This Little Cupcake Really Will Take Over the World

For Christmas I received a guilty pleasure book I have wanted for over a year. It is called “Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World”, written by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero. I get so much pleasure from the book, but feel quite guilty because of the oil and sugar content of the cupcakes. But they are truly the most amazing cupcakes I have ever tasted – moist and perfect. And it is so hard to believe there are no eggs or dairy. So far, the best EVER is the basic chocolate cupcake with chocolate buttercream frosting. On my – just thinking of them makes me happy. When we have company over, these disappear FAST and they are the talk of the evening!

This little cupcake doesn’t look like much, but YUM!!!!!

Basic Chocolate Cupcake makes 12

1 cup non-dairy milk (I use almond)

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

¾ cup sugar

1/3 cup canola oil (try to use non-GMO)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon almond, chocolate, or more vanilla extract (I use vanilla)

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder, Dutch-processed (the best) or regular

¾ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a muffin pan with paper or foil liners. Whisk together the milk and vinegar in a large bowl, and set aside for a few minutes to curdle. Add the sugar, oil, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and other extract, if using, to the milk mixture and beat till 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 till no large lumps remain (a few tiny ones are OK).

Pour into liners, filling ¾ full (it is important not to exceed this maximum or you will have a muffin top – not good for cupcakes). Bake 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

¼ cup margarine, softened (I use Earth Balance)

¼ cup shortening (I use non-hydrogenated)

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I LOVE the Dutch-processed)

2 ½ cups powdered sugar, sifted

3 tablespoons non-dairy milk (I use almond)

1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Cream together the margarine and shortening until well combined. Add the cocoa powder and incorporate well. Add the confectioners sugar in about ½ cup batches and beat well, adding a little splash of the milk after each addition. When all ingredients have been well incorporated, add the vanilla and beat until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes with a hand mixer, 7 minutes if mixing with a fork). Frost the cupcakes when they are cool.

Prepare to watch them disappear.

Craving Chocolate?

I want to apologize for taking so long to post.

When I get home from work, my husband David (who just gave me the OK to use his name in this blog) and I take a 30-minute walk and then we start cooking whatever new recipe is planned for the day. By the time all that is done, it is 7:15 or 7:30. After enjoying our meal, that is when I usually blog. But recently I have been a bit addicted to television, since all my favorite shows are back! So I have a backlog of dinner recipes that need to be blogged about and I hope to start sharing those with you soon. In the meantime, I want to tell you about something I made last night.

This past week has been a week of cravings and chocolate was at the top of the list. I am forever grateful for the no-bake cookies you see here (from Forks Over Knives Companion book). They really aren’t the kind of cookie that you go crazy over or brag about, but they do have some important virtues:

• Hands down take care of a super-duper chocolate craving
• Can be made in 15 minutes
• They really aren’t addictive (I can stop after 2)
• Only 70 calories and 2 grams of fat per cookie (using rice milk)
• I think they taste good
• I don’t feel guilty when I eat them

How to make them? Put 1/3 cup maple syrup, 1/3 cup rice or almond milk, and ¼ cup cocoa into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 3 minutes, then add 3 tablespoons peanut butter and stir until dissolved. Remove from the heat and add 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 ½ cups oats. Stir well and form into 16 cookies. I put them on waxed paper and let them cool. (You can add ¼ cup walnuts if you wish. That will change the calorie and fat content. )

The next time you have a chocolate craving, consider giving these babies a try.

Fun with Figs

I recently went to a Naturopathic physician to have my diet evaluated. I kept a food diary and she reviewed it. She mentioned that she saw a pattern in the food I was eating and was concerned I had a stomach inflammation. This is not the first time I have heard this from a doctor or read about the possibility. My acupuncturist said the same thing. Both doctors are concerned the inflammation would have an effect on weight loss and getting the nutrients from the food I eat. So she has removed corn, tomatoes, eggplant, and potatoes from my diet for about the next six months. Thank goodness I can still have yams and sweet potatoes! This cuts in half the available recipes I can make from my inspiration book and is a little disappointing. But I have a LOT of other books I can cook from and share the results in this blog.

