Chocolate Beet Cupcakes with Avocado Frosting (vegan + gluten free)

Have you ever had a chocolate beet cupcake? What about frosting made with avocado? Intrigued? So was I when I decided to try!

Once in a while, I'll get bored or curious, and find myself in the kitchen making something really random. These beet cupcakes are definitely a product of that. I had heard of people putting beets into everything, and so I figured, why not a cupcake? There is only one problem with cupcakes in our house: nobody eats them. The husband doesn't care for them, and I prefer to go on long runs. 

I am now taking applications for new guinea pigs to cook for...

Despite all of this, these turned out better than I expected in the sense that I ate one, my husband ate one, and we both liked what we tasted. They weren't too sweet, nor did they taste "too healthy," even though they are vegan and gluten free. The frosting is sweetened with a little bit of maple syrup, and has no refined sugar in it. 

I am always a little weary of gluten free experiments especially, but these rose wonderfully - which I attribute partly to the baking powder added into the mix. The tops even had that perfect crinkle to them. I'm not going to lie, I ate one still warm, and it was heavenly. It was so light and so fluffy I almost died.

Did I taste the beets? Well, no, not really. The gluten free flour has a very distinct taste to it, however, so that may have overpowered it. I almost used regular all-purpose, but the gluten free mix was calling to me - it really was. 

The avocado frosting, I made the next day, just before serving. It's best fresh on the day of. Again, it doesn't taste like avocado, which is cool.

Though I personally preferred the cupcakes still warm, they were fine the next day. This was all that was left by the time all was said and done:

Chocolate Beet Cupcakes with Avocado Frosting

For the Cupcakes:

• 1 cup all purpose gluten free flour

• 1/4 cup ground almonds

• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 small roasted beet, diced

• 1/2 cup unrefined cane sugar

• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

• 3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/4 cup unrefined coconut oil, melted

For the Frosting

• 1 very ripe avocado

• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup

• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• pinch of sea salt

• 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil

What to do:

1) Preheat the oven to 350°F then grease or line a muffin pan for 10 cupcakes. 

2) In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients

3) Stir together the almond milk and the apple cider vinegar in a blender or a food processor and allow to curdle. Add the roasted beet, cane sugar and vanilla extract. Blend on high until a smooth liquid forms.

4) Pour the liquid into the bowl with the dry ingredients then add the melted coconut oil. 

5) Fold together, making sure there are no lumps. 

6) Fill each muffin cup about 1/2 full to make 10 cupcakes. 

7) Bake for 20 minutes, or until cupcakes pass the toothpick test.

8) Make the frosting by combining all of the ingredients in a blender or a food processor and blending until smooth. 

Notes:

* Make sure cupcakes are completely cool before frosting them. 
* Icing is best fresh!
* Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days (if they last that long).

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Are you going to give these a go? Let me know if you do!

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Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (vegan + gluten free)

You all probably think I have nothing else to do than bake unhealthy things to eat. Well, you're only partially correct. I've been up to all sorts of things these days, like seeing different parts of the state, and training for a "Tough Mudder." On that note, this recipe should not have been partaken of, since I'm cutting down on my sweets. But let me just say, if I were to cheat, these would be worth cheating for. 

I didn't actually intend to make these. Here were the circumstances: There was a very ripe banana on my counter, and I had gluten free flour that I was dying to use for something. I also just loved the idea of a peanut butter cookie - the kind that melts in your mouth and tastes oh-so-good with a cold glass of [almond] milk. I've always loved a good peanut butter cookie.

When I was in university, I used to make huge batches of these (a non vegan version though) and keep them in the freezer in a large airtight container. I would train my self discipline by not eating all of them in one sitting. Seriously the best poor student dessert - cheap! Haha.

Since making this batch, I catch my husband every once in a while snacking on a cookie or two. I guess that's a good sign, right? Or not...I'll let you and his waistline decide. 

This was the first time I tried these with gluten free flour, and I must say that I am quite pleased with the result! It turned out better than I thought it was going to, and I couldn't even tell the difference.

