Vegan Cupcakes

So Halloween is this week and I found out two weeks ago that Marley's new pre-school teacher is also Vegan, which means, of course we have to make cupcakes for her Halloween Party on Wednesday, and because I like to make things complicated (as my hubby would say), I pulled out my copy of Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World: 75 Dairy-Free Recipes for Cupcakes that Rule by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, Terry Hope Romero and Sara Quin, and began to play with flavor combinations and recipes. 

Love this cook book and if you don't own it buy it!!

Luckily my husband and I have a Halloween Party to go to tonight so I don't have to eat 10 dozen cupcakes all by myself. Vegan or not, that is a few too many for even me.  So before our trip to visit our good friend Amanda and her horses, my baking assistant and I started batching cupcakes and we finished baking, frosting and decorating them today at about 6:00 am. Too bad for Daddy since he was still in bed and got to hear the mixer going bright and early. 

Some of this weeks flavors: The Elvis (for Lori since we are going to her party tonight and he is a huge fan), A chocolate Orange Cupcake (the winner along with a spider Newman O's on top for Marley's school party) and an Almond Joy Cupcake.  For the Almond Joy, I am still playing, as of right now I used the Chocolate Coconut Cupcake Recipe and added Almond Extract, then made a Chocolate Butter Cream with Almond, not sure I love it. Will try again soon and keep you posted on my continued tweaking.

Here is my Baking assistant following my directions, step by step for the Chocolate Orange Cupcakes batter. 

Whisking.

  

I was actually pretty amazed at how well she follows instructions and she stuck with me in the kitchen through the whole process, even moving her baby dolls table into the kitchen to use as her surface to "write her recipes in her note book".

 And since she it too little to put them in the oven, she cleans the spatula for me. One benefit of Vegan Cupcakes, no eggs!  She told me her friends "are really gonna like these cupcakes, because I'm a really good cook". And yes, she meant her, not me.

Once the batter was in the oven, we moved onto the Elvis Cupcakes, after making a delicious and light Banana Cupcake, we filled and frosted them with Peanut Butter cream Frosting. The secret is in the Molasses.

  Peanut Butter Cream

The Elvis Cupcakes with the Ghosts, per Marley's direction. (she actually put them on)

  Here are the Chocolate Orange Cupcakes, with Orange Butter Cream Frosting and Chocolate Ganache, there are only 11, as #12 is below and the start of the Newman O's Spider, without the legs. (I'm having a hard time finding Vegan shoestring Licorice which is what I want to use)

Busy morning, thanks for checking in and more pictures and blog tomorrow. Tomorrow we tackle that yummy roasted Vegetable soup, and carve pumpkins!! And maybe even pictures from the Halloween Party! :)

Namaste, and get your down dog on people!! 

XOXO

New Businesses- Volunteers needed

So in July of this year (2012) I started a new business venture with a colleague and friend Val Leyton.  It is a business that offers life coaching, yoga and yoga therapy as well as  workshops on improving communication, increasing productivity and preventing burnout in the work place.

I am happy to say that after four months things are going well, and we are starting to make an impact and people are finding us.

So for those of you who do not know me, you don't know that I get bored easily, and like new challenges.  Part of the reason I do what I do I guess.  But a large part of my practice with clients over the years as a therapist has been working with individuals, women specifically, with anxiety.  So after much thought about it and work with clients I have decided to write it down and share it.  

SO, this means I have started yet another venture in my life, (I know, why right?) this time making the information I know available to you in time for the holiday season.

Check out my new website at www.anxietyfreemom.com and see what programs I have to offer. One is designed to be a quick tips format that helps with everyday stress and worry, basic diet changes and exercises as long with thinking pattern changes.  The other is a self help program that currently offers CD's and a manual along with yoga sequences to manage Anxiety and Panic designed for busy women.  

Check it out and see what you think.  

The Self-help Program will be rolled out in the coming month and I hope to hear much feed back.  I am currently looking for a few more people to take a look at the program and test it out for free, and provide feedback before it's December release.  Send me an e-mail at anxietyfreemom@gmail.com if you are interested.  Only qualification you must be a women with mild to moderate anxiety.

My Favorite Fall Soup

Okay, so really this is just one of my favorites.

I great up in a household where the only soup we really had was homemade chicken or turkey soup when we were sick or after a holiday bird was cooked. Needless to say, I no longer eat these soups, nor did I ever really.  Soup was never really my thing.  I was a kid who didn't like my food to touch so I was clearly never going to like them cooked together.  Then one day, I don't even really remember when that was, I found that soup was so much more than chicken, carrots and rice.

