Vegan Vanilla Beet Cupcakes with Vegan Vanilla Coconut Frosting

I initially intended to post this recipe on Tuesday.

Tuesdays are such an under-appreciated day.

There’s Monday, which gets all the extra attention for being positioned at the start of the week.

Then there’s “Hump Day.”

Thursdays are practically the weekend, am I right? And Thursdays also are the day of the week that aired new episodes of Friends on TV, so it will forever hold a special place in my heart. 

And I’m sure you can understand why I don’t feel the need to justify the attention worthy of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

So, that leaves us with lonely Tuesday. But, since this last Monday was technically a holiday, that would make today Tuesday in it’s own kind of way.

And so that’s why I’ve decided to post my second dessert recipe of the week. This feels-like-Tuesday-kind-of-day deserves a reason to smile. So, here’s a spunky dessert, colored naturally with the beautiful hue of beets. 

By themselves, these cupcakes aren’t too sweet at all. I let the frosting add most of the sweetness.

And as a fair warning, this vegan frosting has a distinct coconut flavor, so if that’s not for you, I would opt for a traditional frosting with butter. Or if you adhere to a vegan diet, I would simply opt for a plant-based non-hydrogenated butter alternative. But for coconut lovers like me, this simple frosting recipe certainly does the trick! 

Happy Tuesday! xo

Vanilla Beet Cupcakes with Vegan Vanilla Coconut Frosting

Naturally colored with beets and only mildly sweet, these whole grain, plant-based cupcakes are certainly a reason to celebrate.

Makes 12 cupcakes 

Ingredients for cupcakes:

1 ½ cups whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ cup coconut sugar

pinch of salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

¼ cup coconut oil, melted

1 cup unsweetened coconut milk

3 medium beets, cooked

Ingredients for frosting:

¼ cup coconut oil

2 cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons unsweetened coconut milk

2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions for cupcakes:

1.     Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2.     In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir to combine. Set aside.

3.     In a food processor or blender, combine beets, coconut milk, coconut oil, and vanilla. Mix until smooth.

4.     Add beet mixture to dry ingredients and stir to combine.

5.     Pour batter into lined muffin tins.

6.     Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool completely before adding frosting.

Directions for frosting:

1.     Beat all ingredients until smooth. Keep in the refrigerator until cupcakes are ready to be frosted.

Citrus Sesame Cinnamon Rolls

The celebration for Chinese New Year starts this Thursday, February 19^th and continues for fifteen days. According to the Chinese zodiac, 2015 is the Year of the Sheep. It’s a year of kindness, serenity, sensitivity, gentleness, and stability. I love this year already.

I’ve never celebrated Chinese New Year before, but when I received a supply of mandarinquats from my friends at Frieda’s Produce and learned more about the qualities associated with the Year of the Sheep, I decided I wanted to celebrate. 

When I think of calmness, I think of being in my kitchen with the people I love most. I think of the first time I ever made cinnamon rolls – I was 13 and my grandma was visiting from out of town. She bakes and cooks the way most grandmas do – not by following a recipe, but by trusting her gut – she knows when there’s enough butter and if the recipe needs more milk. She’s got great instinct.

These cinnamon rolls are different from Grandma’s original recipe. This recipe calls for sesame oil, a common ingredient used in Asian cuisine, as well as mandarinquats -- a hybrid of mandarins and kumquats, which can be eaten whole, rind and all! 

I hope this recipe brings you calmness in the kitchen. But, more importantly, I hope you feel calmness, kindness, and serenity both in and out of the kitchen all year long.

Mandarinquat Sesame Cinnamon Rolls

With its hint of sesame oil, dense consistency, and marmalade-like flavor, these are a unique, yet special take on your typical cinnamon roll recipe.

Ingredients:

dough:

1 (1/4oz) envelope of active dry yeast (or 2 1/4 teaspoons)

5 mandarinquats

1/3 cup cane sugar

1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups bread flour

filling:

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons sesame oil

glaze:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon mandarinquat juice

Directions:

1. Blend whole mandarinquats in food processor until pureed.

2. Warm 1/2 cup of puree in small bowl to about 110 degrees. Stir in packet of yeast and allow to stand for at least 10 minutes.

