick much better than any dressing (and it's a gazillion times healthier!)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup quinoa (superfood!)
1 cup water
2 cups chopped tomatoes (superfood!)
2 cups chopped parsley
1 cup chopped mint
1/2 cup chopped green onions (superfood!)
1/2 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice (I also grated a bit of lemon rind and tossed that in, too)
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
Freshly ground black pepper
A little sea salt
1/2 pint cherry or grape tomatoes (superfood!)

Method:
1. Boil quinoa in 1 cup water for 15 minutes (same as you would cook rice). Drain.

2. Combine all ingredients and serve over a bed of mixed green lettuce.

Reference:
This came from the Fresh Mama's cookbook that I got from a wonderful parent from work. :)

Couple Yummy Salads

I could eat salad every day and be happy as a clam! So yummy and there are so many things you can do with it - gotta love versatility! I discovered a new (new to me, anyway) dressing over the weekend so these both use that.

For the goddess (or god!) in all of us...

Goddess Salad Version 1
Spinach (superfood!)
Lettuce
Grape or cherry tomatoes (superfood!)
Avocado, diced (superfood!)
Carrots
Cucumber, diced
Dried cranberries (pretty sure these are a superfood!)
Walnuts (superfood!)
Trader Joe's Goddess Dressing

Goddess Salad Version 2 (a slightly fattier [but higher in protein!] version of the above salad
Spinach (superfood!)
Lettuce
Grape or cherry tomatoes (superfood!)
Carrots
Cucumber, diced
Red onion, chopped (superfood!)
Crumbled goat cheese
Dried cranberries (superfood, I think!)
Walnuts (superfood!)
Hard-boiled egg, diced (or just leave it off to the side and eat it whole) - superfood!
Fresh mint, chopped
Cilantro, chopped (actually, I just pulled the leaves off a couple stems!)
Trader Joe's Goddess Dressing