Lemon Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream

Ingredients

1 cup milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 cups flour
2 Tbsp corn starch
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 lemon, zested and juiced


Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and fill your muffin pan with cupcake liners.

Whisk together the milk and vinegar in a small bowl, and set aside for about 10 minutes to let the soy milk curdle.

In a large bowl, beat together the milk/vinegar mixture, oil, sugar, vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest.

In a second bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and mix until well combined.

Fill the cupcake cups, and bake for about 20 minutes (or about 10 minutes for mini cupcakes) or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted.


Raspberry Buttercream

1/2 cup butter
2 cups icing sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
heavy cream


Directions

Cream together the butter and the vanilla.

Add the icing sugar a cup at a time, and mix until smooth.

Mash together the raspberries, and drain out the excess fluid. Add the raspberry mash to the icing and whip until fluffy.

If the icing is still too stiff for piping, add heavy cream 1/2 Tbsp at a time until the desired consistency is reached.

Pipe onto cooled cupcakes and garnish as desired. 

Roasted Taco Potatoes

Ingredients

5 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 cup Monterrey Jack and Cheddar blend cheese


Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease a baking dish and set aside.

Put your potatoes in a large bowl. Toss with olive oil.

In a small bowl, mix all your seasonings together (you could also just use a package of taco seasoning). Add to potatoes and toss until well-coated. Put seasoned potatoes in greased baking dish.

Bake for 30 minutes or until potatoes are done and a fork pierces them easily. I mix the potatoes at the halfway point (15 minutes) so that all sides of the potatoes get browned.

Sprinkle cheese on top of potatoes and bake another 5 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Serve and enjoy!

NOTE: This would also be yummy using sweet potatoes.

Vietnamese Chicken-Noodle Salad

Ingredients

3/4 cup sesame seeds
3/4 cup canola oil
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus lime wedges, for serving
3 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
8 ounces rice vermicelli
cooked chicken, shredded (about 3 cups)
2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
1 carrot, shredded
2 cups mixed herbs, such as cilantro, basil and mint


Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread the sesame seeds on a rimmed baking sheet and toast for about 5 minutes, until golden. Transfer to a food processor. Add the oil, lime juice, fish sauce, garlic, ginger and 3 tablespoons of water. Puree until smooth and season the sauce with salt and pepper.

In a large bowl, soak the rice noodles in boiling water until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and rinse the noodles under running cold water to cool; drain well.

In a large bowl, combine the chicken, celery, carrot, herbs and two-thirds of the sesame sauce. Season with salt and pepper and toss to evenly coat. Serve the noodles topped with the chicken salad, along with lime wedges and the remaining sauce on the side.

Gnocchi with White Beans and Spinach

Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 package (16 oz.) potato gnocchi
1 can (15 oz.) white kidney or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14.5 oz.) Italian diced tomatoes, undrained
1 package (6 oz.) fresh baby spinach
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese


Directions

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook and stir until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add gnocchi; cook and stir 5-6 minutes or until golden brown. Stir in beans, tomatoes, spinach and pepper; heat through.

Sprinkle with cheeses; cover and remove from heat. Let stand 3-4 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Coconut Almond Chocolate Pie

Ingredients:

For the crust:
1 cup shredded unsweetened or sweetened coconut
1/2 cup almond flour
1 Tbsp sweet rice flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 Tbsp Earth Balance Buttery Spread
1 Tbsp vanilla extract

For chocolate cream:
250g mascarpone cheese
3 Tbsp cocoa
3 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp plain Greek yogurt or cream


Directions:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch glass pie plate with cooking spray.

Combine the coconut, almond flour, sweet rice flour, and salt in a bowl. Add the Earth Balance Buttery Spread and vanilla extract and cut them into the dry ingredients until the mixture is crumbly and the butter is evenly distributed. Press into the pan, pushing some of the dough up along the side of the pan. Place in the oven for 20 - 25 minutes or until the coconut is lightly browned. Watch it carefully so the coconut doesn't burn! If it's browning too quickly, you can place a piece of foil loosely over the pan until it's done.

Remove from oven and cool before filling with filling.

For the chocolate topping, mix mascarpone cheese with sweetener, cocoa and yogurt. If it’s too thick add a bit more of yogurt or cream. Spread the chocolate cream on top of cooled crust and garnish as desired (toasted coconut, powdered sugar, chocolate shavings, toasted almonds, etc.).

