Vegan Gingerbread Cupcake Recipe

 

Mmmmmm.... gingery....

 

Fat-free, low-sugar, moist and delicious, these cupcakes are a great holiday treat.

 

 

Ingredients

½ cup molasses

4 ripe bananas, mashed

¼ teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice mix

½ teaspoon cinnamon

4 teaspoons ground ginger

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated

¼ cup candied ginger, finely diced

¾ cup coconut or rice milk

zest of one orange

juice of one orange

2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup raisins (optional)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a muffin pan with 12 paper baking cups

Toss the bananas into a mixing bowl and mash them with a mixer.  Add the molasses, vanilla, and spices and mix well. Incorporate the coconut/rice milk, orange zest, and orange juice.

Add the baking powder and baking soda. Mix well. Add the flour, taking care not to overmix.

Stir in the raisins.

Portion out the batter into the pre-lined muffin pan. They don't rise very much, so you can fill the cups the whole way.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

What I've Been Doing

Soooooo....

I haven't been baking much over the last few days.  I have been a bit too busy to bake.  I have been making these:

Tetris Quilt, Front

Tetris Quilt, Back

Poodle Quilt

Ms. Pac-Man Quilt

Yeah, I'm a bit of a geek.


  

Candied Pecan Recipe

A few years ago, my internet Secret Santa gave me homemade candied pecans. From that day I hated my Secret Santa for introducing me to the most wonderful concoction known to man and then dropping out of my life as if this exchange meant nothing to him.

I finally tried to make my own.

Ingredients

1 egg white

1 Tbsp water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups of pecans

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation

Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

Put the sugar, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt into a resealable plastic bag. Shake to combine.

Put the egg, water, and vanilla into a bowl and beat until slightly foamy. Add the pecans and stir to coat.

Lift the pecans out of the bowl with a fork or slotted spoon and shake to remove the excess egg white mixture.

Add the pecans to the bag with the sugar and spices. Shake the pecans in the bag until they are well coated.

Bake the pecans for 30 minutes on a baking pan that has been lined with a silpat, parchment paper, or lightly buttered/greased aluminum foil. (For God's sake: Do not forget to line you pan or you will regret it.) Stir halfway through baking.

Let cool completely before serving.

  

Gloopy Vegan Chocolate Mint Cupcake Recipe

Some might call these a lava cupcake, but I prefer the word gloopy.  Gloopy, but delicious. 

Filling/Frosting Ingredients

1/2 cup vegan margarine
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup rice milk (or an appropriate analogue)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

Melt the margarine. Mix in the cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, while beating. Stir in vanilla and peppermint extracts.

Once you have completed the filling/frosting, put it in a container and stash it in the fridge to chill.  

Cupcake Ingredients

3/4 cup demerara sugar
1/3 cup coconut oil

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 cup rice milk
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a muffin pan with 9 paper baking cups.

Beat together the coconut oil and sugar. Mix in the rice milk, cider vinegar, and vanilla extract.

Mix in the cocoa powder.  Add the baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Combine well.  Slowly incorporate the flour taking care not to over mix.

Portion out the batter into the pre-lined muffin pan, filling each cup only one-quarter of the way full.

Scoop a spoonful of the filling/frosting into the center of each cupcake and fill the cups with the remaining batter.

Bake for 18-22 minutes or until the cupcakes implode.  You'll see what I mean.

Makes 9 cupcakes.

They may be either eaten hot or cooled and frosted with the remaining filling/frosting. 

 

Vegan "Juggalo" Cupcakes Made with Grape Faygo

This cupcake makes me feel like I just gave birth to Rosemary's Baby.  This recipe is an abomination which is best left forgotten.  Faygo does not belong in cupcakes.

But since it's part of the world now, I might as well share the recipe.

These cupcakes turned out delightfully moist with a subtle grape flavor (consider using a full packet of grape Kool-Aid to boost the flavor).  They are actually quite yummy... even if they are the spawn of Satan.

I frosted them with a basic cream cheese frosting that I souped up with 2 tablespoons of Rose's Sweetened Lime Juice, a packet of lemon-lime Kool-Aid, and a quarter cup of powdered sugar.  Sorry, I didn't measure exactly because I used an old batch of frosting as my base.

Ingredients

They are more purple in person

1/2 cup coconut oil, warmed until liquid

1/2 cup demerara sugar (or raw sugar)

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 cup Grape Faygo (warmed to room temperature)

1/2 cup rice milk (warmed to room temperature

1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon grape Kool-aid (1/2 of a packet)

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a muffin pan with 12 paper baking cups.

Beat together the coconut oil and sugar.

Mix in the rice milk, Faygo, and cider vinegar. Add the vanilla extract and Kool-Aid.

