Cupcakes Always Win

May 16, 2013
by cupcakesalwayswin 2 Comments

Vegan Peanut Lime Mini Cupcakes

A peanut lime cupcake is a unique flavour combination. A moist citrus cake paired with a simple and sweet peanut butter frosting is delightful. I got inspired while eating a salad. How does something super healthy (like a salad) inspire a unique cupcake? Well first off, I eat a lot of salads, so the likelihood of me being inspired while eating a salad is pretty darn high.

Now normally I don’t like salad dressing on my salads, but at this particular restaurant I was at they had a peanut lime salad dressing. It perked my interest as a different sort of flavour. Which than made me think it was a challenge to make this savoury sauce a super sweet and delicious dessert! After a couple of times trying it out I think I was successful. My friends will have to be the ones that let you know their thoughts (if you want a balanced opinion).

Now when it comes to curds I am a strong believer in using eggs and butter. I am still working on developing a vegan curd but my logic says it may not be possible. There are recipes out there that use interesting ingredients to replace the eggs and butter but ultimately I really think it is difficult to recreate a curd without animal products. BUT, feel free to prove me wrong, if you have a recipe for a curd that was super, share it with me! I would love to see!

In saying all that I actually did make a tasty vegan curd using parsnips and coconut oil along with lots of limes! It tasted good but there was a slight parsnip flavour. Which I enjoyed, but you may not. If you have any leftover curd you can refrigerate and use it as a nice spread on a cracker.

There you have it! Peanut lime cupcakes are a thing!

Thanks again for stopping by and yay for spring! See you on the sunny side

Much Love,

Anna xoxoxox

May 8, 2013
by cupcakesalwayswin 2 Comments

Ginger Apple Beet Juice – No Juicer Required!

An unedited blogpost is a funny sight for me! I always write my posts late at night and edit them in the morning. It always gives me a good chuckle… especially this time. I pretty much described how much I love beets over three sentences. I also had several embarrassing puns that involved beet and beat (Like this one: You just can’t stop a beet!). Don’t worry I won’t encourage too much pun fun for the remainder of this post.

Back to the incredible beet! One reason why I like them so much is because of their natural bright colour and taste. It is such a versatile vegetable and is used in so many sweet and savoury recipes.

If you were wondering about why I didn’t use a juicer here is a little fact about me: If I can avoid ANY appliance I will. I prefer kneading with my hands or mixing with a wooden spoon. So when I feel like juice, I grab my strainer and go to town. Of course I am not perfect so sometimes will give into the juice at the store, but it is not the same.

Just to put it out there, beet juice is a unique taste and if you are not a fan of beets you may not like this juice. An added bonus of juicing is the leftover pulp. It can be instantly turned into almost anything! I will usually make savoury beet pancakes, vegan chocolate cupcakes, oatmeal, hummus, or a soup.

It may seem like a lot of work for only 1 glass of juice but perspective fills in the gaps. If a small amount of juice comes from a large quantity of fruits and veggies, how much juice should one really be drinking?

Do you like to juice? Do you use a juicer? What is your favourite juice? (it doesn’t have to be homemade!) Thanks again for stopping by and hope to see you again soon!

Much Love,

Anna xoxoxo

April 30, 2013
by cupcakesalwayswin Leave a comment

Cocoa Kettle Corn

This is a delicious recipe that is simple and has pretty much been an addictive snack since the 18th century. The only change I made was adding a touch of cocoa. Which made it all the more tastier! Now, not only is it sweet and salty but there is little hint of cocoa.

This is my final recipe contribution (for now) to Live Below the Line Canada. If you missed my other posts, here are the links: Homemade Pasta with Roasted Garlic and Vegan and Gluten-Free Chickpea Blondies.

If you haven’t checked out Live Below the Line yet you most definitely should! From April 29-May 3, everyone is being challenged to eat for only $1.75 a day. It is a wonderful initiative and a great challenge. I will be working to make it a habit to eat for $1.75 once a month so developing these recipes has really helped me realize just how much I have, and how it really isn’t difficult to eat for a little amount as long as you are prepared and plan ahead.

Go team Live Below the Line! Wishing all the participants the most fun in the kitchen, be creative and have fun!

Enjoy the day and thanks for stopping by!

Much Love,

Anna xoxoxoxo

April 23, 2013
by cupcakesalwayswin 4 Comments

Easiest Vegan and Gluten-free Blondies

This post goes out to my awesome friend Parastoo who is unable to digest gluten! If you are ever interested in following her fitness and food journey check out her blog.

Parastoo always used to send me and many others an email titled “Thought for the day”. This email always included a lovely quote like “Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.” - Ryunosuke Satoro. I fondly remember these quotes when backpacking through South East Asia. Whenever I checked my email (not very often) I had a number of these thoughts piled in my inbox and it was such a treat to read inspiring quotes to encourage me to keep on trekking on my own adventure.

