Chocolate Coffee Cupcakes for Two

What is better than a cupcake recipe that you whip up quickly and only makes a few cupcakes?

Enter the chocolate coffee cupcakes for two!

I love recipes that are single serving and small servings because they are just so practical if you live alone or are just making a meal/treat for one.

Chocolate Coffee Cupcakes for Two 

Adapted from Taste of Home and Spark Recipes

Makes 2 large cupcakes or 3 medium cupcakes

Cupcakes:

• 1/4 cup strong brewed coffee
• 1/4 cup vegenaise (vegan mayonnaise)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup spelt flour
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp coffee granules (optional)
• 2 tbsp agave

Icing:

• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp agave
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp almond milk
• pinch of cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, mix the vegenaise, coffee and vanilla and stir until combined.

In another medium sized bowl, mix the flour, cocoa powder, coffee granules, cinnamon and baking soda and stir to combine.

Combine the vegenaise and coffee mixture into the flour mixture and stir until smooth and combined.

Next, add in the agave by the tablespoon, adding more or less than called for in the recipe depending on your sweetness preference. Stir until smooth and clump-free.

Pour the cupcake mixture into lined muffin tins and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cupcakes comes out clean.

When fully baked, remove from oven and allow to cool.

While the cupcakes are cooling, combine all the icing ingredients together in a small bowl and stir until fully combined.

Once cupcakes are cooled, slather on as much icing as you wish to each cupcake and enjoy!

I thought today was the perfect day to post a cupcake recipe because it is officially my one year blogiversary!

I can’t believe it has been a year since I started this blog! I want to thank each and every person who has ever read this blog, tried out my recipes or connected with me in some way. I love connecting with readers and fellow bloggers, so again, a great, big thank you!

Red Pepper & Broccoli Spaghetti

Have you ever had one of those dishes that you just can’t get enough?

This pasta dish happens to be that for me, as I’ve made it three times in the past week. It is just so good!

I’ve also recently become obsessed with cashew parmesan cheese, so sprinkling on some of that on this spaghetti really takes this dish to the next level.

But the pasta on its own is still delicious!

Red Pepper & Broccoli Spaghetti

Makes 4-5 servings

• 1 lb spaghetti
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups red pepper, sliced thinly
• 1 1/2 cups broccoli, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp basil
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 2-3 cups greens of choice (spinach, kale, arugula and spring mix all work wonderfully)

In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, add the pasta and cook until al dente.

Once cooked, remove from heat, drain and set aside.

In a large pan, add the olive oil and garlic and cook on medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until garlic begins to brown lightly. Add the red peppers, broccoli, basil and oregano and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring often.

Add the cooked spaghetti noodles to the pan and stir to combine.

Next, add your choice of greens and stir again to combine.

Remove pan from heat and dish out immediately.

If you desire, sprinkle with some cashew parmesan cheese (this recipe is divine).

Enjoy!

Double Chocolate Baked Oatmeal

So I am kind of unsure if I should even call this a breakfast item, considering it tastes just like you are eating a sinfully delicious dessert. It’s uber chocolately and actually healthy!

This bad boy is packed with tons of protein and fiber, so why not treat yourself to a delicious and healthy breakfast dessert?!

Double Chocolate Baked Oatmeal

Adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie and Spark Recipes

Oatmeal:

• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/4 cup unsweetned applesauce
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1-2 tbsp agave
• 1 1/2 tbsp unsweetned cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp hemp seed
• 1 tbsp flax seed

Icing:

• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp agave
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp almond milk
• pinch of cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Add all of the oatmeal ingredients together in a small bowl and mix until fully combined.

Pour oatmeal into a greased 1 cup sized baking dish or ramekin for 20-23 minutes.

While the oatmeal is baking, combine all the icing ingredients together in a small bowl and stir until fully combined. Once combined, set aside.

(It can take a minute or two for the agave/milk and cocoa powder to fully combine, but just keep stirring until it does. If mixture is too dry, add a little more milk.)

Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.

Slather on the icing and enjoy!

Roasted Potatoes and Squash

Introducing my newest side dish creation: Roasted Potatoes and Squash! Super simple to put together and good and healthy for you– a winning combination!

And it looks so much better when served in cute little ramekin dishes! 🙂

Roasted Potatoes and Squash

• 1 1/2 cups butternut squash, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup potato, peeled and chopped
• 1/4 cup onion, chopped
• 2-3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp sage

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium/large-sized oven safe dish, add the squash, potatoes and onion.

Drizzle on the olive oil and add the parsley, oregano and sage.