Vegan & Gluten Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

What You Need:

• 1/2 cup vegan butter, softened

• 1/2 cup natural creamy peanut butter

• 1/4 cup organic cane sugar

• 1/4 cup brown sugar

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 ripe banana + 1 tsp baking powder (mashed together)

• 1/2 tsp vanilla

• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose gluten free flour

• 1/2 TBSP non dairy milk

• 1/4-1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips

What to Do:

1) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F

2) Cream the butters together for 30 seconds. 

3) Add sugars, baking soda, and baking powder.

4) Add banana mixture and vanilla

5) Beat in as much flour as you can, and stir in the rest.

6) Add the nondairy milk until dough is creamy.

7) Fold in the chocolate chips.

8) At this point, you can chill the dough if necessary.

9) Drop dough on parchment covered pan in small balls and bake for 7-9 minutes.

10) Allow to cool slightly on pan (to avoid the complete crumbling of the cookies when you move them), and then finish cooling on wire rack.

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Are you a fan of peanut butter chocolate chip cookies? Any tips for Tough Mudders? I love reading your comments, so let me know below!

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Vegan Potato & Spinach Pierogies

Can I just start off by saying that July is almost over? I will just let that sink in for a bit. I do not know where the time has gone! Perhaps it's a getting older thing, but days and weeks, months and years are just flying by lately!

Alright, back to right now. After working on this recipe a few times, I finally deemed it ready to share with all of you. Ready for a really good pierogi? 

One thing I was concerned about giving up once becoming vegan was pierogies. I love a good buttery pierogie. The kind filled with potato and cheese and topped with sour cream. Oh my. Yum! I have seriously alway loved them, and who wouldn't? Seriously?

My fears quickly vanished once I whipped up these puppies though!

To be honest, once I popped one into my mouth, I didn't even realize the cheese was missing - these were so flavourful, and the texture was really great, even though there was no sour cream or butter in the dough. To make it even better, I didn't even feel guilty as I munched on these! Granted, I don't eat much, but still!

Related: Vegan Sour Cream

Sure, they were quite the process, but they didn't take eternally long to make, and it really was worth it. The best part is that these freeze extremely well, so making a lot at one time is possible and saves you time and energy on a rainy day (not to mention, gives added joy). Of course, if your family eats as many as mine does, you may not have any left to offer to the freezing process. They're super good with vegan sour cream - whether you make it (recipe here), or buy it. And don't forget the caramelized onions. Mushroom lovers can add those, but I personally stay as far away from mushrooms as I can.

Vegan Spinach & Potato Filled Pierogies

For the Filling:

• 3 cups Russet Potatoes, diced

• 2 TBSP Nutritional Yeast Flakes

• 1 TBSP Earth Balance (optional)

• 2 TBSP Non Dairy Milk (I used almond)

• Sprig of Rosemary, finely chopped (optional)

• ¼ cup Fresh Spinach, chopped

• ½ tsp Sea Salt

For the Dough:

• 3 C All-Purpose Flour (plus some for dusting)

• 1/2 tsp Sea Salt

• 1 Cup Water

• 2 TBSP Olive Oil

what to do:

1) Bring pot of water to boil and put potatoes in to cook for about ten minutes

2) While potatoes are cooking, make the dough by mixing the flour and salt together. Then add water and olive oil and fold until combined

3) Knead on a lightly floured surface until the dough becomes slightly sticky (not too sticky) and elastic. Divide the dough in two pieces, wrap in plastic and place in refrigerator. 

4) Once potatoes are tender, drain, and add all ingredients to pot. Mash until smooth. Set aside.

5) On a very lightly floured surface roll out one ball of dough until it is about 1/16” thick. Use a 3 ½" - 4” round cookie cutter and cut out rounds of dough.

6) Place a good amount (a bit less than a TBSP) of filling in the center of cut dough. wet the tip of your finger with water and dab along half of the circle. Fold dough over, gently pressing and sealing the pierogie. 

7) Place on lightly floured cookie sheet. If you wish to freeze them put them between sheets of wax paper to avoid sticking.

8) If cooking right away, place finished pierogie in boiling water. Cook until floating (about 3 minutes) and remove. Do not overcook or else they will fall apart. 

Optional: After boiling, fry pierogies in pan with a little bit of oil or earth balance till brown.  

Serve with vegan sour cream and caramelized onions - whatever your heart desires!

