These cupcakes are delightful; such a surprise with a delicate floral flavour topped with a creamy, dreamy frosting that’s not unlike a peanut butter one – except I think tahini makes a much nicer buttercream than peanut butter could ever dream of. Unfortunately, my husband is allergic to all of what makes these great, so they’re for guests only. Rosewater is an incredible flavour, but like all floral desserts, restraint is needed with it or you enter soap territory pretty quickly.

Rosewater Cupcakes
Makes 16 
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: ~1 hour

1/2 cup silken tofu, firm or extra firm
1/2 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon rosewater
1 1/3 cup all purpose flour (gluten-free mix is here, please use brown rice flour)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup non-dairy margarine, softened
1/4 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk

Rosewater syrup

1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon rosewater

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line muffin tin with liners. In a blender, blend silken tofu, 1/2 cup non-dairy milk, apple cider vinegar, vanilla and rose water until smooth. Set aside. In a large bowl, using a hand or stand mixer, combine together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the non-dairy margarine and mix until it resembles sand, no clumps of margarine should remain. Add the blended tofu mixture and combine. Add the final 1/4 cup of non-dairy milk, mix on low until just combined and then turn the speed up to high for about 2 minutes. The batter should be completely smooth. Scoop into prepared muffin tin, filling each 2/3 of the way up. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the tops spring back at your light touch. While the cupcakes are cooking, prepare the syrup. In small sauce pan, whisk together the sugar and water and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, add the rosewater and set aside to cool. Once the cupcake are done, remove from the oven, poke the tops several times with a toothpick and pour about a teaspoon of rosewater syrup over the still hot cupcakes. Let cool part way on baking racks, remove from tins, place on baking racks and finish cooling completely before frosting.

Halva Frosting

1/4 cup non-dairy margarine, softened
1/2 cup tahini
3 – 4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon rosewater
Non-dairy milk, if needed
Crushed and whole pistachios, for decorating

Using a hand or stand mixer, beat the margarine and tahini until lighter in colour and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Slowly add about half a cup of powdered sugar, the vanilla and rosewater and beat to combine. Add the remaining powdered sugar in small amount, beating to combine well and monitoring until you get the buttercream texture you like. Add non-dairy milk to thin, or more powdered sugar to thicken, as you like. An extra tablespoon or two of tahini never hurt anyone, either. Top with pistachios, both whole and crushed.

As an aside, we’re currently starting our first garden! We have a large deck as a part of our second floor apartment above a commercial space and we’re so excited to have the chance to try to grow some of our own food! We have four types of heirloom tomatoes: Pink Brandywine, Roman Speckled, Tiny Tim and Chadwick Cherries, as well as Jamaican hot peppers, Chinese Five Colour hot peppers, mini bell peppers, sage and basil. There’s some cilantro started for an indoor herb garden, as it doesn’t like to be transplanted. We have plans for lots more, but we won’t start those from seed. Hopefully we’ll have something more to show you in a month or two!

Roasted Beet Risotto
Serves four
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: ~1 hour 15 minutes

3 red beets, with greens
3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 leek, green and white parts
5 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced thinly
Pinch of dried thyme
1 1/2 cups arborio rice, or other short grain rice
3/4 cup dry white wine
~1 1/2 litres warm vegetarian chicken stock
3/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon lemon zest
Juice of half a lemon
1 tablespoon non-dairy margarine

Preheat oven to 400 F. Remove the greens and stalks from the beets and quarter them. Make a foil packet for the beets, drizzling with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast for about 30 minutes, until the beets have started to soften. Allow to cool enough to handle, peel and dice. Finely chop the beet greens; discard the stems.  In a large heavy bottomed pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the leeks and sautee until they are soft. Add the garlic, thyme and rice and stir so all the rice is coated in oil. Sautee for an additional minute, but make sure no browning happens. Add the wine and stir until it has all been absorbed by the rice. Add the diced beets and a ladle full of warm stock and stir until it has been absorbed. Continue adding stock, by the ladle full, until the rice has expanded and is soft but still toothsome. You may not need all the stock. Add the beets greens, a final ladle of stock and stir until absorbed. Remove from the heat, add the nutritional yeast, lemon zest and juice and the non-dairy margarine, stir and let sit to settle for ten minutes. Serve immediately after. Save any leftovers to make arancini, as it’s the only way to eat leftover risotto.

