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Golden Vanilla Cupcakes – Vegan Friendly!

Posted on July 8, 2013 by auburnchick

As you know, a couple of weeks ago, I purchased this book…

I paid more than I should have…purchased it locally instead of online where I could have gotten a better deal.

BUT…

It has been worth every penny!

Last week, I made the mint chocolate cupcakes.

They had turned out extremely well.

Last night, I went for something that everyone would like…Golden Vanilla Cupcakes.

I made them “very” golden by adding tumeric, as the recipe suggested.  For the record, I found this spice at Target.  It was the ONLY place I could find it!  The cupcakes did, indeed, come out of the oven looking golden.

The icing for the mint cupcakes from the week before had turned out a bit too wet, so I was nervous this go-round.

This time I made the Vanilla Buttercream frosting.  I had even purchased non-hydrogenated margarine and shortening…vegan of course.

I followed the instructions EXACTLY and grew excited when I tasted it.

It was so sweet and…get this…LIGHT…just as the recipe described it.

I was able to use the icing contraption I’d purchased from Pampered Chef.  It came with several different tips.

The icing was the perfect consistency!

The most fun part was adding the Rich Ganache (there’s a special extra something in there to make it “rich” in nature) on top.

I wanted to drizzle it, but my usage of a fork and then a spoon proved horrible looking.

Chicky suggested I pour it into a baggie and snip the corner.

Genius idea!

The ganache was thinner than the buttercream frosting, so the icing contraption would not have sufficed.  The baggie worked beautifully!

I decorated all but one this way.  The Mr. didn’t want buttercream on his, so I only put ganache on that one.

I was eager for the family to try them given my preview of the icing.

Rooster had a friend over.  This friend’s mom is well known for her cooking, so I was nervous.

From the picture below, you can see that there weren’t many cupcakes left over after the first round of eating…

Chicky was amazed, once again, at the texture.

Both this and the mint chocolate cupcakes turned out moist and light.

The buttercream icing could not have turned out better.  It paired perfectly with the ganache.

If you’re looking for a healthier way of eating desserts, I highly recommend this book.

Filed under: Vegan | Tagged: , , , , | 1 Comment »

Chocolate Mint Cupcakes

Posted on June 30, 2013 by auburnchick

Yesterday, Chicky and went to the bookstore where I picked up this book…

The book has a lot of helpful information, including the why’s of using certain ingredients, the how-to-fix-boo-boos tips and tricks, and lots of other helpful suggestions.

I couldn’t wait to begin!

Now, you do know that I do not cook very often.  In fact, I avoid it like the plague; however, I’ve gotten tired of not getting dessert.  Chicky has been cooking quite a bit and indulging her sweet tooth…making delicious yummies for the guys.  I decided to take matters into my own hands!

For my first recipe, I went all out and made Chocolate Mint Cupcakes.  Chicky and I visited the grocery store and picked up a few items…

I began by making the basic chocolate cupcakes that are found near the front of the book.  We didn’t have toothpicks, so we used a fork to test for doneness.

While these cooled, I made the mint icing.  It turned out too thin, but I think that I can fix this by adding less milk next time.  You’ll see, in the picture below, that the icing ran all over the tops of the cupcakes.  No worries.  I’ll work on presentation later.

😀

The final step in this recipe was making the chocolate ganache.

Oh word, but I’d heard this word before on The Food Network, but I’d never actually eaten it, not to mention cooked it.

It was soooo easy…just soy milk and chocolate chips!  Seriously!

I put a dollop of ganache on the top of each mint-iced cupcake.

Then, it was time to try one.

Have you ever watched Cupcake Wars?  I have.  Plenty of times.  Which is how I learned about vegan cupcakes.

I felt a little like Florian as I sniffed my cupcake before carefully peeling the liner off.

I did not, however, eat the cupcake with a fork.

I am a redneck; hence, I am not quite that refined.

I did notice that the texture looked good.

And then the first bite.

Oh.

My.

Golly.

It was everything I’d hoped for and then some.

I had worried about the cupcakes being completely cooked.  Chicky had assured me, in her all-cooking-know-how-way that they would continue to cook a bit in the muffin pan.

It was cooked perfectly!

And the taste?

I’d also worried about the mint being too overpowering; however, it was perfectly balanced with the taste of the chocolate.

The ganache on top made for that extra umph that my mouth had been craving for so long.

Lord have mercy!

I do not think that anyone would be able to distinguish these cupcakes from non-vegan ones.

Who says you need eggs and regular milk?

Being vegan doesn’t mean you have to be deprived from tasty food…even if you do have to make it yourself sometimes.

Filed under: Vegan | Tagged: , , | Leave a comment »

Blow Your Mind Tomato Basil Pasta

Posted on June 28, 2013 by auburnchick

I saw the following recipe posted by a friend on Facebook and knew I had to give it a try.

It is completely vegan-friendly and super easy for non-cooks like myself.

The recipe turned out DELICIOUS!!!  Things I would change:

  • Add two cans of petite diced tomatoes with extra seasonings like chilis or something else (all I had was the plain kind)
  • Only add a dash of red pepper flakes.  I went too heavy because I like spicy food.  Oops.
  • Make sure I stir frequently to prevent the pasta from clumping together.

Photo from http://comfortspringstation.tumblr.com

Here’s the recipe (copied and pasted from http://comfortspringstation.tumblr.com/post/53664534559/blow-your-mind-tomato-basil-pasta-no) but originally from TexasOnlineCookbooks.com:

Blow your MIND” Tomato Basil Pasta! – No Straining, just Stirring
Throw it all in the pot, INCLUDING the uncooked Pasta, and cook! – Bring it to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. The starch leaches out of the pasta and makes a rich, warm sauce for the noodles. The other ingredients cook right along with the pasta

Ingredients:
12 ounces pasta (Shown  Linguine)
1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes with liquid ( I used zesty red pepper flavor)
1 large sweet onion, cut in julienne strips
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
2 large sprigs basil, chopped
4 1/2 cups vegetable broth (regular broth and NOT low sodium)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Directions:
Place pasta, tomatoes, onion, garlic, basil, in a large stock pot. Pour in vegetable broth. Sprinkle on top the pepper flakes and oregano. Drizzle top with oil.
Cover pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low simmer and keep covered and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes or so. Cook until almost all liquid has evaporated – I left about an inch of liquid in the bottom of the pot – but you can reduce as desired.

Season to taste with salt and pepper, stirring pasta several times to distribute the liquid in the bottom of the pot.

Filed under: Vegan | Tagged: , , | 2 Comments »

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