Last weekend I had the opportunity to go through my books, plan meals for the week, and shop for the ingredients. It has been fun making the meals and so far they haven’t taken much time at all.

This recipe is my tomato and corn last hurrah! It was delicious and I made it before I was put on restriction. It’s from the Forks Over Knives cookbook and is called “The Quickest Black Bean Salad”. It has water chestnuts in it and normally I am a fan, but they didn’t work for me in this recipe. My husband liked them in it and so did my friend (I fed her some for lunch). It’s a pretty salad, super easy to make, not expensive at all, and great to bring to potlucks. The ingredients are black beans, tomatoes, corn, sweet onion, water chestnuts, cilantro (lots!), lime juice, and balsamic vinegar.

One of my greatest discoveries lately has been figs!!! I honestly thought I didn’t like them because I thought they were something you bought in a package like prunes. I had never noticed fresh ones or were even aware of them. But my husband bought some a couple months ago and I was shocked at how wonderful they are. In fact, I bought some again Sunday night when I heard them calling my name at New Seasons Market. Did you know that if you eat ½ cup of figs that you get the same calcium as ½ cup milk? And the figs will keep your body alkaline, so you will actually reap the benefit of the calcium. How to eat a fig? They look like this when you buy them.

When you want to eat them, just pinch them open and they look like this. I think they are beautiful!! Soft tentacles and all! Then eat them. You can eat the skin or you don’t have to. So sweet – not too sweet - and juicy. Try some!

I’ve been making a lot of recipes lately and have much more to share. What I fix these days is nothing like what I used to make. My palate has definitely changed for the better and I am having fun with food!

Portland Vegfest

Last weekend was the Portland Vegfest at the Oregon Convention Center and it was wonderful! I learned so much and am anxious to share about it. I apologize for the detour from food & recipes this time and promise to return to it on my next post (I made something tonight I am anxious to tell you about). But I am too psyched and need to write about Vegfest!!

This was our second Vegfest. Last year we attended it as newbies and were in awe of everything. We got there when it opened and stayed till the very end. There were tons of “transition” foods for everyone to taste, restaurants promoting their food, and incredible speakers, chefs & classes. This year it was similar – we still stayed all day, but we were different. We focused more on getting away from the transition foods (usually processed) and learning about eating even healthier than ever.

Last year 4,800 people attended and this year there were 6,700!!! Most of the people there were our age. Not the typical tattooed, spiky hair, pierced everywhere, skinny vegan you typically would expect (although they were there too J). There were even silver-haired elderly people with walkers!!! The word is getting out there and people are ready to get healthy. I once heard Dr. Colin Campbell, the author of The China Study, say that when he first tried to get the message out about a whole-foods, plant-based diet that he spoke to garden clubs, PTAs, anyone that would listen. Now he is the keynote speaker at conferences for medical professionals. Things they are a-changing.

The most exciting speaker was Dr. Neal Barnard (www.nealbarnard.org) . He is the founder and president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine – a group of physicians & lay people that promote preventative medicine (www.pcrm.org) . I love that. Preventative medicine. Responsible Medicine. Music to my ears! I loved his opening quote, “When you see the golden arches you are on the way to the pearly gates.” Dr. Barnard PACKED the giant conference room. Every seat was taken; people were lined up along the sides and back walls.

The biggest message I got from Dr. Barnard is that I need to eliminate processed oils, such as olive oil. I have known that for quite some time, but it is very hard to give up. I am a numbers person, not a science person, but I will try to explain one other thing I learned. We have mitochondria in our muscle cells that burn up calories. Fatty meals turn down the mitochondria after-meal calorie burn. This is an excellent explanation as to why I am still overweight. I stir-fry with oil, make pesto with oil, eat too many peanuts, and eat processed foods with oil.

Another speaker talked about the relationship between dairy and osteoporosis. In the US we consume a tremendous amount of dairy products, yet we have one of the highest rates of osteoporosis. Other countries eat very little or no dairy, yet they don’t suffer from this. Here’s the science I will try to explain and hope not to mess up: Our bodies are alkaline, yet dairy is acidic. When we consume dairy, our bodies work hard to get rid of the acid and they leach calcium from our bones. So it is counterproductive. The more dairy you consume, the more you lose calcium. Better calcium-rich foods to eat are kale, figs (they are yummy!), almonds, black & white beans, and soy foods. I could talk a whole lot more about the issues with dairy (such as why it is so hard to give it up), but I will save that for another day.

