Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

One of my favourite quick snacks to whip up is still hummus.  It is tasty, easy, and good for you too!  It is also super versatile. You can serve it with nacho chips, crackers, vegetables, as a spread on pizzas, and who knows what else!


I had a jar of roasted red peppers in my refrigerator so I decided to throw some into my hummus and it turned out delicious!  Feel free to play with the recipe, you can add all sorts of spices and other vegetables to change up the taste.

Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes

These are the delicious vegan carrot cake cupcakes that I had also made for the baby shower for my friend.  I never used to even like carrot cake, now I love a chance to make it!  The warm spices are perfect for a winter dessert.

I find that I usually have trouble making mini carrot cake cupcakes, maybe it is because there is so much ‘stuff’ for the batter to hold together in the tiny cup? So to try and avoid that this time, I chopped up my raisins so that they were more manageable are and I shredded the carrots extra small.

These small changes seemed to do the trick! After the cupcakes had cooled they came out of the cupcake wrappers much better than previous attempts. Whew! 

Since I couldn’t get my hands on any vegan cream cheese I made a vegan buttercream frosting and added a bit of butter flavoring to complement the carrot cake.  I think the flavor combo came out quite  nice.

And the little ninja still hasn’t made an appearance! I’m getting impatient :)

The original recipe is from Vegan Cupcakes take over the World.  I modified it a bit to work with the requests for the shower and what I had available in the house.  This makes 12 regular, or 3 dozen mini cupcakes.


Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes

• 2/3 cup flour
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup soy milk 
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup grated carrots
• 1/2 cup chopped raisins

1. Preheat the oven to 350 and line you muffin pans with paper liners. Lightly spray the liners with baking or cooking spray
2. In a large bowl, mix together the soy milk and apple cider vinegar and let sit for a few minutes to curdle and thicken up
3. Add the sugar, vegetable oil, and vanilla, and mix well
4. In a second bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and all spices
5. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet
6. Add the carrots and raisins and mix until well distributed
7. Fill the prepared liners and bake for 26 - 28 minutes (regular cupcakes), or 12 - 15 minutes for mini cupcakes
8. Let cool before frosting
9. Enjoy!

Sun-dried Tomato Hummus

While I am excited to post the Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing, I figured that some people might need a bit of a break from this pumpkin madness.


I absolutely love hummus. It is so easy to whip up, perfect for a snack or to bring as an appetizer, and it is incredibly versatile when it comes to what flavours you can add to it.  I have made the Chipotle Hummus a few times now so I wanted to try some other variations. Sun-dried tomatoes are a wonderful way to add some variety to your hummus!


I based this recipe off of this one that I found at allrecipes.com. That site has not disappointed me yet!

Sun-dried Tomato Hummus

• 1 large clove of garlic, chopped
• 1 can (15 oz) garbanzo beans (aka chickpeas) drained
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1 jar sun-dried tomatoes (210 mL jar, drained)
• 1/4 tsp dried basil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 - 3 tbsp olive oil

1. In your food processor add the garlic, chickpeas, tahini, and lemon juice
2. Pulse the mixture until it is fairly smooth
3. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and the dried basil and pulse until the tomatoes are coarsely chopped
4. Season to taste with salt and pepper
5. Add olive oil until your desired consistency is reached (I usually add about 1 - 2 tbsps)
6. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve
7. Enjoy!

My favourite hummus (right now) and an exciting trip!

Today is a very exciting day! Around lunch-time I board the first of 3 planes that will take me to sunny San Diego for the BlogHer '11 conference!  This is my very first blogging conference and I cannot even describe how excited I am.

Follow me on Twitter! @naked_cup_cakes 

I am bunking with the awesome Amy of Do You Know the Muffin Pan? who was kind enough to offer to let me stay at her place. :)  How lucky is she to live in San Diego?  We are going to tear BlogHer '11 up!


I can't decide what I am the most excited about: meeting in person the wonderful people that I have met online, the huge array of sessions, the parties at night, the expo, etc etc. I think this whole weekend will be an amazing experience.

I cannot wait to share my experiences with you, hopefully as the weekend progresses. If I don't find that I have a lot of time to jump on the computer, please feel free to follow me on Instagram where I will be posting photos (you can find me: @nakedcupcakes or Hailey Elliot). I have no idea if I will have any free time over the course of the conference :)

I think some people might be blogging during the sessions, but I am more of a pen and paper kind of girl, so I might not be lugging around the ol' laptop.