Vanilla Mint Funfetti Cookies
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 60 minutes, mostly chilling time

1/2 cup non-dairy margarine, softened
1 cup icing sugar, plus more for rolling
1/4 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour (For a Gluten-Free one; use brown rice flour for the rice portion)
3/4 cup sprinkles, your choice, or more to achieve the colour you like

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the non-dairy margarine, icing sugar and the non-dairy milk. This will not all mix together, but don’t worry it will in the end. Add the peppermint extract, vanilla and salt and mix again. Finally, add the flour and sprinkles and mix until it comes together (it will be very wet and sticky). Wrap in plastic film, form into a disc and refrigerate for 30 minutes (or overnight). When ready to cook, preheat oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Generously dust a surface with icing sugar and roll out cookie dough, sprinkling with more icing sugar as needed, until it is not tacky and it is easy to work with. Roll out to 1/4 inch thick, cut into desired shapes and lay flat on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes,  or until the sides have just started to brown. The smaller the shapes, the faster it will cook. Remove from oven, let sit on baking sheet for an additional 3 or 4 minutes, before transferring to a baking rack to cool completely.

There’s something about this salad that says “autumn”, isn’t there? Lemon confit, for the uninitiated is a French method of preserving lemons in salt. It’s zippy, salty and unbelievably complex! The preserved citrus combined with the deep, earthy flavour of the roasted beets, carrots and garlic is the perfect pairing; each balancing and elevating the other to a new level. We’re serving this alongside a more traditional vegan Thanksgiving spread this year, but we’ve also had it with mock duck and risotto – a gorgeous side to a truly special and fantastic meal.

Roasted Carrot and Beet Salad
Serves 8
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

4 medium carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
4 medium red beets, tops trimmed and chopped to the same size as the carrots
1 head garlic, cloves removed from peel
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, or other oil for roasting
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
1 large pita bread, toasted and chopped into small pieces, substitute 2 cups cooked chick peas
Lemon confit, for the top of the salad
Flat leaf parsley, for the top of the salad

Preheat oven to 400 F. Using foil, combine all ingredients and seal. Place foil packet on a baking sheet and roast for 40 minutes, until the vegetables are soft and the carrots and garlic have started to go golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool enough so you can handle it. Add the carrots to a serving bowl. Using your finger, remove the peels from the beets and add them to the bowl with the carrots, along with the pita bread. Set aside the half the garlic for use in the dressing and toss the other half in the salad bowl.

Lemon Confit Dressing

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 roasted red pepper, diced
1 preserved lemon, diced
~ 2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, chopped fine
1/2 head of roasted garlic cloves, mashed
1/2 tablespoon sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon coriander
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients together and whisk until well mixed. Set aside until ready to use.

Assembly

Add the dressing to the bowl full of roasted vegetables and pita bread and toss to combine. Top with thinly sliced lemon confit and parsley, to taste.

Une salade aux allures automnales ! Le citron confit se marie ici aux saveurs terreuses et aux arômes profondes de la betterave, de la carotte, et de l’ail rôtis. Ces derniers contribuent à rehausser et à équilibrer l’ensemble tout en permettant à chacun de jouer la vedette de ce parfait trio.  Cette année nous ajoutons ce plat à un menu traditionnel d’Action de Grâce végétalien. Nous l’avons également présenté avec un risotto au simili canard – un somptueux plat d’accompagnement et un repas exceptionnel.

Salade de betterave et carotte rôties 
Portions : 8
Temps de préparation : 15 minutes
Temps total : 1 heure

4 carottes moyennes, pelée et coupées grossièrement
4 betteraves rouges moyennes, parées et coupées tel les carottes
1 bulbe d’ail, les gousses séparées et pelées
1 c. à soupe d’huile d’olive extra vierge, ou autre pour rôtir
1/4 c. à thé de sel
poivre fraîchement moulu, au goût
1 grand pain pita, grillé et coupé et petit morceau (utilisé un pain pita sans gluten, si voulu)
citron confit, pour garnir la salade
persil plat, pour garnir la salade

Préchauffé le four à 400°F. Combiner tous les ingrédient et bien envelopper dans un papier d’aluminium. Placer sur une plaque de cuisson et rôtir pendant 40 minutes, jusqu’à ce que les légumes soient tendres et carottes et ail soient dorés. Retirer du four et laisser refroidir avant de manipuler. Ajouter les carottes à un bol de service. Peler à la main les betteraves et ajouter au bol avec le pain pita. Mettre de côté la moitié de l’ail (pour la vinaigrette) et ajouter l’autre moitié au bol.