Baking vegan and gluten-free can be difficult if trying to blend ingredients together where the end result is purely delicious. I haven’t really experimented too much on the gluten-free side of things but have been curious.

I am lucky in the sense that I don’t have any sort of allergies or foods that I absolutely can’t eat. But I love learning about different ingredients and how to blend them to make something delicious that everyone can eat, allergy or no allergy! Feel free to share any tasty treats that are vegan and/or gluten-free, I love seeing new recipes.

These blondies are also quite wonderful because they are also costed for anyone participating in Live Below The Line. It is my second recipe of three that is costed for an individual trying to eat for only $1.75 a day from April 29-May 5. It is a great cause that everyone should totally check out!

This recipe makes 24 squares and cost $.09 per square! So for a little treat you may be able to indulge on these if you can spare $0.09 out of your daily $1.75/day.

These brownies are super delicious, I love peanut butter and I love how the chickpeas work as a binding agent so no eggs or flour are needed.

I raise a vegan gluten-free delicious brownie to all my friends that have the challenge of dietary restrictions! These ones are for you!

Thanks for stopping by and good luck on your Live Below the Line Challenge! Stay tuned for one more costed recipe! Wishing you the most sunshine filled day!

Much Love,

Anna xoxox

April 18, 2013
by cupcakesalwayswin 2 Comments

Homemade Pasta With Roasted Garlic

My family has been eating pasta every Saturday for years. Sometimes (most times) my dad and I felt it was necessary to make pasta by hand! Which was the beginning of another family food tradition. When I moved away from home for school, I was left with no pasta maker and would dream about making fresh homemade spaghetti. Until one day my parents visited me with a small present… A PASTA MAKER!! They found it at a yard sale for $15. This dish is super simple, the only tough thing is, you will need a pasta maker.

It serves 4 people and only costs $0.33/person. Now why is this amount so important?

Well let me answer! Have you heard of Live Below the Line? It is a challenge to eat for no more than $1.75 a day. I was contacted by the lovely Erica who encouraged me to post a recipe for the cause. I got so excited that I developed 3 recipes for everyone that is taking part in the Live below the Line challenge! This is the first one, I will be releasing them over the next couple of days. I really hope to provide some ideas and inspiration to everyone participating in this awesome initiative!

I really believe that I am the most lucky when it comes to my family, friends, and living situation. Whenever I can give back, I really hope to do so! By eating for $1.75 a day it forces you to cost out all your ingredients even the small flavour enhancers like salt! Which is less than a cent for a gram, but can add up fast when there is only $1.75 to be spent.

I like this idea so much that I have created my own challenge… I am challenging myself to eating for $1.75 once a month all the time. I think this slight change in my lifestyle will encourage me to keep thinking less about me and more about others. But this is my personal challenge, do you ever challenge yourself to lifestyle changes?

I definitely want to give a pat on the back to Live Below the Line and encourage everyone to check it out and maybe even follow them on twitter @LBLCA

As always, thanks for taking a moment out of your day to pop by!

Much Love,

Anna xoxoxoxox

April 10, 2013
by cupcakesalwayswin 5 Comments

Vegan Chocolate Mint Pudding

This Vegan Chocolate Mint Pudding has me smiling from cheek to cheek! With the fresh mint flavour and chocolatey goodness, you really can’t go wrong.

This pudding takes no time at all. It can be a morning breakfast, a smoothie after a workout, a dessert, a snack in the day, or just because (Do you actually need a reason for something yummy and reasonably healthy?). The avocado and banana make it super creamy and rich. If you’re not a mint fan, just don’t bother adding it and you’ll have some delightful vegan chocolate pudding!

Now it is time to get in the kitchen and blend up a bit of deliciousness! Let me know how it goes!

Thanks for taking the time to stop by and look forward to seeing you again soon!

Much Love,

Anna

xoxox

April 4, 2013
by cupcakesalwayswin 4 Comments

Easy Vegan Poppy Seed Roll

These poppy seed rolls have been hypnotizing me ever since the first day I got to try one. When I was young, my dad would bring them home every Friday night to eat for breakfast over the weekend. It was obviously my favourite part of the week. The tradition was short lived because my dad’s workplace moved… but that just meant the search for the most delicious poppy seed roll began.

Even though Easter has past and this treat is typically an Easter or Christmas food, I have been wanting to try making one myself! This recipe was great, I made a few adjustments that you can see below! I think next time I would like to add a hint of citrus in the glaze or in the poppy seed filling. If you are planning on making this play around and let me know how it goes!

The other great thing about this recipe is that it is vegan! High fives to all my vegan friends!

This roll is naturally so pretty with layers of poppy seeds poking out when sliced. It is definitely a crowd pleaser! The recipe makes two rolls so if you don’t need that much just half the recipe.

For old times sake I have one stored in my freezer waiting to take home to my dad the next time I see him, and maybe create a new tradition…

Thanks for stopping by,

Much Love, Anna xoxox

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