Add the baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix until well combined.

Slowly incorporate the flour taking care not to over mix.

Portion out the batter into the pre-lined muffin pan. They don't rise a lot, so I filled the cups almost to the top.

Bake for 20-22 minutes.

Makes 12 cupcakes.

 

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

Not vegan, but designed to go on top of vegan cupcakes.  I have issues.  

I made this recipe (based on my sister's Cream Cheese Frosting recipe) to put on top of my cranberry-orange cupcakes.  I topped the whole shebang** with a sugared cranberry slice, just for that little extra touch.

Ingredients

8 oz cream cheese

6 tbsp butter

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Zest of one lemon

Juice of one lemon

Preparation

Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla together until smooth and fluffy. Add confectioner's sugar. Beat until creamy. Makes about 1 1/2 cups. 

** IMPORTANT NOTE! "Shebang" is in my spell check's dictionary.  That is all.

.

Sugared Cranberry Slices

I made these to decorate my Cranberry-Orange Cupcakes.  I figured that since it's Thanksgiving, I should go a little above and beyond.

It's essentially cranberry slices steeped in a simple syrup and then dusted with sugar.  Simple, yet eye-catching.

Ingredients

½ cup demerara or raw sugar

½ cup water

½ cup sliced cranberries (fresh or frozen)

1/8 cup fine sugar

 

Bonus action shot.  Oh, yeah.

Preparation

Combine demerara sugar and water in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves completely. Bring the mixture to a simmer and remove from heat.

Stir in the sliced cranberries. Pour mixture into a small bowl and cover. Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. 

Drain the cranberries in a colander over a bowl. Reserve steeping liquid, if desired (it's a great sweetener for iced tea). Place superfine sugar in a shallow dish. Add the cranberries, rolling to coat with sugar. Spread sugared cranberries in a single layer on a baking sheet; let stand at room temperature 1 hour or until dry.



  

Vegan Cranberry-Orange Cupcake Recipe

Another family Thanksgiving tradition, along with Cherry Delight, is cranberry sauce, so I took that inspiration and made these Cranberry-Orange Cupcakes.  They turned out lumpy but delicious.  

As always, if you don't have coconut oil and/or rice milk, feel free to replace them with a suitable analogue (for example, vegetable oil/soy milk).

Ingredients

1/2 cup coconut oil, warmed until liquid

1 cup demerara sugar (or raw sugar)

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 ½ cups rice milk (warmed to room temperature)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon pure orange extract

zest of one orange

¼ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sliced cranberries (fresh or frozen)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a muffin pan with 12 paper baking cups.

Beat together the coconut oil and sugar. Mix in the rice milk and cider vinegar. Add the orange and vanilla extracts. Add the orange zest, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix until well combined.

Slowly incorporate the flour taking care not to over mix.

With a spatula or spoon, stir in the cranberries.

Portion out the batter into the pre-lined muffin pan.  I ended up with a bit more batter than I needed to fill the cupcake cups; fortunately, the batter is egg-less so you can lick the bowl as much as you want.

Bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.  (Mine took about 30 minutes, but I think my oven has issues).

I topped my cupcakes with this Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe, and for a bit of added decoration, I put a sugared cranberry slice on top.

.

Gina's Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

This is my sister's recipe.  She gave it to me so that I could use it on my Cherry Delight Cupcakes. 

Ingredients

8 oz cream cheese

6 tbsp butter

1 cup confectioner's sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

Preparation

Beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla together until smooth and fluffy. Add confectioner's sugar. Beat until creamy. Makes about 1 1/2 cups. 

Cherry Delight Cupcake Recipe

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, so I decided to make a Thanksgiving themed cupcake.

Along with the typical holiday meal items - turkey, stuffing, corn, pumpkin pie, cranberries - my family has another food tradition: Cherry Delight.  

Cherry Delight is our name for a type of no-bake cheesecake that has a graham cracker crust, a filling made with Cool Whip and cream cheese, and a topping of cherry pie filling.  It is absolutely delicious, and it is always the first dessert that everyone pounces upon after dinner.

This is my Cherry Delight inspired cupcake.

Ingredients

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (from about 10 squares)

3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

1 1/2 cup pureed cherry pie filling (save 12 whole cherries for inside the cupcakes)

1/3 cup coconut oil, warmed until liquid

1/2 cup demerara or raw sugar

1/4 cup rice milk

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2/3 cup whole wheat flour

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a muffin pan with 12 paper baking cups.

Place graham cracker crumbs and melted butter in a large bowl. Stir until well combined.

Place 1 tablespoon graham cracker mixture into the bottom of each prepared muffin cup. Use the bottom of a small glass to pack crumbs into the bottom of each cupcake liner (I used a shot glass).

