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My first tattoo. Very special meaning for me at a very special time in my life. Yolo.
A blog of random recipes, ideas and obsessions.
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MINT CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES
I can’t decide if these belong in the guilty pleasures category or the healthy bites? Either way, probably the most amazing cupcakes I have ever made. AND considering they are gluten free, dairy free, and have no oil… I was expecting a much different outcome. Something magical must have happened in that oven. I got the recipe originally from www.endlesssimmer.com and modified it a bit.
Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Mint Cupcakes:
Wet Team:- 1 cup soymilk
- 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon mint extract
Dry Team A:- 1/4 cup tapioca flour
- 2 tablespoons ground flax seed
Dry Team B:- 1/2 cup brown rice flour
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat your oven to 350° F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners, or spray with nonstick spray.
In a large bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients until just combined. Add the tapioca flour and flax seed and whisk vigorously for about a minute, until the dry ingredients are emulsified and you no longer see a layer of oil hovering on top of the mixture.
Sift in the flours, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Mix for at least two minutes on a medium-high speed to get everything incorporated.
Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake cups, about 2/3 full.
Bake for 20 to 23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
I made a frosting from soaked cashews (overnight), agave and mint extract. But decided to save the calories and not use it because the cake was just so moist, it was delicious as is, but you could use any frosting you wanted. Garnish with a mint leaf.
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ZUCCHINI SPAGHETTI
If only I knew how long I was missing out on zucchini noodles (sigh). Cut with a mandolin, lightly sauteed with olive oil, salt, pepper, and minced garlic. Cook them al-dente just as they loose their crispiness. I topped mine with organic Muir Glen garden veggie pasta sauce. I used about 2 zucchinis to make one dish, but next time I think I’ll opt for 3! I don’t think I will ever have pasta noodles after tonight again… so amazingly flavorful. Spaghetti is a household favorite, so now I can make it more often and substitute zucchini noodles on just my dish.
A must try.
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MANGO SUMMER LOVE
I’m probably the only one who uses the beverage dispenser built in my fridge to dispense mangos. That’s because it’s mango season and I just can’t get enough. There are probably 10 in my kitchen at all times. Anyways, I have discovered my new favorite salad/side/topping/dessert/everything…Mango Avocado salad. These flavors go so well together, they should be growing on the same tree.
Mango Avocado Salad
1 Avocado
1 Mango
1 Sprig Cilantro
1/8 tsp olive oil
Dash of black sesame seeds
Salt and pepper to taste -
For my beautiful niece, Kaylee… Miss you all the time.
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Flea market faces, a set on Flickr.
Photos from the Long Beach Flea Market. As I browsed around, I quickly noticed a trend… -
RED, WHITE, AND BLUE STRAWBERRIES
Happy 4th of July! (and happy birthday to my mom) I usually don’t like to mix her birthday with the Independence Day holiday, but this time I felt like being a little creative. Although I can’t take the credit for this idea (thank you Pinterest) my favorite part of this gift was the packaging. After dipping and decorating the strawberries, I packed them in egg cartons, which turns out to be a very cute and practical way to deliver and protect this sweet treat. Sorry I don’t have a picture of the packaging but hopefully you’ll give it try next time you make some bite size goodies.
P.S. You might might find your local store out of blue sugar sprinkles if your a last minute shopper (like me) around such a color-specific holiday, so I just used organic sugar and a bit of food coloring instead.
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RAW CRANBERRY SAUCE
I love thanksgiving. I know, I know, it’s only June, but that doesn’t mean I can’t have a little taste of the holidays in the summer! This is a great recipe for raw cranberry sauce that isn’t cooked, so it maintains all the high pack nutrients and antioxidants found in cranberries. I like to cook an organic rotisserie chicken on sundays that I can pick on throughout the week as my lean protein, and this sauce makes a great compliment to any plain chicken or turkey.
Ingredients:
1 cup apple juice (freshly squeezed)
1 cup orange juice (freshly squeezed)2 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
Dash allspice
Dash cloves
10 dates
10 oz. bag of frozen cranberries (thawed)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 tsp orange zest
3 packets of stevia (to taste)
1 tbsp cornstarchPulse all the ingredients together in a Vitamix or food processor until you have reached the desired consistency. When mixture is thick, taste for sweetness and adjust as you like. It should be a chunky, gravy-like texture. This recipe makes A LOT of sauce, like enough to feed a family of 12 on thanksgiving, so keep that in mind when preparing.
You can also add chopped nuts to make it a bit chunkier if you like. Enjoy!
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THIN MINT ICE CREAM
Love thin mint cookies? Good, me too. Especially frozen ones. So here is a little super nutritious dessert that will calm that craving without packing on the pounds.
Blend the following in a Vitamix or food processor:
2 Frozen Bananas
1 scoop chocolate protein powder
1/8 tsp. mint extract (to taste)
Large handful fresh spinach
1/2 cup almond milk
You can adjust these ingredients to modify the consistency, or put in the freezer to stiffen up a bit. It’s deceivingly tasty…
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