cookies & cream cupcakes from VCTOW.

as far as desserts go, i really do think these little treats take the cake. so much so that i'm not even going to apologize for that weak pun. cupcakes are incredibly portable, already is in a controlled portion and you don't even need to dirty forks or plates to enjoy them. no complaining there. another birthday has come around and my eyes definitely lit up when the request was for cookies & cream, a long time personal favorite of mine. there was no need for me to look up a recipe to veganize or try to create my own for this one! isa moskowitz & terry romero have done the work for me via the brilliantly done and always crowd pleasing cookbook, vegan cupcakes takeover the world. so for any of you that might have been hiding under a rock when the vegan cupcakes took over, give this recipe a go and good luck trying not to eat them all. :]

basic chocolate cupcake base:
1 cup soy milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract, chocolate extract, or more vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder, Dutch-processed or regular
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

instructions:
1.) preheat oven to 350°F and line a muffin pan with paper or foil liners.
2.) whisk together the soy milk and vinegar in a large bowl, and set aside for a few minutes to curdle. add the sugar, oil, vanilla extract, and other extract, if using, to the soy milk mixture and beat until foamy. in a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add in two batches to wet ingredients and beat until no large lumps remain (a few tiny lumps are OK).
3.) pour into liners, filling 3/4 of the way. bake 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

fluffy buttercream frosting:
1/2 cup non-hydrogenated shortening, such as spectrum
1/2 cup non-hydrogenated margarine, such as earth balance
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted if clumpy
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup plain soy milk or soy creamer
1/2 cup finely mashed vegan cream-filled sandwich cookies
6 vegan cream-filled sandwich cookies, cut in half

instructions:
1.) beat the shortening and margarine together until well combined and fluffy. add the sugar and beat for about 3 more minutes.
2.) add the vanilla and soy milk, and beat for another 5 to 7 minutes until fluffy.
3.) stir in the finely mashed cookies, frost the cupcakes generously and top each with half of a sandwich cookie.

makes: 12 cupcakes.

vegetable medley couscous.

this dish really allows the vegetables shine, but lends just enough seasoning to take the taste to the next level. enjoy!


vegetable medley couscous. 

ingredients:
1.5 tbsp olive oil
2 carrots, sliced
1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
3 medium-sized zucchini, coarsely chopped
1 bunch scallions, ends trimmed and chopped
2 large tomatoes, chopped 
2 cups cooked (or canned) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup fresh peas 
1 tsp salt 
1/2 tsp turmeric 
1/2 tsp fresh black pepper 
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1 1/4 cups couscous, uncooked

instructions:
1.) heat the oil in a large saucepan. add the carrots and cook, covered, until softened, about 5 minutes.
2.) stir in the red bell pepper, zucchini, scallions, and tomatoes, along with the salt, turmeric, black pepper and cinnamon. add 4 cups of water and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
3.) add the chickpeas, peas, and parsley, cover and cook an additional 10 minutes.
4.) prepare the couscous by bringing 1 1/4 cups of water to a boil in a small pot and then remove from the heat. stir in the couscous, cover and let rest for 5 minutes. fluff with a fork.
5.) divide couscous evenly among bowls and add the vegetable medley on top using a slotted spoon [dividing evenly, as well]. add desired amount of broth to each bowl. 

serves: 5

red velvet birthday cake.

i am not sure why, but for some reason i rarely bake. i always think of cake [and sweets of the like] as a special occasion food. so when friends birthday's come around, i am more than excited to make cupcakes, cakes or whatever they want! this time around the request was for a red velvet cake. the cake was undeniably delicious. moist, decadent and the "butter cream cheese" frosting ... i don't even have words for, just a stream of drool. i had an issue getting the frosting in-between the cake layers to become thick enough [which led to the red coloring from the cake to be absorbed into the frosting layer that i did somewhat manage to create, making it almost invisible]. i am pretty sure not allowing enough time for the frosting to cool attributed to its poor consistency, so i adjusted the instructions to alleviate the issue. even with it not being perfect on this try, it's still a beaut!

