Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes – Vegan

After a rude awakening at the dentist, I’ve decided to stop (ok more like cut down) eating, making and consequently blogging sweets. Unless of course, there is some sort of special occasion which requires me to make and consume said sweets. A couple weeks ago, one of these occasions came up, so I was forced to break the rules and whip up these bad boys. Inspired by Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups, one of my favorite chocolate bars, I created these decadent cupcakes that are probably more of a tasty treat than a healthy eat. It’s a good thing I’m cutting back on the sweets, otherwise I think I’d have to reconsider the name of this blog. :p

Ingredients

1 cup soy milk of choice
3 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 ripe banana
1 cup dark chocolate pieces
1/3 cup coconut sugar
3 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp peanut butter
1 tsp peanut butter extract
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tbsp cacao powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
* Optional addition 3/4 cup cacao nibs

Frosting

3/4 cup white chocolate chips – non dairy for vegans
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1 1/2 tbsp coconut oil
* Optional small bar of dark chocolate to grate on top of cupcakes

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 350 F and line muffin tin with paper liners.

2) In small saucepan oven medium low heat, add soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Allow to simmer/curdle for a couple minutes before adding coconut oil and chocolate. Stir until chocolate is completely melted and remove from heat.

3) In medium mixing bowl add chocolate milk mixture, banana, coconut sugar, maple syrup, peanut butter and extract. Beat with a mixer until well blended.

4) Add flour, cacao powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt and gently mix until well blended and smooth.

5) Spoon mixture into muffin tins about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 20 – 22 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool before frosting.

6) To prepare frosting, heat coconut oil over low heat. Add chocolate chips and peanut butter and stir until chips are melted.

7) Once melted remove from heat and beat with electric mixer for a couple minutes until fluffy. Spread over cooled cupcakes. Id adding grated chocolate, grate chocolate over icing with fine grater.

ENJOY!!

Don’t worry, he didn’t eat any! 😉

Coconut Curry Pumpkin Soup – Vegan

I recently fell in love with a Thai curry pumpkin soup at one of my favourite restaurants here in Honolulu. Now I’m pretty darn sure that this soup was filled with heavy cream and butter, so in order to satisfy future cravings without clogging any arteries, I took a stab at a healthier, vegan version of this delicious soup. I chose to use Indian curry simply because that’s what I had, but you could also use a red curry paste as well. 🙂 Now this soup is pretty darn filling on its own, but you can also add ravioli gnocchi or even some mixed beans to make it even more hearty.  If you aren’t vegan, I’d suggest adding a lobster or crab ravioli, as that’s what I did and it ended up being an amazing combo.

Ingredients

1/2 of a large Kabocha squash, sliced
1 large sweet onion, sliced
2 cloves of garlic
2 cups low sodium vegetable broth
1/2 cup unsweetened plain soy milk
3 tbsp curry powder OR 3 tbsp red curry paste
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp crushed ginger
3 tbsp coconut oil
1tsp coconut sugar
Sea salt to taste

1 cup sweet corn – frozen or fresh
1/2 cup cauliflower, chopped
1/2 cup green peas, frozen or fresh

**Optional addition

1 cup of whole wheat ravioli or  whole wheat gnocchi of choice
or
3/4 cup cooked mixed beans

Garnish

1/4 cup coconut milk
Cilantro

Directions 

1) Preheat oven to 425. Lightly grease baking sheet with coconut oil and place sliced Kabocha squash, onions and garlic cloves on sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt and place in preheated oven oven. Cook for 10-12 minutes, until everything appears slightly roasted. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes.

2) Place roasted veggies and garlic in food processor or good quality blender such as a Vitamix. Add vegetable broth, soy milk, curry, cinnamon, ginger, coconut oil and coconut sugar and blend on high until smooth.

3) Pour mixture into large pot and heat over medium heat. Add corn, cauliflower, green peas and desired addition of ravioli, gnocchi or beans and allow to simmer for 5-10 minutes. Add sea salt as desired to taste.

4) Garnish with a spoonful of coconut milk per bowl and chopped cilantro.

ENJOY!!!

Quick & Easy Vegan Kimchi Soup (Kimchi-Jiigae)

Oh Kimchi! You stinky stinky dish. The first time I opened my now husbands fridge, I got one strong whiff of this dish and almost passed out. In my defence, at the time, I was a total Korean food newbie, so hadn’t yet had the pleasure of tasting Kimchi. Fortunately, the amazing taste and great health benefits far outweigh the strong scent. What are these health benefits you ask?  To start, Kimchi is low in calories. It is also rich in vitamins A, B and C, packs a decent amount of fiber and contains immune and digestion boosting probiotics – as much as one thousand times the amount of probiotics that yogurt has. If that’s not enough to sell you on it, it’s also said to boost your metabolism.