Here is my favourite hummus recipe that I have been chowing down on this week! It comes together super fast, and is a great healthy snack (or supper while you are packing!).

Chipotle Hummus

• 1 can (19 oz) chickpeas, drained and liquid reserved
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 tbsp tahini
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• scant 1/2 tsp salt
• pepper, to taste
• 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 - 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1. Place all of the ingredients (except the reserved liquid from the chickpeas) in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth
2. Add the reserved liquid until the desired consistency is reached
3. Serve with crackers, pita chips, vegetables, etc.
4. Enjoy!

I was fortunate enough to receive this Blog on Fire Award from Kelly at Eat Yourself Skinny!  I feel so lucky to be counted amongst the other amazing blogs that she passed this award onto.  Now it is up to me to pass it along to 10 amazing blogs that have made an impression on me.  

1) Amy - Do You Know the Muffin Pan?

2) Rachel - The Avid Appetite

3) Sukaina - Sips and Spoonfuls

4) Erica Lea - Cooking for Seven

5) Kay - The Church Cook

6) Gina - Skinnytaste

7) Jamie - My Baking Addiction

8) Lindsey - Hot Polka Dot

9) Katrina - In Katrina's Kitchen

10) Darla - Bakingdom

For those of you listed above, now it's your turn!  Pass this Blog on Fire Award to the 10 blogs that have influenced you!

Black Forest Cupcakes (Vegan too!)

Last week one of my girlfriends requested that I bring over a Black Forest Cake to a BBQ she was having. I have made a black forest cake in the past that was really delicious, but I had to come up with a whole new recipe for this one since my friend is vegan.


I originally wanted to make a full-out black forest cake, but I had a bit of a mishap trying to extract the cake from the cake pan.

oops. I have never encountered a situation this bad before! Maybe the fact that it was vegan requires different techniques to keep the cake from gluing itself to the pan? I'll be looking into it. Luckily, I was able to make something delicious out of this disaster of a cake as well! I'll post how to save a broken cake soon :)


Since it appeared that a regular black forest cake was out of the question, I decided to whip up some Black Forest Cupcakes. I have been wanted to make some for a while because I thought they would turn out really cute, and they did!

I used the chocolate cupcake recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World.  I have used the vegan chocolate cupcake recipe from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes in the past, but I prefer this particular recipe. It has more of a classic chocolate cake taste and texture.

I then cut out a portion of each cupcake with a paring knife, and filled it up with cherry pie filling.

The cupcakes were then topped with a light fluffy whipped topping. Since regular whipped cream was out of the question, I used Nutriwhip which is completely vegan friendly!


I really love how these came out.  Some of our friends had no idea they were vegan until we told them, and my girlfriend said it took care of her black forest cupcake pregnancy craving perfectly. whew!

You can definitely make these with your favourite chocolate cupcake recipe, and use regular sweetened whipped cream to top them.


This recipe makes 12 black forest cupcakes.


Black Forest Cupcakes (Vegan)

• 1 cup soy milk
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 can cherry pie filling
• 1/2 - 1 cup Nutriwhip

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and line your muffin pan with paper liners
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy milk and the apple cider vinegar and set aside
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt
4. In a second large bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, and vanilla
5. Add the soy milk to the wet ingredients and beat until foamy
6. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and mix until smooth (or until only tiny lumps remain)
7. Divide the batter between the 12 cupcake liners, and bake for 18 - 20 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into a cupcake)
8. Let cool completely before topping
9. When cool, cut out a cone from the top of each cupcake with a paring knife
10. Spoon a generous amount of the cherry pie filling on top of each cupcake
11. Whip the Nutriwhip until fluffy, and top each cupcake
12. Enjoy!

Potato Leek Soup

After so many sweets this week, I think it's time for something on the savoury side! 

This is a really simple and delicious soup that you can easily serve as a main course, or makes an amazing starter soup as well. 

A bonus is that this is a thick and creamy soup, without the cream! If you are making this ahead of time, you will probably want to add more chicken broth when you re-heat the soup, I found mine got quite thick as it chilled in the refrigerator.

This recipe is from allrecipes.com, give it a try! This makes about 4 bowls of soup.