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Are you as much a pierogi fan as I am? How is your favourite way of eating pierogies? Let me know!

Trying these out? I want to know how it turns out! I will always find you when you use #MapleAlps!

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Vegan Sour Cream

I love sour cream. Seriously. When I decided to switch to a plant based diet, sour cream was one of those things that was harder to let go. There's nothing like a good dollop of sour cream with a burrito or pierogi. Thankfully, Tofutti exists, and tastes delicious. Unfortunately, I can't always find it, so I had to improvise.

I experimented with a few different ways of making vegan sour cream (including trying with cashews and apple cider vinegar), but this has been by far my favourite. I might tweak and play a bit more with it, but I was quite pleased with this result! It was creamy and had just the right amount of tang.

It is great on tacos, fajitas, or pierogies, or anything else that requires sour cream, really. I fully intend on finding out what else it can do. Stay tuned to see different ways I've found to use it!

Three Ingredient Vegan Sour Cream
Makes about 1.5 cups

What you need:

Block of Firm Tofu (16oz. /454g), drained
1/4 cup Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp Garlic Salt

What to do:

1) Blend all ingredients together till smooth using blender or food processor.
2) Chill a few minutes and serve.

Store in refrigerator up to one week.

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Have you ever made your own vegan sour cream? Want to tell me about it? 

If you try this one out, let me know how it goes for you! I'll always find you at #MapleAlps :)

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The Most Delicious Vegan Soft Pretzel

The past few weeks, I've been thinking a lot about the time I spent abroad. Let's face it, I'm still abroad, and I still experience things I haven't before, but I was specifically thinking about my time in Europe. It was a grand time. Food-wise, a highlight of mine was the amazing soft pretzels I could get pretty much everywhere. They were as big as my head, and delicious. When I got home, I made some for myself, but a few days ago, I really hit the jackpot when I decided to play around with the recipe some more. 

I had some Earth Balance left over from my cupcake making days, so I figured, why not? 

The result was the softest, buttery, delicious pretzel to come out of my oven to date. I decided to share with the rest of you - because I'm really nice like that. 

I always thought making pretzels would be a lot more complicated, but such is not the case! I remember the first time I tried a soft pretzel. I also remember that there were none left the next day. Seriously, every time I've made them in the past, those lucky enough to nab one, scarf it down pretty quickly. Imagine my surprise then when these turned out better that the former attempts. These are not as big as my head, but the flavour sure is!

The secret to that beautiful brown pretzel is baking soda - baked on a baking sheet and then added to the bubbly pot of boiling pretzels. Mhm. Without it, it is just not the same. 

Anyway, enough from me. I bet you are drooling as much as I am ... ;-)

The Most Delicious Vegan Soft Pretzel

What You Need:

• 4 cups All Purpose Flour

• 1 ½  cups Warm Water

• 2 ¼  tsp Active Dry Yeast

• 1 TBSP Organic Cane Sugar

• 2 tsp Sea Salt

• 4 TBSP Earth Balance

• Olive Oil  

• 2/3 cups Baking Soda

• 10 cups water

• Coarse Pink Himalayan Sea Salt

What to Do:

1) Mix warm water, yeast, sugar and salt in large bowl. Let sit 5 minutes till foamy

2) Add melted vegan butter. Stir in flour one cup at a time.
 
3) Knead on counter until elastic dough forms. 

4) Grease bowl and let rise 1 hour.

5) (Baking Totally Optional) Twenty minutes before dough is done rising, spread baking soda on baking pan lined with parchment. Bake in oven at 300 degrees F until ready to boil pretzels.

6) Once dough has risen, divide it into 8 equal parts. To twist pretzel into shape, roll the dough into long ropes. Hold at each end making a U shape, create a twist, and press ends down. 

7) Boil water. Carefully add the baking soda. 

8) Gently put pretzels in boiling water and let them "bathe" for 30 seconds. Put pretzels on parchment lined pan. Sprinkle with coarse pink himalayan sea salt.

9) Bake in oven at 450 degrees F for 10-12 minutes, until perfectly golden brown!

10) Allow to cool and enjoy either plain, or with some dipping sauce!

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Do you love soft pretzels as much as I do?

Going to be trying these out? I want to know how it turns out! I will always find you when you use #MapleAlps!

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