Cream the sugar and oil together. Incorporate the rice milk, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla extract. Add the pureed cherry pie filling

Add the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well. Add the flours, taking care not to overmix.

Portion out the batter into the pre-lined muffin pan, filling each cup only half full.

Place a cherry into the center of each cupcake and fill the cups with the remaining batter.

Bake for 20-24 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out relatively clean (there may be a bit of cherry on the skewer).

I topped the cupcakes with this cream cheese frosting recipe.

Vegan Peanut Butter Frosting Recipe

I designed this frosting to go with my strawberry preserve filled banana cupcake recipe.  They go together well.

Ingredients

1/2 cup shortening (I used Crisco)
1 teaspoons vanilla

4 tablespoons rice milk
1 cup creamy peanut butter (at room temperature)

1 1/2 - 2 cups powdered sugar

Preparation
Using the whisk attachment on a blender.  Whisk the shortening until fluffy.  Add the rice milk and vanilla and whisk thoroughly.  Add in the peanut butter.  When all of the ingredients are nice and fluffy, slowly add in the powdered sugar.  If it gets a little thick, add a little more rice milk until the desired consistency is achieved.


     .

Vegan Strawberry Preserve Filled Banana Cupcake Recipe

The name says it all.  It's a bit like a peanut butter, banana, and jelly sandwich, but it's a cupcake!

Ingredients

4 ripe bananas

1/3 cup coconut oil, warmed until liquid

3/4 cup demerara or raw sugar

1/4 cup rice milk

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

Approximately 1/3 cup of strawberry preserves

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a muffin pan with 12 paper baking cups

Toss the bananas into a mixing bowl and mash them with a mixer.  Add the sugar and oil and mix well. Incorporate the rice milk, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla extract. 

Add the baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Mix well.  Add the flours, taking care not to overmix.

Portion out the batter into the pre-lined muffin pan, filling each cup only one-quarter of the way full.

Scoop a spoonful of strawberry preserves into the center of each cupcake and fill the cups with the remaining batter.

Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out (relatively) clean.

I topped these delicious cupcakes with my own peanut butter frosting.  The recipe can be found here.

  

Mesir Wat (Ethiopian Red Lentils) Recipe

     I really enjoy Ethiopian food.  I often visit the Blue Nile Restaurant here in Columbus and Abay in Pittsburgh, but I really want to learn to cook it myself.  This recipe is mostly the same as the one found here, but I removed some of the oil and cut the recipe in half.  

     *Top Tip: Heat the leftovers and wrap them in a tortilla with some cheese.  It's a really great midnight snack.

Ingredients
1 onion
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon ginger, peeled and minced
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon Paprika
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup red lentils, rinsed
2 cups vegetable stock
Salt and pepper (to taste)

Preparation

Puree the onion, garlic and ginger in a blender or food processor. Add a little water if necessary.

Spray a saucepan with cooking spray and heat over a medium flame. Add turmeric, paprika and cayenne pepper and stir rapidly for about 30 seconds to toast the spices. (Make sure that you have your spices ready. I put in my paprika and watched it burn as I tried to open the turmeric container.  The smell of burned paprika is not pleasant, and it kind of hurts the sinuses).

Add the onion puree and sauté until the excess moisture evaporates and the onion loses its raw aroma. Do not burn. It takes about 5-10 minutes.

Add lentils and vegetable stock to the saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer until lentils are cooked through and fall apart, about 30 to 40 minutes. Add more water to keep the lentils from drying out, if necessary.

Stir in salt and pepper to taste and serve. (Add a little more salt than you think you need, it really makes a difference).






    

Vegan Lime Pudding Filled, Chili Spiced Chocolate Cupcake Recipe

I don't know where I got the idea for this pairing.  I think it came from the internet.  Aside from when it doesn't, the internet brings good ideas into our lives, so that's a pretty safe bet.


I developed my own recipe and filling.  It turned out pretty yummy. 


Cupcake Ingredients
3/4 cup demerara sugar
1/3 cup coconut oil (or veg oil)
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 cup rice milk
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon ground chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour


Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a muffin pan with 9 paper baking cups.

Beat together the coconut oil and sugar. Mix in the rice milk, cider vinegar, and vanilla extract.

Mix in the cocoa powder, chili powder, and cayenne powder.

Add the baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Combine well.

Slowly incorporate the flour taking care not to over mix.

Portion out the batter into the pre-lined muffin pan.

Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

Makes 9 cupcakes.