3. Beat together softened butter and sugar in a large bowl or stand mixture.

4. Add eggs, salt, and the mandarinquat-yeast mixture.

5. Add flour, one cup at a time, until soft dough forms.

6. Place dough in large lightly greased bowl, cover, and allow to proof in a warm area for 2 hours.

7. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and roll into a rectangle about 9"x18".

8. In a small bowl mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon, and sesame oil.

9. Spread filling over the dough, and gently roll up starting on one long side.

10. Cut into 12 slices and place into a lightly greased 9" round baking pan, cover, and allow to proof in a warm area for 1 hour. *

11. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Uncover rolls and bake for about 25 minutes until golden brown.

12. Combine powdered sugar and mandarinquat juice in a small bowl. Pour over rolls after removing from the oven.

*Dough rolls can be prepared ahead of time, covered, and refrigerated overnight. Bring to room temperature before baking.

Disclaimer: I was given a free sample of mandarinquats from Frieda's Produce. I was not additionally compensated for my time. 

Poached Eggs with Raspberry "Hollandaise" Sauce

Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day.

Whether or not you celebrate Valentine’s Day, it’s always a good idea to celebrate love.  Love of family and friends--those who are always in your corner cheering you on, love of our pets who unconditionally love us back, love of ourselves.  The world needs more love.

Since food and celebration go hand-in-hand, we’ve created a beautiful, nourishing breakfast to get you in the mood to celebrate love.  When you wake up tomorrow morning, open the window shades wide, pour yourself a cup of coffee, put on your favorite music, and make this, either for yourself or someone you love.

Tomorrow, we hope you celebrate love and enjoy this Poached Eggs with Raspberry Hollandaise.

Poached Eggs with Raspberry Hollandaise

Makes 2 servings

Ingredients:

4 eggs
12 asparagus spears
1/4 avocado - sliced

Sauce:

1 egg yolk
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon of pureed frozen raspberries
1 teaspoon lemon juice
salt and pepper

Directions:

1.      Over a double boiler of simmering water, whisk the egg yolk, yogurt, raspberry sauce until thick. Season with salt and pepper.

2.      Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a baking pan, drizzle asparagus with olive oil and roast for about 8 minutes, until tender, but still crisp.

3.      Poach both eggs for 2 minutes until whites are cooked and yolks are slightly runny.

4.      Divide the roasted asparagus on 2 plates along with sliced avocado. Top each with poached egg. Spoon over warm raspberry hollandaise. Top with additional raspberry puree if desired. 

Disclaimer: While we are consulting dietitians for the National Processed Raspberry Council, we are  sharing this recipe on our blog simply because we love it.

Vegan Carrot Cake Energy Bites

The fastest way to my heart on Valentine’s Day (or pretty much any day) is with chocolate and flowers carrot cake and cream cheese.

For the most part, I think it’s pretty common for people’s preferences to go through phases whether it’s with fashion, music, or food. But, my loyalty to carrot cake is unwavering.

My closest friends and family all know that it’s my favorite dessert; they know my favorite recipe for making it at home, which restaurant I think serves the best slice, and that for me, the cream cheese frosting can literally make or break it.  

But, I usually reserve carrot cake for only special events. I like to have slice on my birthday and Valentine’s Day; I don’t want carrot cake to lose its special spark.

But, when I started whipping up a batch of these Dark Chocolate Date Bons Bons the other day, the thought came to me that I could satisfy my unwavering love of carrot cake more often without all that added sugar and butter.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ll still happily enjoy a slice of carrot cake now and then, but these are such a nice treat to have on an otherwise ordinary Wednesday simply because I feel like it.

Vegan Carrot Cake Energy Bites

Loaded with the goodness of whole grains, fiber, omega 3s, these little bites are a dessert-worthy way to do your body so much good.

Makes 12 bites

Ingredients:

1 medium carrot, shredded (about 1 cup)

1 cup oats

¼ cup hempseeds

4 Medjool pitted dates,  chopped and soaked in water*

1/3 cup walnuts

1/3 cup unsweetened flaked coconut

2 tablespoons maple syrup

½ teaspoon ginger

½ teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons vanilla

*If your dates are somewhat firm, you may need to soak them in water for about 10 minutes to rehydrate them. After the 10 minutes is up, discard the excess water.

Directions:

1.     Combine all ingredients in a food processer and pulse until ingredients are combined.

2.     Form the dough in 12 golf-ball sized balls and refrigerate for at least one hour before eating.

3.     Store the rest in an airtight container in the fridge.