I know since that time this soup has been one that warms my heart and my body on those cold Autumn days.   I often play around with it, and my soup is always kind of chunky  because that's how I like it but you can add more to less stock to taste.

This recipe has been adjusted from Ina Garten's Roasted Vegetable Soup

• 1 1/2 pound carrots, peeled
• 1 pound parsnips, peeled
• 1-2 large sweet potato, peeled
• 1 small butternut squash (about 2 pounds), peeled and seeded
• 3 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 3-5 cups Vegetable Stock

Place all the cut vegetables in a single layer on sheet pans. Drizzle them with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss well. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender, turning once with a metal spatula.

Place vegetable mixture in a food processor and add stock, along with parsley until blended to desired consistency. 

I tend to use less stock, but you can add more to think the soup out.

Serve with bread or crackers of your liking.  Or make a delicious Vegan Grilled Cheese with Vegan/Gluten Free Bread, veggies and Daiya cheese, the flavor that strikes you today.  (I really like the spicy cheeses from them). 

Frozen Strawberry Lemon Cheesecake
 Pulled originally from www.thekindlife.com

Vegan, Gluten-free with a sweetener free option for a fermenting free friend of mine.

Option suggestion, use what is in season for Berries, they all work and are wonderful strawberries and blueberries are my favorite.
 
Ingredients
Crust:
1 cup(s) almonds
1 cup(s) Medjool dates
1/4 tsp. sea salt
Filling:3 cup(s) raw unsalted cashews, soaked overnight and drained
1 cup(s) strawberries
2/3 cup(s) coconut oil
2/3 cup(s) agave (sweetener free use 3-5 dates)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
Topping:1 cup(s) strawberries
1 tbsp. agave (sweetener free, omit)
1/4 cup(s) orange juice
Steps
1. To make the crust, pulse almonds, dates, and sea salt in a food processor until well combined and crumbly. Press the crust into the bottom of an 8-inch spring form pan.
2. For the filling, combine cashews, strawberries, coconut oil, agave, lemon juice, and vanilla extract in a food processor orhigh-speed blender until smooth and well combined. Pour the mixture on top of the crust and spread evenly.
3. To make the topping, add strawberries, agave, and orange juice to blender. Blend until smooth and pour on top of the 'cheese' layer. Freeze overnight.
4. Take the cake out to thaw for about 40-50 minutes before serving. You'll want to cut it when it's still semi-frozen.
If anyone has made this before or tries it out, let me know how good it is on a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being yummiest!) in the comments below!

Change

Times they are a changin'.

I decided that what I am always drawn to is food and movement so I have updated my blog to fit with what I love, not just what I do.

Please check back often as I will be posting recipes and yoga poses daily along with pictures...now that I finally got my iPhone.  Can't wait to get started.

Thanks for all the support.

A Delicious Breakfast or Snack

During my Yoga Teacher Training I became close with lots of fellow yogis and we would often share yummy food with each other and I got this delicious chocolatey snack or breakfast loved by both me and my family.  This recipe was shared by my lovely friend Kelly.

Give it a try, it is Gluten Free and Vegan and Raw Option

Raw Cocoa Buckwheat Granola

1 cup raw buckwheat groats
1 cup raw unsalted cashews
1/2 cup Zante currants
1/2 cup unsweetened dried Coconut
1/4 to 1/2 cup carob or cocoa powder
1/4 to 1/2 cup agave nectar (to taste)

Soak Buckwheat and cashews over night in water. (in separate containers) Drain. Chop cashews in the food processor.  Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir until combined

If using a food dehydrator, spread mixture onto teflex sheets and dehydrate for 1 hour at 140 degrees, then turn the temperature down to 105 degrees, and continue dehydrate overnight or for 8 hours.

If using oven, spread mixture onto cookie sheet and place in the oven on the lowest setting your oven allows (mine is 200) and bake until Crunchy.  This depends on time of year and humidity as well.at least an hour.

Other variations for Dried Fruit and Nuts:
Almonds, Pecan, Walnuts, Macadamia

Apricots, Cranberries, Blueberries, Figs, Dates

The options are endless....play with it and try something new this weekend. 

This is also to die for over Coconut Milk or Almond Milk "Ice Cream".