Mounds Cupcakes

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Julie • 0 Comments

I have a little bit of a thing lately for candy turned cupcakes. I guess there’s no real reason to do this – why not just eat the candy and call it a day? I’ll tell you why – because it’s fun to reinvent the wheel when the new wheel is a delicious frosted hug. These cupcakes were my mom’s request for her birthday last year, and she requested them again this year for Mother’s Day. She’s a dark chocolate fanatic, which is why these are topped with a rich, fudgy ganache instead of a standard buttercream. Bittersweet ganache is also a perfect yin to the yang of the (to die for) coconut filling – I think heaps of frosting on this might be overpowering.

The best thing about these cupcakes – aside from the fact that they taste exactly  like a Mounds bar and are really yummy – is that they’re super easy to make. The coconut filling has three ingredients and can be pre-made and set aside, the cake recipe doesn’t even require a mixer, and the frosting is another three-ingredient wonder. Frankly, I’d be perfectly happy if my mom continued requesting these for every special occasion. But because she “went under the knife to give me life,” as she likes to say, I suppose she can order whatever cupcake she wants. Thanks, Mom!

Mounds Cupcakes
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Category: Dessert
The classic Mounds bar in cupcake form.
Ingredients

Cupcakes:

    • 2 cups (280g) all-purpose flour
    • 1 cup (85g) unsweetened cocoa powder
    • 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
    • 1 tsp (5g) baking soda
    • 1 tsp (5g) baking powder
    • 1/2 tsp (3g) kosher or sea salt
    • 1/2 cup (120mL) vegetable oil
    • 2 large eggs
    • 2 tsp vanilla extract
    • 1 cup (250g) sour cream
    • 1 cup (237mL) coffee, at room temperature

Filling:

      • 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
      • 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
      • 2 Tbsp powdered sugar

Frosting:

        • 2/3 cup heavy cream
        • 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
        • 8 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces

Optional garnish:

        • Toasted coconut
Instructions
  1. Make the filling – combine coconut, sweetened condensed milk, and powdered sugar in a bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners and set aside.
  3. To make the cupcakes, sift flour and cocoa powder into a large bowl. Add sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt and whisk to combine. In another large bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla, sour cream and coffee. Add to the dry ingredients and stir until well-mixed and smooth. Divide evenly among prepared pans, filling each 2/3-3/4 full. Bake 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  4. To make the frosting, heat cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until just beginning to bubble at the sides. Pour over chopped chocolate and let sit for five minutes. Stir until glossy and smooth. Set aside to cool at room temperature.
  5. To prepare the cupcakes, use a paring knife to cut a circle out of the middle of each cupcake. Stuff each cupcake with 1-2 teaspoons of the coconut filling.
  6. To frost, dip each cupcake upside down into the ganache. Top with toasted coconut (if using) and serve.

Source: Cake recipe from Baking Bites

Filed Under: Desserts

Cherry Pie

Posted on May 12, 2012 by Julie • 1 Comment

“But like a dream I’m flowin’ without no stopping
Sweeter than a cherry pie with Reddi-Whip topping.”
-Adam “MCA” Yauch

When I heard the news of Beastie Boy Adam Yauch’s passing, I was truly surprised by how deeply it shook me. It is a strange feeling, grief for someone you’ve never met, and yet I’ve been kicking the ground and shaking my head for the last week.

I haven’t always liked their music. I have vivid memories of hearing Licensed to Ill as a pre-teen and, obviously, just not getting it (I don’t think pre-teen girls were really their target audience back then). I didn’t know what dust was or why one would smoke it. In my world, aluminum bats were for playing in the backyard, not hitting people. And they didn’t seem to hold women in very high regard. So the B-Boys, and their music, weren’t really relevant to me.

But then they grew up. I remember when I first heard MCA’s famous renunciation of the band’s early misogyny (“I want to say a little something that’s long overdue. The disrespect to women has got to be through. To all the mothers and the sisters and the wives and friends, I wanna offer my love and respect to the end”) and thinking, “Okay, I can give them another chance now.” The squalling, bratty boys of “Fight for Your Right” and “Girls” evolved into socially conscious, respectful, philanthropic men, with Adam Yauch often singled out as the driving force behind that growth.