Filling Ingredients
6 ounces Silken Tofu
4 ounces vegan cream cheese
1/2 small package Jell-O Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
4 tablespoons Rose's Sweetened Lime Juice


Preparation for Filling
Using a mixer, combine the tofu, vegan cream cheese, pudding mix, powdered sugar, Rose's Lime Juice, and vanilla extract.  Refrigerate.


Filling the cupcakes
Unless you have one of those fancy-scmancy pastry bags, filling cupcakes can be a little complicated.  Here's how I did it:

First, let the cupcakes cool before filling them or you will burn your fingers.

Cut a cone out of the top of the cupcake.

This a delicious, delicious cupcake cone.

Trim the bottom of the cone off so that you just have a disk of cupcake top.  What you do with the discarded cupcake innards is between you and the cabinets.  Also, remember that cupcake innards have no calories.  All of the calories are on the outside of the cupcake.

Fill the hole in the cupcake almost to the top with the tasty lime filling.  You can widen the hole to make more room for the pudding, if you want to.

    Place the cupcake top disk on top of the filling to conceal the deliciousness that hides inside.

You can frost the cupcake to hide the big hole or you can eat it as it is.

Vegan Vanilla-Chai Frosting Recipe

I designed this recipe to go along with my Vegan Vanilla-Chai Cupcake Recipe.  Not a huge fan of vegan margarine, I tried to substitute the vegan margarine with coconut oil.  The results were mixed (it tasted a lot like lightly-flavored fondant), so this is the best that I can do for now.  If you can think of a suitable butter substitute, please enlighten me.

Chai-Buttercream Frosting

1 cup vegan margarine, warmed until liquid

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3 cups powdered sugar

1 ¾ tsp garam masala

1 tablespoon coconut milk

Melt the margarine. Add the powdered sugar and beat in the vanilla and coconut milk.

If the frosting is still thick, add a few more drops of coconut milk.

Makes about 2 cups of frosting.

Vegan Vanilla-Chai Cupcake Recipe

I'm apparently on a bit of a cupcake kick.  I really enjoy making and sharing them.  Cupcakes are just a wonderful food.  They are serving-sized cakes!  How can that be a bad thing?

This serving-sized cake is spicy, sweet, and delicious.  I put frosting on some of them, but I actually prefer them plain.  They are just so yummy.

Ingredients

1/2 cup coconut oil, warmed until liquid

2/3 cup demerara sugar (or raw sugar)

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 ½ cups lite coconut milk (warmed to room temperature)

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

2 teaspoons garam masala spice mix**

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups all-purpose flour

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a muffin pan with 12 paper baking cups.

Beat together the coconut oil and sugar. Mix in the coconut milk and cider vinegar. Add the vanilla extract. Add the baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix in the garam masala and ginger. Combine well.

Slowly incorporate the flour taking care not to over mix.

Portion out the batter into the pre-lined muffin pan.

Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

Makes 12 cupcakes.

I frosted my some of my cupcakes with this frosting, but I like them better without the frosting.

** Check the ingredients on your garam masala mix.  I accidentally picked up one with onion and garlic powder.  They didn't taste horrible, but they didn't taste good.  I recommend McCormicks.

Vegan Jaffa Cake Cupcake Recipe (Orange Marmalade Filled Cupcakes)

My family loves Jaffa Cakes, and every time I visit England I have to smuggle back at least a couple dozen.  I came up with this recipe as a possible way to satisfy my family's cravings during those long spans between trips.

These cupcakes aren't 100% like Jaffa Cakes, but they are still quite yummy.  They are best served cooled because the marmalade filling is very hot straight out of the oven.

Ingredients

1/2 cup coconut oil, warmed until liquid

2/3 cup demerara sugar (or raw sugar)

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 ½ cups rice milk (warmed to room temperature)

1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon pure orange extract

zest of one orange

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup of vegan chocolate chips

Approximately 1/4 cup of Sweet Orange Marmalade

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a muffin pan with 12 paper baking cups.

Beat together the coconut oil and sugar.  Mix in the rice milk and cider vinegar. Add the orange and vanilla extracts. Add the orange zest, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix until well combined.

Slowly incorporate the flour taking care not to over mix.

With a spatula or spoon, stir in the vegan chocolate chips.

Portion out the batter into the pre-lined muffin pan - filling only about half-way.

Scoop a spoonful of orange marmalade into the center of each cupcake and fill the cupcake cups with the remaining batter.  They don't rise a lot, so I filled the cups almost to the top.

Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out relatively clean (it might have a little marmalade on it).

Makes 12 cupcakes.  

I iced my cupcakes with this Vegan Orange-Chocolate Frosting.

Vegan Chocolate-Orange Frosting Recipe

I came up with this recipe to frost my Vegan Swedish Fish Cupcakes, and it was surprisingly easy to make.  I had only ever made cream cheese frostings before and always assumed that chocolate frosting would be a pain to make.  That's why they have such great tubs of it at the grocery store, right?  I was horribly mistaken and will probably never buy another tub of chocolate icing again.