Vinaigrette au citron confit

1/3 tasse d’huile d’olive extra vierge
1/4 tasse jus de citron fraîchement pressé
1 poivron rouge rôti, coupé en dés
1 citron confit, coupé en dés
~ 2 c. à soupe de persil plat, haché finement
1/2 bulbe de gousses d’ail rôties, en purée
1/2 c. à table de paprika doux
1/2 c. à thé de cumin
1/2 c. à thé de coriandre
poivre fraîchement moulu, au goût

Dans un petit bol, mélanger tous les ingrédients à l’aide d’un fouet. Mettre de côté.

Assemblage

Ajouter la vinaigrette au bol contenant les légumes et le pain pita et remuer pour mélanger. Garnir de fines tranches de citron confit et de persil, au goût.

Look at that pizza; it covers almost everything good there is in life. You want to make this, trust me. I don’t feel like I need to say anything more – you already know you should be eating this right now. If you’re nervous about cooking eggplant, let me direct you here (x) for my best tips on choosing and cooking delicious eggplant. Eggplant is thirsty, generously drizzle with olive oil until it doesn’t look dry anymore for the best results.

Ratatouille Pizza
Makes 4 small pizzas
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 60 minutes

4 pitas, use gluten-free if needed
1 bulb garlic, roasted
~3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 Italian eggplant, sliced thin into half moons
1 small green zucchini, sliced into thin rounds
1 small yellow zucchini, sliced into thin rounds
1 small red onion, sliced thin into half moons
6 Roma tomatoes, halved 
Generous pinch dried thyme
1 small red onion, sliced thin into half moons
1/2 small red pepper, sliced thin
1/2 small orange pepper, sliced thin
1/2 small green pepper, sliced thin
1/4 cup tomato sauce, your favourite
1 tablespoon flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
Handful of fresh basil
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 F (205 C). Cut the top end of the garlic bulb off. Place in a small roasting dish, drizzle with oil and season with salt. Slice and salt the eggplant, zucchini and onion. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and drizzle with olive oil. Arrange eggplant, zucchini and halved Roma tomatoes (seed side up) in a single layer. Season with salt, pepper, thyme and drizzle with olive oil (paying special attention to the eggplant). Roast for about 30 minutes, until the vegetables have softened and just started to brown. Remove from oven and let cool enough for you to handle them. Cut the roasted Roma tomatoes in half. Reduce heat in oven to 350 F. Heat tomato sauce in a small sauce pan and add the roasted garlic, mashing that into the sauce. Spread sauce evenly over the 4 pita crusts.  Arrange roasted vegetables, red onion and peppers in a single, slightly overlapping layer over pizza crusts, paying as much or as little attention as you like to order. Place prepared pitas on a baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the crusts are crispy and the vegetables are soft. Chiffonade the basil and sprinkle it and the parsley on top of the pizza before serving. Eat at any temperature.

Dried lentils cook quickly, so I don’t recommend buying the much more expensive canned lentils. High in fibre, iron and protein, they fill you up and keep you strong! They also have such a unique savoury flavour – it doesn’t take all that much to make them delicious!

Valeria’s Lentil Soup
Makes 8 servings
Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes

2 cups green or brown lentils, rinsed
1 small onion, any colour, peeled and diced
1 bunch green onions, white and green parts, sliced thin
Large handful of cilantro, finely chopped
1 sweet bell pepper, any colour, diced
1 large tomato, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon mustard, brown or yellow
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce (tamari, if you’re looking for gluten-free)
1/2 tablespoon dried thyme
1 large potato, diced (substitute 1 green plantain, diced)
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
1 to 2 litres water
Salt and pepper, to taste

Rinse lentils and place in a large pot with enough water to cover. In a skillet, over medium high heat, combine the red onion, green onion, cilantro, bell pepper, tomato and garlic. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and sautee until they begin to sweat, add the mustard, soy sauce and thyme and stir to combine. Cook until all the vegetables are soft and the contents are sauce like. Add the sauce, potatoes and carrots to the pot with the lentils. Turn the heat to medium high, bring to boil and then lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, adding more water as needed, until the lentils, potatoes and carrots are tender. Taste for seasoning and adjust to your liking. Serve hot, with rice or alone.