Mix together until everything is coated and combined.

Cook for 40-50 minutes.

When fully cooked, remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.

Serve and enjoy!

(A short post for a quick and simple dish…it only seems fitting!)

Vegetable Lentil Loaf

Lentil loaf was one of those “Have to try making it some time” items on my cooking to do list and am I ever glad I finally got around to making one because they are tasty (and surprisingly filling)!

Packed with iron, protein, fibre and numerous other vitamins and minerals, this loaf has it all! Healthy and delicious– what is not to love?!

Vegetable Lentil Loaf

Adapted from About.com

• 1 1/2 cups green lentils, cooked (I used 3/4 cup dry lentils to achieve 1 1/2 cups cooked)
• 2 cups red quinoa, cooked (I used 3/4 cup dry quinoa to achive 2 cups cooked)
• 1/3 cup red pepper, chopped
• 1/3 cup green pepper, chopped
• 1/3 cup onion, chopped
• 1/3 cup carrots, chopped
• 1/3 cup celery, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp rosemary
• 1/2 tsp sage
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 3 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil (melted)
• 1/3 cup organic ketchup
• 1 tbsp agave (for top)
• 3-4 tbsp organic ketchup (for top)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Rinse the lentils in a strainer and add them to a medium sized pot. Cook on high heat until the water boils. Then, reduce heat, cover and bring to low heat or simmer and allow to cook for 20-30 minutes or until tender. When the lentils are ready, drain them and set them aside.

Rinse the quinoa in a strainer and add them to a different medium sized pot and cook on high heat until the water boils. Reduce heat, cover and bring to low heat or simmer and cook for 15-25 minutes or until fluffy. When the quinoa is ready, drain them and set them aside.

Next, add the red pepper, green pepper, carrots, onion, celery and garlic to a large skillet pan and cook on medium heat with a little olive oil or coconut oil until soft, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a food processor, add the lentils and blend until the lentils become a crumbly texture. It is o.k. if not all the lentils are blended, but try to ensure that at least 50-75% of the lentils are mashed and crumbly. Once crumbly, add the lentils into a large bowl.

In the bowl with the mashed lentils, add the vegetables from the skillet and mix until combine.

Then add the quinoa, sea salt, rosemary, sage, thyme, olive oil or coconut oil and ketchup and mix until fully combined. If the mixture feels too dry, add a little more ketchup.

Press the mixture into a lightly greased loaf pan. Spread the agave and extra ketchup on the top of the loaf until well covered.

Place in the oven and cook for 50-60 minutes.

When fully cooked, remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.

Slice and enjoy!

Have a great weekend!

Protein Pumpkin Muffins

So I love pumpkin. Not just around Thanksgiving, but all the time. When September rolls in, every where I look seems to be pumpkin flavoured or scented. But I love pumpkin all year long.

 

So on a whim, I decided to whip up a batch of pumpkin muffins and they are unbelievable. Healthy, refined sugar free and full of protein. Top notch in my books.

Protein Pumpkin Muffins

Adapted from my Sugar Free Banana Muffin recipe

• 1/2 cup vegan butter
• 1 1/2 cups dates (or 1 cup date paste)
• 2 egg replacer (like this brand)
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/3 cup hemp seed
• water, as needed

First, pour the dates into a container with hot water and cover. Allow them to soak for 30-60 minutes. Make sure you have enough water in the container that all the dates are submerged.

Once the dates have soaked long enough, throw them into a blender and blend until a smooth paste forms. Once completely blended and smooth, set aside.

Next, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix the butter and egg replacer together until smooth.

Add the pumpkin puree and the blended dates (date paste) to the butter/egg replacer mixture and stir until smooth.

Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and vanilla extract and mix until combined. Stir in the hemp seeds until fully combined.

If your mixture is too thick, add water a tablespoon at a time to thin out the dough.

Pour into muffin tins and bake for 15-20 minutes.

Once fully cooked and a toothpick inserted into the muffin comes out clean, remove from the oven and allow to cool.

This recipe makes about 16-18 medium-sized muffins.

Have a great weekend!

Coconut Date Cookies

I recieve a lot of requests from friends and family members on sugar-free recipes and let me tell you, that is easier said than done. I’m not a believer in artificial sweeteners (like Splenda), so trying to find a natural way to sweeten desserts is no easy task.

So I’ve recently discovered the glory that is date paste and I am in love! What a perfect natural sweetener to add to baked desserts!

These cookies are the perfect example of a simple recipe consisting of date paste. I just can’t get enough!