While Kimchi is most often served on its own as a side dish to all Korean meals, it is also used in many of my favourite Korean dishes – such as this soup. Traditionally, this soup is made using pork or spam. However, according to my meat loving Korean hubs it tastes just as good without – and of course in my opinion, it tastes better. Now if you aren’t Vegan or Vegetarian and feel the need to include meat, you can add 1 can of white tuna to add depth to the broth flavour. However I can assure you, it’s flavourful enough without.

Ingredients

2 cups kimchi including the juice – Make sure the kimchi you buy doesn’t contain MSG
3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
3 tbsp fresh garlic, minced
1/3 cup white onion, chopped
1/2 cup water or low sodium vegetable broth
1 cup sliced mushrooms of choice – I like to use Enoki
1/2 cup sliced zucchini
1 block or 1 cup of medium firm organic tofu, cubed
1/2 cup green onion, chopped

Directions

1) In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, add the kimchi and juice, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, onion and water and cover. Allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes.

2) Add the mushroom and zucchini and let simmer for another 5-10 minutes.

3) Finally, add the tofu and green onions and allow to heat for a few minutes before serving.  This soup is best served with multigrain or brown rice with mixed beans.

ENJOY!!!

Vegan Friendly Coconut Banana Granola Bars

I never thought these words would come from my mouth (or be typed by my fingers), but John and I have started eating a plant based diet. While I doubt we will ever go full vegan, I’m realizing that it’s actually easier than expected and even quite enjoyable to prepare and consume nutritious vegan meals. Over the week, I’ve been having fun experimenting with different dinner options, but today I thought I’d try out a granola bar for John to take to work for a quick snack. For the first attempt, they turned out awesome – held together great and tasted delicious.

Ingredients

2 cups unsweetened organic coconut
2 1/2 very ripe bananas
1 1/2 cup whole grain organic oats
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/2 cup puffed millet
2 tablespoons sweetener of your choice – I used raw coconut crystals
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk – I used toasted coconut flavour
1 tsp coconut or pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup toasted cashews, chopped
1/4 cup dark organic mini chocolate chips – you can use raisins or dried blueberries if you want to cut the chocolate

Directions

1) Combine coconut, bananas, oatmeal, chia seeds, puffed millet and sweetener in a large bowl and blend with an electric mixer on low.

2) Add almond milk and the extract of your choice and continue to blend until well combined.

3) Spray two 8×8 baking pans with coconut oil spray and evenly distribute mixture in both plans, pressing it down as you go. You can use a different size pan if you don’t have 2 8×8 pans, however it’s important that the mixture is spread out quite thin – about 1 inch or so.

4) Sprinkle the top with chocolate chips and cashews, again, pressing them into the mixture with a spoon or flat surface.

5) Bake for 12-13 minutes or until the top is lightly browned. Remove from oven and cut into rectangles while still warm.

ENJOY!!

Whole Wheat Garlic Naan Bread

Pretty sure I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love Naan bread, so I just had to post a healthier version of this tasty bread. I’ve never been that great with making breads (maybe because I lack the patience it takes to let the dough rise), but this is one of the breads I can actually make and am willing to wait for. This goes perfect with my Butter Chicken, Lamb Curry and many other dishes. And for all you out there who don’t like whole wheat bread or pasta and claim you can tell the difference, I promise, this is just as good as white Naan bread! 😉

Whole Wheat Garlic Naan Bread

Ingredients

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup coconut sugar (you can use slightly less if you don’t want to taste a bit of sweet, but I think the slight sweetness makes this bread)
3 tablespoons milk of choice
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoons salt
3 1/2 cups whole wheat bread flour
1/2  cup white bread flour
2 tablespoons minced garlic

olive oil & sea salt to taste

Directions

1) In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes or until frothy.

2) Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 5 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth.

3)Place dough in a well oiled bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Set aside to rise for 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.

4)Punch down dough, and knead in garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball, roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

5) Preheat fry pan to medium high heat. Roll balls of dough out into a thin circle. Lightly oil grill with olive oil. Place dough on grill, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned.

6) Brush uncooked side with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt, and turn over. Brush cooked side with olive oil, and cook until browned, another 1 to 2 minutes.

7)Remove from grill, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared.

ENJOY!!