Grapefruit and Pink Peppercorn Cookies
Makes 36
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 60 minutes, mostly chilling time

1/2 cup non-dairy margarine, softened
1 cup icing sugar, plus more for rolling
1/4 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
1 tablespoon grapefruit juice
1/2 tablespoon grapefruit zest
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon crushed pink peppercorns, plus more for topping
Pinch of salt
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour (Gluten-Free one; use brown rice flour for the rice portion)
Grapefruit glaze, recipe below

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the non-dairy margarine, icing sugar and the non-dairy milk. This will not all mix together, but don’t worry it will in the end. Add the grapefruit juice, grapefruit zest, vanilla, pink peppercorns and salt and mix again. Finally, add the flour and mix until it comes together (it will be very wet and sticky). Wrap in plastic film, form into a disc and refrigerate for 30 minutes (or overnight). When ready to cook, preheat oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Generously dust a surface with icing sugar and roll out cookie dough, generously sprinkling with more icing sugar as needed, until it is not tacky and it is easy to work with. Roll out to 1/4 inch thick, cut into desired shapes and lay flat on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes, until the sides have just started to brown. Remove from oven, let sit on baking sheet for an additional 3 or 4 minutes, before transferring to a baking rack to cool before glazing.

Grapefruit Glaze
Makes 1/2 cup
Adapted from here

1 1/2 cups icing sugar
1 teaspoon grapefruit zest
1 tablespoon grapefruit juice

Whisk or blend all ingredients together until it forms a smooth liquid.

Assembly

Place baking racks over baking sheets, lay cookies out in a single layer, pour the glaze over top. Sprinkle evenly with crushed pink peppercorns and wait for them to set.

The magic texture is a fascinating chemical reaction between the acidic cocoa powder, baking soda, the hot coffee and vinegar. As though a little volcano was making perfect bubbles in this fantastic cake. Please take note that the cake is not dense enough be used in any context other than cupcakes, so don’t try a layer cake! It’ll collapse on itself. Trust me, I’ve done it more than once. Perfect chocolate layer cake will have to wait for another day.

The Best Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
Makes 36
Adapted from this recipe

2 cups all purpose flour (gluten-free one; use brown as the rice flour component)
2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup hot espresso, or hot brewed coffee
1 cup canola oil, or other neutral oil such as sunflower
3/4 cup non-dairy milk
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon egg replacer + 1/2 cup water, mixed well
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 F. Prepare a muffin tin with liners. In a large bowl, thoroughly whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until very well combined. The batter will be relatively thin, but it should look dark and make ripples when you lift the spoon out of the batter. Fill each liner with about 2/3 full. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the cake bounces back at your light touch. Cool on baking racks for a few minutes, before carefully turning over and cooling completely.

Maple Buttercream

3/4 cup non-dairy margarine, softened
2 to 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 to 5 cups icing sugar
1 to 2 teaspoons non-dairy milk, if needed

Using a hand, or stand, mixer, beat the non-dairy margarine on medium speed, for several minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of maple syrup and 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, beat to combine. Add the vanilla and 1/2 cup more powdered sugar and beat again to combine. Slowly add the remaining powdered sugar, tasting as you go along until it is where you like it. Add an additional tablespoon of maple syrup and the non-dairy milk, if needed. Pipe onto completely cooled cupcakes in desired shape.

I’ve come up with an easy to make oil that adds those can’t-quite-put-your-finger-on-it background notes that a strong oil like sesame provides to simple stir fries and dumplings and it only takes about five minutes to prepare! Throw a lid on this, toss it in the cupboard as use as you see fit: such as in stir fries, salad dressings, sauces and soups!

Stir Fry Oil
Makes 1 cup
Prep Time: 1 minute
Total Time: 5 minutes

1 cup sunflower oil, or other neutral oil
4 star anise pods
1 inch fresh ginger, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced thin

Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan and gently heat for about 5 minutes, until fragrant. Remove from heat and store in an airtight container away from light.

I love tacos with a fiery passion. I love coming up with new vegan taco fillings. I love pineapple on tacos. I love homemade salsas, and usually make this mango-pineapple salsa whenever there’s a corn tortilla in sight. There are still local strawberries kicking about, so I decided to mix it up. Strawberries standing in made perfect sense to me – they’re sweet and a little tart just like pineapple. This particular salsa had a very rounded flavour, which was perfect for corn chips and on top of the jackfruit carnitas I made for a friend’s birthday. You can adjust the heat to be wherever you’d like it; we went mild for a friend who’s still learning to love the chili pepper.

Strawberry Salsa
Serves 4
Total time: 5 minutes

1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and chopped fine
1/2 ripe mango, peeled and diced (optional)
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1/2 small red onion, peeled and minced
1 jalapeno pepper, top removed, diced (Use more or less; discard the seeds if you’re concerned about heat)
Large handful fresh cilantro, chopped fine
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or the juice of one lime
Pinch of salt

Place all ingredients and a small mixing bowl and toss to combine. Before serving, taste for seasoning and adjust. Serve chilled or at room temperature.