red velvet cake.
cake ingredients:
2 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1 1/2 cups raw sugar
1/2 cup vegan margarine, softened
1 cup soy milk
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tbsp cocoa powder, unsweetened
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp of lemon juice
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp vinegar
2 oz red food coloring [or beet juice]

frosting ingredients:
1 cup confectioner's sugar
8 oz vegan "cream cheese"
1/2 cup vegan margarine, softened
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup soy milk

cake instructions:
1.) preheat oven to 350°F.
2.) in a cup pour the soy milk and add the lemon juice. let sit while preparing the next few ingredients. [this makes "buttermilk".]
3.) in a large bowl, cream together the margarine and sugar and then add the applesauce.
4.) in a small bowl mix together the cocoa powder and food coloring to form a slight paste. add it to the creamed mixture.
5.) mix the salt and flour together and then add it to the batter alternately with the "buttermilk" in three batches, mixing after each addition.
6.) add vanilla extract then mix in the baking soda and vinegar.
7.) pour batter into 2 greased cake pans [i used round] and bake for 40 minutes [or until toothpick comes out clean]. while cooling, make the frosting.

frosting instructions:
1.) in a medium bowl, mix the "cream cheese" and margarine together.
2.) add sugar, vanilla and soy milk. mixture will be very soft [almost a glue-like texture]. place in fridge to cool for 20 minutes.

assembly instructions:
1.) after the cake and frosting have cooled, frost the first layer with half the icing and repeat process till completely frosted.
serves: 10

jamaican jerk tofu with brown rice.

this recipe is magic. seriously. it makes the tofu not taste like a nerf ball. some recipes (apparently) don't mind that their tofu is slurpy. however, i do. that is why one must take pride in pressing the water out of tofu before cooking it. the longer the better. this makes the tofu experience much more tasty. tofu aside, the spice mix will blow your mind. no joke, literally. so sweet, spicy and just melt in your mouth delicious. mmmm. feel free to add vegetables that you have on hand or of your choosing to this dish. colorful roasted bell peppers and onions would work nicely.

jamaican jerk tofu with brown rice.
ingredients:
1 block firm or extra-firm tofu, pressed & cubed to desired size.
oil for deep frying
1 cup brown rice
2 tsp vegetable broth powder
2 cups water
1 lime

spice mix:
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cayenne

instructions:
1.) bring 2 cups of water to boil in a pot on the stove and mix well with 2 tsp. vegetable broth powder then add in 1 cup of brown rice, cover and lower to simmer until completely cooked. set aside.
2.) heat deep fryer to 375°F or heat oil in a pan on med-high on stove top. when oil is heated, add in the tofu and deep fry until golden brown. then set on paper towels to drain and set aside.
3.) combine ingredients for the spice mix in a small bowl and set aside.
4.) place tofu in a medium-high heated skillet lightly sprayed with vegetable oil. add spice mix and cook till heated and spice mix is well coated on the tofu. spraying with oil as needed.
5.) serve tofu over brown rice and squeeze lime juice lightly over each serving.

serves: 2 - 4

get juiced!

maybe you are like me and have trouble with getting your fruit servings for the day, then again maybe you're not, but the truth still stands that you need them regardless. i don't know what it is about fruit, could be the overpowering sweetness or it could also be that i focus so much on the meals at hand that i forget the poor seed infested little guys even exist. i have found that the best way for myself and those not apt to eat fruit is through juicing.

it doesn't have to stop at fruit either! pretty much any fruit, veggie or greens that contain juice (duh!) can be thrown into one of these bad ass obliterators. carrots, oranges, tangerines, tomatoes, potatoes, romaine lettuce, parsley, garlic, ginger, apples... ok, i think you get the idea.

the key is to balance out the taste to your liking. i always like to throw in some greens (kale, spinach, collards, romaine lettuce, etc). sometimes greens can be a bit bitter, but thats where the balancing act comes in and those sweet fruits make the drink rule it. juice is seriously healthy, tastes fantastic and is way better than any bottled drink you can buy at the grocery store.

one of my favorite drinks is carrot & orange juice: 2 oranges, 1 large carrot.

i know that juicers aren't the cheapest appliance in the world to purchase, but you can find them in all sorts of price ranges. making your own juice is cheaper than buying pre-packed juice, not to mention the waste that you won't be creating with the packaging. so it eventually pays its way. you can always start out with a hand juicer if you're more of a citrus person, but never be afraid of the juicer. it is your friend.

so go on, drink up!