We were highly entertained by the comedic Chef AJ. Her recipes are only made with whole foods and a lot are raw. She made three different recipes and WOW they were tasty. I bought her recipe book and am already planning what I want to make. The part that impressed me is that most don’t need cooking and are quite fast. Now THIS is the way to make fast food!

I want to end this post by talking about the people at Vegfest. The people that attend are so ready to get healthy. Everyone was friendly and supportive of each other. We all win eating this way: I win, the animals win, the planet wins. I have learned this is more than just “all about me”. I readily admit I have a long way to go, but I am on the journey and it is one I am proud of.

Four Successes and a Failure (and a fifth success!)

This past week I experienced a lot of successes and a failure that turned out to be, in a way, a success. Got your curiosity up about the latter? Well, I will soon explain. But first, let’s talk about the obvious successes.

We celebrated our eldest granddaughter’s first birthday this past weekend at a beautiful park near her parent’s home. At the party they put out a nice luncheon for everyone. They notified us in advance that the only plant-based food would be fruit, so I volunteered to make a couple salads to add to the spread. For some reason I can’t explain, the “couple” salads turned into four. I just happened to have most of the ingredients on hand and truly wanted to help them out. So, with my husband as sous chef, we both worked in the kitchen the night before and the morning of the party. The four salads were a hit with everyone and my husband and I enjoyed sharing the food that we eat.

Unfortunately, I only have a photo of one salad! I got so busy making the food I forgot to take photos. Next time (and there will be one!) I will post photos. I am putting the full recipes in because so many people asked for them.

Here is the one I have a photo of; it is from my inspiration book “Forks Over Knives”. It is called “Mango-Lime Bean Salad” and it is yummy!!!

For two HUGE servings, combine the following:

• 1 mango, peeled and diced
• One 15 oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• Red onion, diced to taste (I used 1/3 of a large onion)
• Cilantro. A lot! (1/2 cup or more - chopped.)
• Zest of 1 lime
• Juice of 1 juicy lime, squeezed (2T or to taste)

The next recipe came from the solid food portion of our juice fast. It is called “Fresh Summer Veggie Mix” and it is yummy!!!

For two nice servings, combine the following:

• 2-3 sliced heirloom tomatoes (when seasonal – otherwise, any tomato)
• Large handful basil (chiffonade – a method of cutting it very small)
• ½ cucumber, sliced in half moons
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 tsp sea salt
• Fresh ground pepper
• Balsamic Vinegar to taste

The third recipe also came from the solid food portion of our juice fast. It is called “Corn and Tomato Salsa” and it is yummy!!!

For four HUGE servings, combine the following:

• 4 ears corn, boiled for 5 minutes and kernels removed from ears
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1 handful fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 T lime juice (from fresh lime)
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 jalepeno pepper (optional)

The last recipe came from a woman I met at a vegan potluck. She was generous to email the recipe to me. It is called “Pesto Couscous” and it is yummy!!!!

I don’t know the servings this makes, but it is a lot. For the couscous:

• 2 cups dry Israeli couscous (this is also called “pearl couscous”)
• 3 cups water
• ¼ c olive oil
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 large zucchini
• 2 large yellow squash
• ½ cup toasted pine nuts (optional)
• Salt & pepper to taste

Directions: In a large pot, add the water, olive oil, and salt. Bring to boil. Add couscous to boiling water. Cook according to directions on couscous container (about 10-15 minutes). Chop the zucchini and squash and sauté till soft. (I used a non-stick pan and no added oil.)

While the couscous and veggies are cooking, make the pesto:

• 2 large bunches basil (about 6 cups loosely packed)
• 4-6 large cloves garlic
• 12 T raw pine nuts or walnuts (or a combination of the two)
• 1 1/2 - 2 tsp salt, or to taste
• 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Put all ingredients except the olive oil into a food processor. Process to a finely ground consistency. Add olive oil and process again, until smooth and creamy.