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Bake

Ingredients

2 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 cups cooked brown rice
3/4 cups frozen corn
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream)
1 can (4 ounces) green chilis
1/2 cup salsa
1 cup cheddar cheese, plus more for topping
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, for garnish


Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except for cilantro and mix thoroughly to combine. Make sure the yogurt and cheese are stirred in throughout the entire bowl. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Transfer to an oven-safe dish and top with extra cheese if you would like.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until heated through. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Curried-Chicken and Vegetable Pan Roast

Ingredients

2 pounds butternut squash in 1-inch cubes (from one 2 1/2-pound squash)
1 1/2 pounds brussels sprouts, halved
2 large red onions, cut into thin wedges
1 cup canola oil
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 cup plain yogurt
2 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp Madras curry powder
4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs 


Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and position racks in the upper and middle thirds.

In a very large bowl, toss the butternut squash with the brussels sprouts, onion wedges and 1/2 cup of the canola oil; season with salt and pepper. Spread the vegetables on 2 large, sturdy rimmed baking sheets.

In the same bowl, combine the cup of yogurt with the ginger, garlic, curry powder and the remaining 1/2 cup of oil and season with salt and pepper. Add the chicken and toss until thoroughly coated. Arrange the chicken on top of the vegetables.

Roast for about 40 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through, until the vegetables are nearly tender and the chicken is nearly cooked through. Pour off any accumulated liquid in the pans and roast for about 20 minutes longer, until the vegetables are tender and the chicken is lightly browned.

Transfer the chicken and vegetables to a platter and serve with warm naan and yogurt.

Spiced Sweet Potato and Goat Cheese Gratin

Ingredients

2 Tbsp butter, melted
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup cream
2 Tbsp honey
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/2-1 tsp cayenne pepper
1-2 tsp sweet Spanish smoked paprika
8 ounces fresh goat cheese, softened
salt and freshly ground pepper
3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced lengthwise 1/8 inch thick


Directions

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F and brush a large baking dish with the melted butter.

In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, cream, honey, garlic, cayenne, and paprika and bring just to a simmer. Remove from the heat. Whisk in the goat cheese and season generously with salt and pepper.

Line the bottom of the baking dish with a slightly overlapping layer of sweet potatoes. Top with 1/4 cup of the goat cheese cream and spread evenly. Repeat the layering with the remaining sweet potatoes and cream, pouring any excess cream on top; you should have about 5 layers.

Cover the casserole with a sheet of buttered foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove the foil and bake for 1 hour longer, until the sweet potatoes are tender and the top is golden. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Cadbury Creme Egg Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 24 paper cupcake liners 
• Batter for 24 cupcakes (box mix or your favorite chocolate cupcake recipe, it’s your call) 
• 24 Mini Cadbury Creme Eggs
• 24 Mini Cadbury Creme Eggs, frozen (freezing the eggs keeps them from completely vanishing inside the baked cake) 
• 1 batch of buttercream frosting (or your favourite white frosting)
• yellow dye 
• Large Round piping tip or snip the end off of a piping bag. 

Directions:

1. Scoop batter into paper liner 2/3 of the way full. Place one frozen Mini Cadbury Creme Egg into the middle of each cupcake. Use a spatula to spread the batter over the egg.
    
2. Bake according to the recipe you are using. Allow cupcakes to cool completely.
   
3. While your cupcakes are cooking, make your buttercream. 
   
4. Remove about 1 cup of buttercream from the mixing bowl and dye it yellow.
   
5. Assemble your piping bag fitted with a large tip and pipe a large circle around the perimeter of the cupcake.
   
6. Fill in the center of the circle with the yellow buttercream and top with a Mini Cadbury Cream Egg.

Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Cloud Cake

Ingredients 

For the cake:

9 oz dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids)
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
6 eggs
1 cup caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

 For the cream topping:

4 oz dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids)
1 cup whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 bag (300g) of mini-eggs (I used Hershey's Eggies because they were the only peanut-free/nut-free ones I could find this year)


 Directions 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of a 9-inch (23cm) springform pan with parchment paper.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler and then let the butter melt in the warm chocolate.

In a bowl, whisk 4 egg whites until foamy, then gradually add a 1/2 cup of sugar and whisk until the whites are holding their shape but not too stiff. Set the bowl aside.

In another bowl, beat the 2 whole eggs and 4 egg yolks with the remaining 1/2 cup of the caster sugar, then gently add the chocolate mixture and vanilla. Add a heaping spoonful of egg whites to the chocolate mixture and mix briskly. Gently fold in the rest of the whites, about a 1/3 at a time.

Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the cake is risen and cracked and the centre is no longer wobbly. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack; the middle will crack and sink as it cools.

When you are ready to eat, place the still tin-bound cake on a cake stand or plate for serving and carefully remove the cake from its tin. Don't worry about cracks or rough edges: it's the crater look we're going for here.

To make the topping, melt the chocolate in a double boiler. While the chocolate is cooling, whip the cream until it's soft and then add the vanilla and continue whisking until the cream is firm but not stiff. Gently fold in the chocolate. Fill the crater of the cake with the chocolate cream, easing it out gently towards the edges of the cake and decorate with the chocolate eggs.