He was always easy to tell apart from the other two – the raspy, low growl beneath the frenetic yelping of Mike D and Ad-Rock. And as he became more ensconced in Buddhism, his new consciousness began to make its way into their music (“Shambala,” “Bodhisattva Vow,” “Namaste,” “Flowin’ Prose,” among others). Above and beyond the music, he took real action – action that touched millions of lives. He co-founded the Milarepa Fund, a nonprofit dedicated to fundraising for Tibetans and Tibetan causes. After 9/11, the band headlined a benefit (New Yorkers Against Violence) that raised money for two organizations unlikely to receive aid from elsewhere – the NY Women’s Disaster Relief Fund and the NY Association for New Americans 9/11 Victims Fund. From the ASPCA to Live Earth, the Beastie Boys became known almost as much for their philanthropy as for their music.

I attended the 1998 Tibetan Freedom Concert, founded and organized by the Beastie Boys, because it was a $25 ticket and there were a lot of good bands playing. I didn’t give the name of the concert a second thought, and I certainly didn’t expect to think about anything other than Sonic Youth. But then there were incredibly moving speeches by Tibetan activists, followed by a lightning strike and a stack of pamphlets read under tent cover while waiting to hear if they would cancel the rest of the day (they did).

I can’t think of a non-hokey way to say that concert changed everything for me, but it did, in that way that can only happen when you’re a teenager with a pliable mind and no real sense of purpose outside of yourself. Fourteen years later, I’m the partner of a Tibetan-American. I didn’t know it then, of course, but he was at that concert too, backstage with Yauch’s wife, whom he grew up with. We wouldn’t meet for another five or six years, or start dating for another three our four after that. But at the very core of who we are, separately and together, is our commitment to Tibet and the Tibetan people, and our desire to be compassionate in our daily lives in all possible ways. I credit Adam Yauch with helping me find and develop that within myself.

This is more than just the loss of a musician, one who was at the core of a group that provided the background music of many of our lives, although that alone is sad. It’s a premature farewell to one of our great humanitarians, one who introduced a generation of kids to world issues, in Tibet, in Kosovo, here in the U.S., one who quietly urged us to look outside ourselves, and who led us by example to take action. Celebrities this unselfish and altruistic are fewer and far between these days, and I think that’s where that sting behind my eyes came from when I heard the news.

So. Um. Am I supposed to be talking about food? Is this a food blog?

I don’t know if most people make an association between food and the Beastie Boys, but I always have, because I’m obsessed with food and they have a TON of lyrics about food. Granted, many are from their early days and are either about booze or White Castle burgers. But as they grew lyrically, always retaining that early playfulness and humor (minus the homophobia and sexism), they came up with some true classics, likely related to their love of food in everyday life. Here are a few of my favorites:

“Well I’m as cool as a cucumber in a bowl of hot sauce
You’ve got the rhyme and the reason but got no cause.”
-MCA, “So What’cha Want”

You’ve got the boomin’ system but it’s sloshing out doo-doo
You think it’s chocolate milk but it’s watered down Yoo Hoo.
-Mike D, “Professor Booty”

Now when I wrote graffiti my name was Slop
If my rap’s soup my beats is stock.
-Ad-Rock, “Intergalactic”

I don’t mean to brag, I don’t mean to boast
but I’m intercontinental when I eat French toast.
-All, “The Move”

Mike D with your bad self running things
what’s up with your bad breath? ONION RINGS!
-Ad-Rock, “Shake Your Rump”

Order in vegetarian shark’s fin
Try to keep my life non-violent
-MCA/Mike D, “The Grasshopper Unit”

You’re all mixed up like pasta primavera
Why’d you throw that chair at Geraldo Rivera?
-”What Goes Around”

“I’ll be in the paper the news with Ernie Anastos
They’ll even print my recipe for pasta with pesto.”
-Mike D, “Finger Lickin’ Good” (and they did, in Grand Royal,
the short-lived Beastie Boys magazine – you can see it here)

The cherry pie I’m sharing here is inspired by the lyric at the top of this post. I wanted to do something small to commemorate the life of Adam Yauch – both his artistry and his compassion, which always went hand in hand – and I kept coming back to the Beastie/food association. It’s a bit of a departure from cherry pie with Reddi-Whip, mostly in that it’s completely vegan, as Yauch was in his last years. We’ll eat this tonight, and we’ll fork-toast to this man who grew from a beer-spitting lunatic into a kind humanitarian, who dedicated an incredible amount of his time, money, and energy to so many worthy causes, and who has left us far too soon.