Potato Leek Soup

• 2.5 pounds white or russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
• I left the peel on my potatoes, personal preference :)
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 leek, bulb only
• 1/4 cup butter (I used vegan butter, but any kind will work)
• 1/4 cup white wine
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Boil the potatoes in the chicken broth until soft, and then set aside
2. When potatoes are soft, puree them in a food processor until smooth 
1. You may need to do this in batches. If the potatoes are too thick, add a bit of the chicken broth to thin them out and make them easier to puree. Add the puree back to the chicken stock
3. While the potatoes are boiling, half the leek lengthwise and and soak in cold water to clean
4. Slice the leek halves in very fine slices, and then saute in the butter in a saucepan until transparent
5. Add the white wine to the leeks, and then let simmer for about 3 minutes
6. Add the sauteed leeks to the pot containing the pureed potatoes and chicken broth
7. Stir the soup over medium heat, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper
8. If you want a thinner soup, you can add more chicken broth until it is how you like it
9. Serve as is, or you can top it with chives, cheese, bacon, etc!
10. Enjoy!

Chipotle Corn Salsa

Even after two weeks in Mexico, I still hadn't had my fill of Mexican-inspired food. I found this Corn Salsa recipe on skinnytaste.com, and it looked delicious!


This was incredibly quick and easy to make.  This would be an amazing side dish at a summer BBQ, wrapped up with meat in a burrito, layered in a taco bowl, served as an appetizer with nacho chips, or as a layer in one of those Mexican layer dips!

If you need a quick and easy side dish, I definitely recommend that you whip this up!  If you would like more spice, you can add more chipotle chilli powder or leave the seeds in the jalapenos.


Chipotle Corn Salsa

• 4 cups cooked corn (I used peaches & cream corn kernels)
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 medium red onion, diced
• 2 green onions, diced
• 1 - 2 jalapenos (seeds and membranes removed), diced
• juice of 1 lime
• chipotle chili powder, to taste (I used about 3/4 tsp)
• salt and pepper

1. If the corn is frozen, cook as per package directions and drain
2. Combine all ingredients together in a large bowl
3. Cover, and place in the fridge for at least one hour before serving (to let the flavours meld)
4. Enjoy any way you like!

Coconut Lime Cupcakes w/ Lime Buttercream

This past New Year's Eve we had some friends over to celebrate with us.  For dessert I made these Coconut Lime Cupcakes (from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World).  These were fun to make, and the batter was dangerously delicious!


These are extremely coconut-y, so they are perfect for those coconut lovers out there.  I enjoy coconut, but it isn't my first choice when it comes to deserts, and I enjoyed these a lot! An additional bonus? These are another fabulous vegan cupcake!

These would be perfect for a Hawaiian Luau or Mexican themed party! This recipe makes 12 cupcakes.


Coconut Lime Cupcakes

• 1/3 cup coconut oil
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1/4 cup soy milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp coconut extract
• 1 tbsp lime zest
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup coconut (unsweetened)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and line the muffin tin with paper liners
2. Place the coconut oil in a small microwave safe bowl and microwave until completely melted, set aside
3. In a second bowl mix together the melted coconut oil, sugar, coconut milk, soy milk, vanilla, coconut extract, and lime zest. 
4. In a third bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and milk until smooth
6. Add the coconut, and mix until well distributed
7. Fill cupcake liners and bake for 20 - 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into a cupcake
8. Let cool completely before icing
1. Note, these are delicious naked!

Lime Buttercream

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup margarine
• 3 1/2 cups icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice (or the juice from 1 to 2 limes)
• 1 tsp lime zest

1. Cream together the shortening and margarine until smooth 
2. Add the icing sugar about 1 cup at a time, beating well between each addition
3. After all of the icing sugar is incorporated add the vanilla, lime juice, and lime zest
4. Beat the icing for another few minutes until fluffy

To assemble the Coconut Lime Cupcakes

• 12 coconut lime cupcakes
• lime buttercream icing
• 1 cup flaked coconut (unsweetened)

1. Pour the flaked coconut into a shallow dish
2. When cupcakes are completely cooled, spread the lime buttercream on top of the cupcakes
3. Roll the tops of each cupcake in the coconut, completely covering the icing
4. Enjoy!

Chocolate Mint Cupcakes (Vegan)

Here is another fantastic recipe from my Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World cookbook.  If you are in the market for a great cupcake cookbook, I definitely recommend this one, even if you are not vegan (which I am not).  These recipes are absolutely delicious!
 
