Vegan Low-Fat Chocolate CupCakes

Since it is New Years Eve and I am in the mood for something decadent, I whipped up a quick batch of Low-Fat Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes this morning from a recipe I have been dying to try. The recipe is from a bakery in Boston that I love called Flour.  The owner, Joanne Chang, recently released a cookbook with a collection of recipes from the bakery that are pretty phenomenal (although not all Vegan-friendly).

While the original recipe I followed is for a 6 inch cake, I made 8 cupcakes from the batter instead and just adjusted the cooking time.

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients: 

1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1/2 cup unbleached cane sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
2 t. instant espresso powder

1 cup water
¼ cup Canola oil
1 t. vanilla
2 T unsulfured light or dark molasses

Confectioners’ sugar for dusting (if desired)

Directions:

Line a muffin pan with 8 liners and set aside. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking soda, and salt, and set aside. In a measuring cup or small bowl, whisk together all of the wet ingredients. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and whisk well to combine. Pour batter into the prepared muffin pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.

And because I just couldn’t help myself, I made a quick batch of Kim Barnouin’s Peanut Butter Frosting to top them off. 

Peanut Butter Frosting

Ingredients:
2 cups (200g) confectioner's sugar
1/4 cup (65g) organic creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup almond milk

Directions:
Using an electric mixer, beat together the confectioner's sugar and the peanut butter in a medium bowl until creamy. Add the vanilla and almond milk, and beat an additional two minutes.

 

Sweet Potato & Kale Stew Over Quinoa

I woke up this morning to the unmistakable smell of eggs and bacon cooking at my parent’s house. More specifically, Ina Garten’s maple-roasted bacon, which just happens to be my favorite. Somehow I managed to stick to my guns and skip the bacon in favor of some whole wheat toast and organic raspberry jam. While I have really enjoyed being at my parents house for the holidays, I am pretty relieved to have made it back to my place today safe and sound, with my new “vegan” resolve still intact. Who knows how many more mornings I might have been able to resist the temptation of that heavenly smell of eggs, bacon, and maple syrup filling the house on a cold winter morning…..

And that brings me to Day 5 living the vegan lifestyle. Due to my mother’s stocked fridge, I was able to scavenge up some vegan friendly meals (mostly vegetables….) while home and eat them fairly unobtrusively with the family at regular meals. Now that I am back in my apartment and cooking for one, I whipped up something quick for dinner using some winter-friendly ingredients. Adapted from a recipe from www.realsimple.com, this sweet potato and kale stew served over quinoa takes about 30 minutes to make and only calls for a few ingredients. That gives me time to skip the grocery store, go the gym after work, and get a hot meal on the table, all before 8pm. As Ina would say, “How bad could that be?”

Here is the recipe:

Serves 2| Hands-On Time: 15m | Total Time: 30m

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small sweet potatoes (about 1 pound), peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 1 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 bunch kale, stems discarded and leaves torn into 2-inch pieces
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• kosher salt and black pepper

Directions

1. Place the quinoa and 2 cups water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until water is absorbed, 12 to 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat.
3. Add the sweet potatoes cook, tossing occasionally, until golden and beginning to soften, 7 to 8 minutes.
4. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
5. Add the kale, wine, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook, tossing often, until the vegetables are tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
6. Serve the vegetables over the quinoa. 

** Cooking Notes: I found the sweet potatoes took longer than the kale to cook. Next time I will probably add the wine in step 4 and cook the sweet potatoes for a few minutes before adding in the kale.

We all start somewhere

I grew up on food. Yes, I know what you are thinking- we all did. Ahh, but the food I grew up on was different. After moving overseas to Italy at the tender age of 9, my parents used to make fun of me for asking them where all the "Italian food” was. However, it did not take me too long to stop missing the garlic bread and spaghetti and meatballs I had anticipated. Replacing those Americanized dishes were everything from squid ink "wild" rice to melon flavored gelato.  After 9 years in food heaven, I moved back to America. Adjusting first to living off southern comfort food in North Carolina and then experimenting with the many ethnic and outstanding cuisines in D.C, I recently was displaced again to Boston. Being someone who appreciates all good food, I am loathe to give up the plethora of new tastes available to me here (lobster anyone?). However I have recently decided (for a variety of reasons) to attempt a vegan lifestyle. Is it possible to still enjoy food as much as I do with the bacon, steak, or chorizo? Will a glass of wine taste the same without a good piece of cheese to accompany it? Can I still be a foodie without everything I used to (ok, lets be honest, still do) love? I am going to put my cooking skills to the test and let my next big food adventure begin!