Journey well, Adam. The world will miss you. Thank you for all that you did.

Vegan Cherry Pie with Vegan Whipped Cream
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Category: Dessert
Ingredients

Crust (makes two for a double crust pie):

    • 2 1/2 cups (355g) all-purpose flour
    • 2 Tbsp (25g) sugar
    • 1 tsp (5g) kosher or sea salt
    • 12 Tbsp (1 1/2 sticks/160g) Earth Balance buttery sticks or other vegan butter, cut into small pieces
    • 4 Tbsp (1 stick/110g) cold vegetable shortening (I use Spectrum or Earth Balance natural shortening), cut into small pieces
    • 1/4 cup ice water
    • 1/4 cup ice-cold vodka

Filling:

  • 5 cups frozen dark sweet cherries, thawed and halved
  • 1/3 cup sugar (increase depending on how sweet you like your pies – I like mine less sweet)
  • 1/3 cup tapioca flour or cornstarch
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla or almond extract
  • 1/4 cup non-dairy milk

 

Whipped Cream:

  • 1 14oz can full-fat coconut milk, chilled in the refrigerator at least 4 hours
  • 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
  • 1 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

 

Instructions
  1. Put on your favorite Beastie Boys album.
  2. Preheat oven to 400F.
  3. To make the crust, combine flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl and stir to combine. Using a pastry blender or a fork, cut in the vegan butter and shortening and mix until the mixture resembles coarse sand.
  4. Drizzle in half the ice water and vodka and use your fingers to combine. Add the rest of the water and vodka and mix in with your hands.
  5. Use your palm to press the dough into the bottom of the bowl, then break the dough up and press one more time.
  6. Divide dough into two halves, and press each half into a four-inch disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.
  7. To make the filling, combine thawed, halved cherries in a bowl with sugar, tapioca flour, lemon juice, salt, and extract. Allow to sit for at least 20 minutes.
  8. Remove one of the dough disks from the refrigerator and place it on a piece of parchment paper or a well-floured surface. Cover with another piece of parchment paper, or flour a rolling pin well. Roll into a 12-inch round disk. Carefully transfer to a 9-inch pie plate, leaving a 1-inch overhang.
  9. Dust the bottom of the pie crust with 2 tsp flour. Pour in cherry filling and place in refrigerator.
  10. Remove the second dough disk. Roll out into an even circle. Remove the pie from the refrigerator.
  11. Place the entire crust on the top of the pie for a double crust, or cut into 3/4 inch strips for a lattice crust (make sure to cut steam vents into your top crust if you use the entire thing).
  12. Seal the edges of the top and bottom crust. Brush the top and edges with non-dairy milk and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350F and bake for an additional 35-45 minutes. If the edges brown too quickly, cover with a pie shield or aluminum foil. Cool on a rack.
  13. While the pie is baking, make the whipped cream. Open the can of coconut milk and scrape out the solidified part that has risen to the top into a mixing bowl. Discard the water at the bottom, or reserve for another use (no idea what “another use” might be)!
  14. Beat on medium speed until somewhat fluffy – it won’t volumize like real cream, but you should be able to see the tracks from the mixer wire. Add powdered sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla and beat well. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Sources: Pie crust from Vegan Baking, vegan whipped cream adapted from Savvy Vegetarian.

Reader Question: If you made a Beastie Boys-inspired recipe, what would it be? And do you have a favorite memory you associate with a Beastie Boys song?

Filed Under: Desserts, Personal, Vegan

Mexican Stuffed Peppers

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Julie • 0 Comments

For some reason, I always think that when I come back from a business trip, everything is going to settle down. I’ll arrive home at 5:30 with plenty of time to make a nice leisurely dinner, follow it with an evening run or bike ride, and still have time to get to bed early.