I used this recipe from Hershey's as my inspiration, but ended up tweaking it quite a bit because I'm apparently incapable of just following a recipe without "improving" on it.  Still, it turned out lovely and tastes a bit like a Terry's Chocolate Orange.

Ingredients

1/2 cup vegan margarine
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup rice milk (or an appropriate analogue)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon pure orange extract

Melt the margarine. Stir in the cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, while beating. 

If the frosting is still thick, add a few more drops of rice milk. Stir in vanilla and orange extract.

Makes about 1 ½ cups of frosting.

Vegan Swedish Fish Cupcake Recipe

They said it couldn't be done, but I did it.  I made vegan cupcakes with Swedish Fish*, and they are absolutely delicious. 

There's a lot going on in these cupcakes, but it all works.  I created an orange cupcake base for my cupcake because I thought it might nicely accent the ummm.... cherry flavor?  Are they cherry?  I just don't know, but I thought red flavor would go well with orange.  This basic vegan cupcake recipe is the one upon which I was built.  My recipe is much different, but I like to give credit to those who came up with the original ratios.

If you don't have coconut oil, you can substitute it with canola or vegetable oil.  Ditto if you don't have rice milk.  It can also be replaced with an appropriate analogue if necessary

Ingredients  

1/2 cup coconut oil, warmed until liquid

2/3 cup demerara sugar (or raw sugar)

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 ½ cups rice milk (warmed to room temperature)

1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon pure orange extract

zest of one orange

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup of small Swedish Fish

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a muffin pan with 12 paper baking cups.

Beat together the coconut oil and sugar.

Mix in the rice milk and cider vinegar. Add the orange and vanilla extracts.

Add the orange zest, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix until well combined.

Slowly incorporate the flour taking care not to over mix.

With a spatula or spoon, stir in the Swedish Fish.

Portion out the batter into the pre-lined muffin pan. They don't rise a lot, so I filled the cups almost to the top.

Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Makes 12 cupcakes.

I iced my cupcakes with this Vegan Orange-Chocolate Frosting.

* Swedish Fish are vegan.  PETA says so.

Getting Rid of Gnats in 2 Days - A Top Tip

Nobody likes to talk about pests.  Most of us prefer to believe that they just don't exist, but sometimes - through no fault of your own - you end up with an infestation.

A couple of weeks ago, I ended up having to deal with a swarm of gnats.  I didn't like the idea of spraying my kitchen with dangerous chemicals to get rid of them, so I started to think a bit outside of the box for an organic solution.

I racked my brain for a few hours when I remembered that gnats are naturally drawn to rotting fruit.  This lead to the following safe and easy solution.

Here's all you need: 
1 bottle with a plastic lid
A drill
A 1/8 inch drill bit
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar (or wine vinegar)
A few drops of dish detergent

Drill 3 holes in the plastic lid.  The holes don't have to be exactly 1/8 inch, but you want them to be approximately gnat sized so they can get in but have trouble getting out.

Put 1/3 cup of wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar in the bottle.  It HAS to be apple cider or wine vinegar.  White vinegar won't work as well. 

Drip a few drops of dish detergent into the vinegar and screw on the lid.  Gently agitate the liquid (don't shake it, you want to avoid soap bubbles).

Place the bottle in a problem area and watch your gnats disappear.

When the gnats are gone, just toss the whole bottle in the garbage (or dump the liquid in the toilet and recycle the bottle).

Why does this work?  As I mentioned, gnats LOVE rotting fruit.  Wine/Cider vinegar is essentially rotten fruit juice, so they go nuts for it.

Gnats can also walk on water.  Adding dish detergent to the vinegar reduces the surface tension of the liquid, so when they land on the vinegar, they sink into the murky deep rather than harmlessly walking on the surface before flying away.  Since the gnats can't resist the alluring odor of eau de vinegar, they all disappear into the bottle rather quickly.  My swarm was almost totally gone in 24 hours and completely gone in 48.

This trick will probably work for house/fruit flies, but you'll need a bigger holes in the bottle.


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Apple Chutney Recipe

About a week ago I bought a bag of small apples, and I just haven't been able to eat all of them. THERE WERE SOOOOO MANY APPLES!!  (I ate about 3 a day for the last week).  I'm not much of a fan of soft apples, so I decided to whip up a chutney with the rest. This is the simplest of the chutney recipes that I have created.

If you aren't a fan of raisins, feel free to replace them with some other dried fruit (I think chopped, dried apricots would be delicious - I just didn't have any).