Coconut Date Cookies

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

• 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp flour
•  pinch of sea salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 cup vegan butter
• 1/2 cup date paste (Here is the recipe I used)
• half a flax egg recipe (1/2 tbsp ground flax+ 1 1/2 tbsp water)
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a small/medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking soda and set aside.

In a different medium-sized bowl, mix together the butter and date paste. Next, add the flax egg and vanilla and mix until combined.

Add the flour mixture into the butter/date paste mixture and mix until fully combined. Then, add the coconut and mix again.

Scoop up chunks of the cookie dough and drop on a lined cookie sheet and flatten them down slightly.

Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to cool.

*Makes 10-12 small cookies.

Have a great weekend!

Twice Baked Potatoes with Spinach & Onion

Everyone has guilty pleasures and one of mine happens to be potatoes.

While this may sound strange, it is true. I would eat potatoes for every meal, every day. I just find they are so versatile! Scalloped, mashed, home fries, the list goes on.

So these twice baked potatoes are just a dream come true for me (and hopefully you too)!

 

 

Can’t get enough of these guys—they are just so tasty!

Twice Baked Potatoes with Spinach & Onion

• 6 small-medium sized potatoes
• 3/4 cup spinach, chopped
• 1/3 cup green onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup vegan butter
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Wash the potatoes and place on a cookie sheet. Using a fork, prick the potato using the tines of the fork.

Then bake the potatoes for an hour.

Once the potatoes are baked, remove from oven and slice the potatoes in half lengthwise.

*The potatoes will be pretty hot so feel free to allow them to cool slightly before cutting*

Using a spoon, scape out the insides and add to a medium sized bowl. Be sure to leave a lining of potato to ensure the potato doesn’t tear.

Once potatoes are hollow out, place on cookie sheet again and set aside.

In the bowl with the potatoes scraping, add the vegan butter and almond milk and mash until smooth using a potato masher.

Add the spinach, green onion, garlic, salt and pepper and mash again.

Scoop the potato mixture into the potato shells. Feel free to pile lots of filling in the shells.

You can also top the potatoes with a bit of shredded vegan cheese (like Daiya), just for a little extra something-something. 🙂

Once you’ve filled all the potato shells, place back in the oven and cook for another 5-10 minutes. Basically just to warm them up again.

Remove from oven, serve and enjoy!

Potato and Leek Soup

Ever had one of those times where you go to the grocery store, come across an interesting food item and wonder what you could make with it?

Well I did and that food item came in the form of a leek.

A potato and leek soup sounded quite appealing upon reading the recipe, so I opted to give it a shot and whip up a batch.

And it is delicious!

 

Thick, warm and hearty—all the requirements for soup.

 

Potato and Leek Soup

Adapted from Julia Child

• 3 cups leeks, sliced and chopped (use only the white and light green parts) *see note
• 1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped
• 4 cups potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 2 tbsp vegan butter
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 cups vegetable stock
• 1 tsp rosemary
• 1/2 tsp parsley

*Note: when you finish cutting the leeks, pour them into a strainer and run under water to ensure you have cleaned them. They tend to have a lot of dirt hidden in the layers.

In a medium-sized pot at medium-high heat, add the butter and allow it to melt.

Next, add the leeks and onion and cook for 5-8 minutes or until the leeks and onions become translucent, stirring occasionally.

Add the potatoes and garlic and cook for another 8-10 minutes or until the leeks and onions are soft and the potatoes are beginning to become soft. Be careful not to burn the leeks, as they taste quite bitter burnt.

Add the vegetable stock, rosemary and parsley and cook on medium heat for 30-45 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.

Transfer the soup to a high-powered blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

Serve and enjoy!

Easy Tofu Scramble

Ever had those times when you are looking for a really easy breakfast to put together?

Enter the tofu scramble!

With the perfect combination of spices and vegetables, you can transform plain ol’ tofu into quite the delicious little breakfast dish.

This scramble makes a great side dish or if you just want to eat a big plate of scramble on its own, that’s fine too. 🙂

Easy Tofu Scramble

• 1  1/2 cups firm tofu
• 1/2 cup red pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup yellow pepper, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil (or coconut oil, if you prefer)
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
• 1 tsp sage
• 1/2 tsp rosemary
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

In a large skillet, add the tofu. Then mash the tofu until crumbly using a fork.

Add the olive oil, peppers and garlic and cook on medium-high heat for 4-6 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the sage, rosemary, yeast flakes, salt and pepper and stir until combined. Cook for another 5-7 minutes.

Remove from heat and serve warm.

Have a great weekend!