And for some (presumably related) reason, I appear to be completely disconnected with reality, which generally goes a little more like this: finish work at least an hour later than planned, leave bike in the office because I still haven’t fixed the roof rack on my car, remember that I have to stop at the grocery store for something or the other, fly in the door around 8 with dinner barely a tadpole of a thought, cook, scarf it down, conveniently disappear while Nor does the dishes, finish up extra work stuff, and run around like crazy trying to get into bed before it’s officially tomorrow.

If any of that sounds familiar, you probably appreciate a quick and easy meal as much as I do. These stuffed peppers are a lifesaver on hectic nights – even more so if I remember to make the filling over the weekend (I usually don’t).  They also aren’t baked like many stuffed peppers – and with summer on the way and the thought of firing up the oven getting more unpleasant by the day, that’s a total bonus.

Mexican Stuffed Peppers
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Category: Main Dish, Side
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 25 mins
Total time: 35 mins
Yield: 6 peppers
Ingredients
  • 6 medium bell peppers
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, minced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 cup long grain white rice
  • 1 15 oz can tomato sauce
  • 1/3 cup water or stock
  • 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen corn, thawed
  • 1/3 cup cilantro or parsley, chopped
  • 1 cup reduced-fat shredded cheese (Mexican blend or cheddar work well)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Garnishes: sour cream, salsa, avocado, additional cheese
Instructions
  1. Cut the top off of each pepper and remove the seeds. Replace the tops of the peppers.
  2. Fill a large stockpot with about an inch of water and place peppers upright in a steamer rack (if you don’t have one, directly in the water is fine). Cover and steam for 8-10 minutes. Remove lid.
  3. While the peppers are steaming, heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and jalapeno and cook until onion is slightly softened and transparent, about 5 minutes.
  4. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin and oregano and cook for about a minute, stirring constantly.
  5. Pour in rice and stir until coated. Add tomato sauce and water/stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 20 minutes.
  6. Remove from heat and add black beans, corn, cilantro and cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
  7. Fill peppers, cover each with the top of the pepper, and place back in the steaming pot. Steam for another 3-5 minutes until heated through.
  8. Top with any garnishes – cheese, sour cream, avocado, or salsa – and serve.
Notes

I like my peppers to keep a little bit of crunch, so I tend toward the lower steaming times. If you prefer softer peppers, use the longer cooking times.

Filed Under: Main Dish, Quick & Easy

Blue Velvet Cupcakes

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Julie • 7 Comments

I’m hanging out in St. Louis this week!

Okay, I’m not hanging out. I’m (sigh) working. But that’s okay! I’m lucky enough to have a job that occasionally brings me to new cities – St. Louis, I’ll admit, was a city I was less than enthusiastic about, but then I got here. The people are friendly, the food is good, and they have a hockey team in the midst of a playoff run. Their Blues are down 2 games to 0, but not out, and the enthusiasm in the city is infectious. “Let’s Go Blues” signs hang on every beautiful historic building, the most tightly wound professionals are flaunting temporary Blues tattoos, and the streets near the arena (right next to my hotel) have been teeming with eager, hopeful fans in the throes of playoff excitement.

So, is there a better time than now to share a blue recipe? The team had a tough loss last night, but today I’ll share a recipe that I hope will bring good juju back to them, for the sake of these enthusiastic, friendly fans. I made these cupcakes a couple of weeks ago for a little guy’s baby shower, and paired with coconut cream cupcakes, they were warmly received. This is a classic red velvet cake turned blue – the taste is absolutely identical, and there is no need to color the frosting unless you’re looking for a paler blue somewhere in the mix, since the cake gets pretty dark. With the light cream cheese frosting, the hint of chocolate in the cake, and the lovely slate blue hue, these are a guaranteed hit for a baby shower, St. Louis hockey party, or David Lynch theme dinner (I’ll admit the latter two may be fewer and farther between than the first).