I also wanted to lighten up the recipe a little. I cut back on the sugar and eliminated the oil.

Ingredients

Cooking Spray
1/2 tsp chile flakes
1 cup diced yellow onion (approx. 1 medium onion)
5 cups apple - cored and diced (approx. 2 medium apples)
1 cup unsweetened apple cider
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1 tbsp honey or brown sugar
1 tbsp curry powder
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice mix
1/2 cup raisins or golden raisins
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Zest of one orange

Preparation
Spray a sauce pan with the cooking spray, heat the pan, and add the chile flakes. Be careful not to burn the chile, just toast it long enough to toast the chile flakes. Add the onions and sweat until soft.

Gradually add the diced apple.

Add the apple cider, cider vinegar, honey/sugar, curry powder, and pumpkin pie spice mix. Stir to combine. Add the raisins, salt, pepper, and orange zest. Bring the mixture to a simmer and allow to reduce for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently.

I used a mild yellow curry powder but feel free to use a spicier blend if you wish.

Vegan Onion Soup

I'll admit it: I have Paula Deen cookware.  She puts her name on a 5 quart saute pan that is absolutely perfect for this recipe.  It has a non-stick coating, it is quite large, and it was on sale at Big Lots.  For this recipe, you are going to need a rather large pan with a large, flat surface area on the bottom.  You can probably get by with other pans but having a pan that fulfills these criteria will help immensely.

Admittedly, this soup is a little time consuming, but it is delicious!

Ingredients
3 tbsp Olive Oil
2 Sweet Onions (like Vidalia Onions)
2 Spanish Onions
2 Red Onions
3 Leeks
1 tsp Salt
3 Bay Leaves
1 tsp Oregano
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
1 cup Ale-style Beer (I used Troeg's Mad Elf)
1/2 cup Apple Cider
1 quart Low/No Salt Vegetable Stock

Preparation
Heat oil in a 5 quart pan.  Trim the ends off each onion then halve lengthwise.  Remove the peel and slice.  Trim both ends off of the leeks (you'll be using only the whites).  Halve them lengthwise and slice.  Turn the burner down to medium and add the onions and leeks to the pan one at a time, stirring after each onion/leek has been added. 

When all of the onions have been added to the pan, sprinkle the onions with salt and toss in the bay leaves.  Stir occasionally until onions are dark mahogany and are reduced considerably.  This should take about 1-1.5 hours. Do not worry if they burn a little.  Stir regularly (around the hour mark you'll need to stir the onions every five minutes or so to keep them from sticking).

Add the black pepper, oregano, and beer.  Simmer for 10 minutes.  Add the apple cider and vegetable stock.  Simmer for an additional 20-30 minutes and serve.

Traditionally, French onion soup is topped with Gruyère cheese and croûtons and toasted in the oven before serving.  I think this soup is good enough to stand alone without the cheese (plus it won't be vegan if you do add Gruyère), but the addition of toasted croûtons is a nice touch. 

Pear-Apple-Cranberry Chutney

Well, I'm addicted to chutney.  I might have to start a support group, but before I take that drastic step, I decided to make some more chutney.

This recipe is based on my old recipe but without ginger and groundcherries (because I didn't have any). 

Ingredients

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1/2 tsp chile flakes

1 cup diced yellow onion (approx. 1 medium onion)

3 cups pear - cored and diced (approx. 2 medium pears)

2 cups apple - cored and diced (approx. 2 medium apples)

2 cups cranberries (fresh or frozen)

1 cup unsweetened apple cider

1/3 cup cider vinegar 

1/3 cup demerara sugar (or light brown sugar)

1 tbsp curry powder

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice mix

1/2 cup raisins or golden raisins

1/2 tsp Kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Zest of one orange

 

Preparation

 

In a sauce pan heat the oil and add the chile flakes. Be careful not to burn the chile, just toast it long enough to flavor the oil. Add the onions and sweat until soft. 

Gradually add the diced pear and apple. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Stir in the cranberries.

Add the apple cider, cider vinegar, demerara sugar, curry powder, and pumpkin pie spice mix. Stir to combine. Add the raisins, salt, pepper, and orange zest (if you're using a grater, be careful of your knuckles). Bring the mixture to a simmer and allow to reduce for about 30 minutes, stirring frequently.

I used a mild yellow curry powder but feel free to use a spicier blend if you wish.

Apple-Cranberry-Groundcherry Chutney

First off, I don't know how I made it almost 33 years without this chutney.  Sweet, bitter, sour, tangy, and slightly spicy, it is absolutely fantastic.  Now here's the story behind the chutney:

In the not too distant past, I became the proud owner of a bag of groundcherries.  I wasn't very fond of the flavor, so I decided to make them into a chutney.  I did some research, found a mango chutney recipe that was a suitable base for my recipe, and got to work.  As it turns out, the foundational recipe bears only a passing resemblance to the chutney that I made, but that's just the way I roll.