When all three parts (couscous, veggies & pesto) are ready, stir pesto into couscous. Add the veggies. Add the optional pine nuts. Mix everything well and refrigerate at least one hour. Serve cold.

The pesto recipe was from the blog called veganspoonful. Did I mention it was yummy??

Now for the failure/success. Sunday night I ate leftovers of the pesto couscous for dinner. After dinner, I couldn’t stop thinking about food and continued to eat into the evening (nuts, seeds, crackers, potato chips - yikes!- etc.) That evening laying in bed it really bothered me and I remembered an article in my VegNews magazine about food additions – the baffling inability of some people, at some times, to stop eating after they’ve had a moderate (or even immoderate) amount of food. The “flagged” foods that cause this are alcohol (nope), sweeteners (nope), caffeine (nope), chocolate (nope), fats & oils (hang on!!!!!)……did anyone see all the oil in the pesto couscous??? On my plate, I had saved the couscous for last - saving the best for last. Big mistake.

I gave that a lot of thought. So today, I had leftovers for lunch and guess what I ate first? The pesto couscous. I ate the other salads afterwards and what a difference! I got the addictive taste out of my mouth and was able to move on after eating. I don’t know how this will play out in the future, but I really believe learning this lesson was quite a success!!

Kale Chips

I haven’t made a blog entry because, as most of you know, my husband was in the hospital recovering from surgery. Except for sleeping, I have spent the past week at the hospital. He is home now, doing well and recuperating quite nicely.

The day before the surgery was our last day on the juice fast. We weighed ourselves the next morning and I was down a total of 10 pounds and my husband was down 13 pounds. We were both aware that once we started eating more solids that we would put some of that back on. The thrill of having ankles that weren’t swollen really motivated me to eat healthier and I am proud to announce that I have stuck with it.

While my husband was in the hospital, I brought most of my food. At this point, and certainly not consciously, I started eating raw. This was and is not in the plan, but when you try to eat whole foods it ends up being mostly raw. Once I started eating solids again – even fruits and veggies – I did put back on 2 pounds. But as of today, those two pounds are gone again (+1 more!!). I must FINALLY be doing something right.

The greatest reward I gained from the juice fast is a true desire to eat more fruits and vegetables. In addition, my goal is to eat a rainbow of food to enjoy all the nutrients each color offers. I have been told to do that for years and I just don’t understand why I had to be 56 years old before I smartened up.

While in the hospital, my husband was on a mission to get home. Every couple hours he walked six laps around the 7^th floor, dragging his leash (chest tube) with him. I walked with him every time and eventually he was walking so fast that it was challenging to keep up with him. The nurses loved watching us go by and they constantly made comments and smiled. They were so proud of us and so was I. Today, our first day back home, we walked outside for 35 minutes and he dragged me J up a steep hill. I love walking with him – we talk and visit and really connect. Who would have thought that exercise could bring a couple closer together?

I want to share a recipe that was from the juice fast. It was during the last five-day period when we started eating solids again. It is for kale chips, and let me tell you THEY ARE DELICIOUS. I hate, hate, hate kale so I usually have to hide it in smoothies and juices. But loving kale chips was a total shock to me and I challenge all my readers to try them.

• · We use organic kale. Wash and dry it.
• · Cut the center stem out and discard it.
• · Cut or tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces
• Place the leaves on a non-stick cookie sheet or on parchment paper over a regular cookie sheet. Try to spread them out as best you can.
• · Spray with olive oil (I use Pam olive oil spray)
• · Sprinkle with salt (I use sea salt – the best for you.)
• · Bake at 350 degrees for 10-13 minutes, depending on your oven
• · They are done when they are crisp to the touch (kind of like a dried up leaf you find on the ground)
• · Eat when warm for the best flavor. I have been told you can store them in a glass jar.
• · Check your teeth afterwards. They tend to leave little traces. :-)

Does she glow in the dark?

OK, I am actually beginning to see it myself. When I look in the mirror at my face, it is even noticeable to me that my skin is taking on a healthy glow. :-)