Blue Velvet Cupcakes
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Category: Dessert
A blue variation on classic red velvet cake.
Ingredients

For the cake:

    • 2 1/2 cups (270g) cake flour
    • 1 1/2 cups (312g) granulated sugar
    • 1 tsp (5g) baking soda
    • 1 Tbsp (6g) unsweetened cocoa powder
    • 1 tsp (5g) kosher or sea salt
    • 2 eggs, room temperature
    • 1 1/2 cups (360mL) vegetable oil
    • 1 cup (240mL) buttermilk, room temperature
    • 1 tsp blue food coloring or several drops violet gel food coloring*
    • 1 tsp (5mL) distilled white vinegar
    • 1 tsp (5mL) vanilla extract

For the frosting:

  • 8 oz (230g) cream cheese
  • 8 oz (230g) unsalted butter
  • 1/8 cup (20g) light brown sugar, packed
  • 4 cups (400g) confectioner’s sugar, sifted
  • Several drops blue food coloring (optional)
  • 1 tsp (5mL) vanilla extract
  • 1 Tbsp (15mL) heavy cream
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners and set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt.
  3. In a larger bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together eggs, oil, buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla, and vinegar until combined (about two minutes). Add the dry ingredients in two additions and beat on medium speed until each addition is incorporated. The batter will be runny.
  4. Fill the cupcake liners about 2/3 full and bake for 18-20 minutes (until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean). Let cool in pans for five minutes. Remove to racks to cool completely.
  5. To make the frosting, beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about a minute. Add the butter and beat until combined and fluffy, about two minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the brown sugar, salt, and vanilla and beat to incorporate, then add desired amount of blue food coloring, if using.
  6. With the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar one cup at a time, beating each addition until well-incorporated and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the cream and beat on medium-high until light and fluffy.
  7. Frost and serve immediately, or keep refrigerated in a tightly closed container for up to three days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Notes

*Liquid blue food coloring tends to have a greenish tint with this because of the egg yolks (blue and yellow make green)! Wilton’s violet gel requires less color and gives you a deeper blue hue – the pictured recipe is using liquid blue coloring.

Filed Under: Desserts

Portabello Salad with Maple-Mustard Dressing

Posted on April 28, 2012 by Julie • 2 Comments

I’m leaving tomorrow for a weeklong business trip. I still haven’t finished unpacking from my Florida trip last week (to be fair, I’ve been home nearly a week, so that’s really on me). Whenever possible, I usually spend the day before I leave on any trip in the kitchen trying to make a few dinners for Nor to have while I’m gone, as well as getting my fill of healthy, homemade food before the inevitable streak of takeout begins. This portabello salad was just what the doctor ordered today – light but hearty, filling but healthy.  It was the perfect quick, simple Saturday lunch, but it could just as easily be an entrée or a side dish for a fancy meal.

The meaty mushrooms, rich avocado, and protein-packed chickpeas elevate the humble salad to nutritional powerhouse status, and the creamy dressing has a slight kick balanced by a bit of sweetness from maple syrup. I see this becoming a regular fixture in the rotation around here, whether I’m trying to load up on healthy food pre-travel or just craving a dinner salad (this happens a lot). Add slivered almonds for some crunch and even more protein, or crumbled feta cheese – the possibilities are endless, one of the many reasons salad rules.

Portabello Salad with Maple-Mustard Dressing
5.0 from 1 reviews
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Category: Main Dish, Side Dish, Salads
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 40 mins
Total time: 50 mins
Yield: 4 main dishes or 8 sides
A hearty green salad with portabellos, chickpeas, and avocado. Hearty enough for an entrée.
Ingredients
  • 1 cup cooking wine (I used Marsala)
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 large portabello mushroom caps
  • 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
  • 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp maple syrup
  • 8 cups mixed baby greens
  • 1 ripe avocado, sliced
  • 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 F. In a baking dish, combine cooking wine, olive oil, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, and garlic. Place mushrooms in the baking dish (stem side up) and spoon some marinade into each mushroom. Set aside for about 20 minutes.
  2. While the mushrooms are marinating, make the dressing. Combine mustard, vegetable oil, red wine vinegar, and maple syrup and whisk until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
  3. Cover baking dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, flip the mushrooms, and bake for another 10 minutes. Cool for ten minutes, then slice thinly.
  4. Mix greens, avocado, onion and chickpeas in a large bowl. Add dressing and toss. To serve, place a generous helping of salad on each plate. Top greens with sliced portabello.

Source: One of my favorite cookbooks ever, Veganomicon.

Filed Under: Main Dish, Side Dishes, Vegan