The chutney is fairly mild but has surprising depth.  The sweetness of the apples and the tangyness of the cranberries makes this a perfect accompaniment for naan bread, toast, or Quorn fillets, or you can eat it straight out of the jar - which is probably what's going to happen to the batch that is currently chilling in my refrigerator.

If you can't get groundcherries, feel free to replace them with one cup of cranberries or diced apple (or cherry, if it floats your boat). 

Ingredients

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1/2 tsp chile flakes

1 cup diced yellow onion (approx. 1 medium onion)

1/8 cup minced fresh ginger

3 cups apple - peeled, cored and diced (approx. 3 medium apples)

1 cup groundcherries (aka cape gooseberries)

2 cups cranberries (fresh or frozen)

2/3 cup unsweetened apple cider

1/3 cup cider vinegar 

1/3 cup demerara sugar (or light brown sugar)

1 tbsp curry powder

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice mix

1/2 cup raisins or golden raisins

1/2 tsp Kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Zest of one orange

 

Preparation

 

In a saute pan heat the oil and add the chile flakes. Be careful not to burn the chile, just toast it long enough to flavor the oil. Add the onions and sweat until soft. Add the ginger sauté for 1-2 minutes.

Add the diced apple. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Stir in the cranberries and ground cherries.

Add the apple cider, cider vinegar, demerara sugar, curry powder, and pumpkin pie spice mix. Stir to combine. Add the raisins, salt, pepper, and orange zest. Bring the mixture to a simmer and allow to reduce for about 30 minutes, stirring frequently.

I used a mild yellow curry powder but feel free to use a spicier blend if you wish.

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Pumpkin Cookie Recipe

Another pumpkin recipe!  YAY!  There's nothing quite like the smell and color of a freshly opened can of pumpkin!

I changed this recipe a bit since I first posted it.  I reduced the amount of sugar by 1/2 cup and added a little more spice.  If you tried the recipe previously and had different results, that's why.

1/2 cup softened butter
1 cup demerara sugar (or raw sugar)*
1 cup roasted, mashed pumpkin (or Libby's 100% Pumpkin)
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla (treat yourself to the real stuff; it's worth it!)
3 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour


Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.

Cream together the sugar and butter.  Add the pumpkin, egg, and vanilla and mix well.  Add the spices, salt, baking soda, and baking powder and combine.

Slowly incorporate the flours.

Scoop onto a lined cookie sheet and bake for 17-20 minutes.



The cookies turned out lovely!  They tasted a bit like oatmeal pumpkin cookies.

I changed the recipe a bit, but here's a link to the original.  It includes a glaze.  I think the glaze is a bit unnecessary (especially since I already think that they are too sweet).

* I'm really fond of the demerara sugar - it gives pastries a hint of a brown sugar flavor - but if you don't have any, substitute it with a 50-50 combo of light brown sugar and regular sugar.


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Pumpkin-Applesauce Drop Cookies

You may have noticed that there's a bit of a theme to the last few recipes that I have posted.  I love to cook seasonal food, so I have been trying to develop recipes that make the most of the season.  Seeing that many people aren't particularly fond of Brussels sprouts, I decided to focus on apples and pumpkins/butternut squash instead.

Lightly sweet, these Pumpkin-Applesauce Drop Cookies are somewhere between drop cookies and scones, but despite their existential crisis, they are delicious.  

Pumpkin-Applesauce Drop Cookies *

3 ½ c whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

pinch salt

4 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 cup cold butter

2 cups cooked pumpkin/butternut squash (or Libby's 100% Pumpkin)

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (homemade or store bought)

1/3 cup honey

Preparation

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spice. Cut in butter, adding a bit at a time until it is mostly incorporated (it will probably be lumpy, but that's ok).

Add pumpkin, applesauce, and honey.  Mix until combined, but try not to overmix.

Drop the cookies by the spoonful onto a lined/buttered cookie sheet. 

Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-15 minutes.  Makes approximately 36 cookies. 

* This recipe can be easily converted into a vegan recipe by replacing the honey with 1/3 cup of sugar and by replacing the butter with vegan margarine.


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Pumpkin Scone Recipe

There is a conspiracy in your cupboard: most commercially canned pumpkin is actually butternut squash (or a combination of other winter squashes).  These squashes tend to be sweeter and less stringy than traditional "pumpkin", so by creating these blends, the commercial pumpkin companies are actually providing us with a better product. 


This is why I feel no guilt when I call the following recipe my "pumpkin scones recipe" even though I used butternut squash to make it.  Regardless of the controversy, these scones are delicious.

*note* I was a touch conservative with the spices, so feel free to tailor the spicing to your own personal tastes. 


Pumpkin Scones

Ingredients
2 ½ cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
½ cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp fresh ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
½ cup cold butter
2 cups mashed butternut squash* (or Libby's 100% Pumpkin)
2 tbsp milk (or rice milk)

Preparation
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda.  Cut in butter, adding a bit at a time until mostly incorporated (it will probably be lumpy, but that's ok because that will make the scones more flaky).

Add pumpkin, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg and combine well.

On a lightly floured surface, knead dough a few times.  Form 18 lumpy balls of dough (each will be about ½ cup) and put them on baking sheets.

Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes or until no longer doughy.





*Roasted Butternut Squash
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.  Cut a butternut squash in half and scrape out the seeds.

Place squash halves on a lined baking sheet flesh side up brush liberally with melted butter.

Bake the squash on a baking sheet at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until fork tender.

Depending on the size of the squash, it may take 30-90 minutes to become fork tender. (I ended up having to toss a sheet of aluminum foil over the squash to help it along after 60 minutes) and it still took another 30 minutes).

When it is finally tender, scoop out and mash/puree the squash flesh. Allow to cool thoroughly. 



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Butternut Squash and Apple Soup Recipe

When it comes to making delicious seasonal food, there is nothing more inspirational than seeing what's available at the local farmer's market.   Here's a seasonal soup that is made from some of the bounty that fall has to offer.  (Even I have to admit that that last part was a little corny, but fall just brings the corniness out in me).

Ingredients
1 butternut squash*
2 apples*
2 tbsp melted butter*

2 tbsp of olive oil
1 large onion, diced
½ tsp of black pepper
½ tsp of salt
1 quart vegetable stock
1 ½ cup apple cider
½ tsp cinnamon
2 bay leaves
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp butter
pinch of nutmeg

(You may need to add more salt, pepper, cinnamon, or nutmeg depending on the size of the butternut squash. This recipe is also delicious with a touch of curry powder!)

Roast the butternut squash
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.

Cut the butternut squash in half and scrape out the seeds.
Place squash halves on a lined baking sheet, flesh side up, and brush the flesh liberally with melted butter.

Bake the apples
Peel, halve, and core 2 apples.
Rub all four halves with butter.
Place the apples cut side down on a lined baking sheet.

Bake both the butternut squash and the apples at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

The apples will take about 30 minutes before they become fork tender, but depending on the size of the squash, it may take 30-90 minutes for it to soften. (I ended up having to toss a sheet of aluminum foil over the squash to help it along after 60 minutes, and it still took another 30 minutes in the oven).

Prepare the soup base
While the apples and squash are in the oven, chop a large onion and sweat it in 2 tbsp of olive oil until it starts to become translucent.

Season the onions with ½ tsp of black pepper and ½ tsp of salt.

When the onion starts to brown, add 1 quart of vegetable stock and 1 ½ cup of apple cider to the pot.
 and
Simmer the soup base. When the apples are fork tender, mash them with a fork and add them to the soup base. Add ½ tsp of cinnamon and 2 bay leaves.

Continue simmering the soup. When the butternut squash is fork tender, scoop the flesh out of the squash. If you have one of those fancy immersion blenders, dump the squash into the pot and go to town with the immersion blender until the soup is smooth. If you have a regular blender, put the squash in the blender and puree it before adding it to the pot. If you're like me and have neither, mash the squash with a fork or potato masher (I call it “rustic”).

Add a tsp of apple cider vinegar, 2 tbsp of butter, and a pinch of nutmeg.  (If you are adding curry powder, add it now.)

Stir the soup and taste it. If you would like it to be a little sweeter, add a tbsp or two of honey.  Add more salt, pepper, or cinnamon according to your personal taste preferences. If you used an especially large squash, you may need to adjust the seasoning quite a bit.

Allow the soup to simmer for at least 15-30 minutes. Serve hot.


* Quick option**: Skip roasting the butternut squash and apples.  Peel and halve both fruits.  Remove the seeds and cut the flesh into cubes.  Toss the cubes into the soup base and simmer them until they are soft.  When they are soft, go to town with a potato masher and finish the job with an immersion blender (or regular blender).  Add the additional seasonings, butter, and apple cider vinegar as directed in the recipe.

** Quicker option:  Skip the butternut squash and apples completely and just use one 29 oz can of Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin (make sure that you aren't using the "Libby's Easy Pumpkin Pie Mix") and one cup of unsweetened apple sauce.  Add the additional seasonings, butter, and apple cider vinegar as directed in the recipe.



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