These cupcakes also have a really fun look about them, and taste amazing.

These cupcakes are a little bit different from the Chocolate Mint Cupcakes that I have made previously.  Both are great, but these have the advantage of being Vegan, so you can serve them to a large crowd and avoid most allergies.


The icing and ganache are an amazing addition to these cupcakes, I would definitely recommend topping the other chocolate mint cupcakes like this as well, so tasty! This recipe makes 12 cupcakes.

Chocolate Mint Cupcakes (Vegan)

• For the cupcakes:
• 1 cup soy milk
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp mint extract
• 1 cup flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Mint Icing
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 3 cups icing sugar
• 1/4 cup soy milk
• 1 1/2 tsp mint extract
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• green food coloring
• Chocolate Ganache
• 3 tbsp soy milk
• 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 12 candies to top cupcakes (optional)

1. To make the cupcakes:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and line your muffin pan with cupcake liners
2. Mix together the soy milk and apple cider vinegar then set aside so it can curdle (about 5 minutes)
3. After soy milk has curdled, add the sugar, oil, vanilla, and mint extracts. Beat until foamy
4. In a second bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and mix until smooth
6. Bake for 18 - 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of a cupcake
7. Let cupcakes cool completely before icing
2. To make the mint icing:
1. As the cupcakes are cooling, you can prepare your mint icing and chocolate ganache
2. Mix the shortening in a bowl in order to soften it
3. Add 1 cup of the icing sugar, followed by a tablespoon of soy milk and mix until completely smooth
4. Repeat with the remaining icing sugar and soy milk, until all has been added
5. Add the vanilla and the mint extract, and beat until smooth
3. To make the chocolate ganache:
1. Place the 3 tablespoons of soy milk in a bowl, and microwave until very warm
2. Mix the chocolate chips into the warm milk, and stir until completely melted
4. To assemble the cupcakes:
1. Top each cupcake with the mint icing, and then let it set for a few minutes
2. Top the mint icing with a teaspoon of the chocolate ganache
3. (if using) place a candy on top of the chocolate ganache and let it set
5. Enjoy!

Avocado, Cucumber, and Black Bean Salad

Last week we had a couple of wonderfully warm days that put us back into BBQ/summer cooking mode for a little while.  I was looking for something fresh and tasty to serve with our BBQ's steaks, and came across this recipe on skinnytaste.com.


This salad was wonderfully easy to make, and was so fresh and delicious.  If you want to bring a bit of summer back into your home, try this out soon!


The recipe originally calls for cilantro to be added, but personally I cannot stand the stuff.  If you enjoy cilantro, feel free to chop some up and throw it in!


Avocado, Cucumber, and Black Bean Salad

• 2 ripe avocados, sliced, pitted, and diced
• 2 small or medium tomatoes, diced
• 1 large cucumber, cut into large pieces
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed very well
• 1/4 red onion, diced into small pieces
• 2 limes, juiced
• salt and pepper, to taste

1. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl, and mix well
2. Store in the refrigerator until those steaks are ready!

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Chocolate Chips

The leaves are falling off the trees, the mornings are a bit chilly, and our evenings are much too short.  Fall has definitely hit us full force!


These cupcakes are perfect for this weather, they have a wonderful Fall flavor, and are perfect for breakfast or dessert.


I bought a few cans of pureed pumpkin the other day, so I am trying out some new recipes with it.  These turned out amazing; I love the texture of these cupcakes.  I am about to try a new pumpkin muffin recipe, and then a different pumpkin cupcake recipe, so I will let you know how those turn out!


This recipe is from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, and they are so delicious!  Next time I make these, I will definitely be doubling the recipe, 12 cupcakes was not enough!  While the recipe is vegan, my cupcakes were not.  I used a mixture of milk chocolate chips, and semi-sweet chocolate chips, so good!

These are originally topped with a sweet cinnamon icing.  This icing is fantastic as it does not overpower the cupcakes at all.  Next time I make these, I am going to try them with a cream cheese icing, or cinnamon cream cheese icing!


Pumpkin Cupcakes with Chocolate Chips

• 2 cup pureed pumpkin
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup soy milk
• 1 tsp vanilla 
• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F, and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners
2. In a large bowl, mix together the pumpkin, vegetable oil, sugar, soy milk, and vanilla
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt
4. Slowly stir the dry ingredients into the wet with a fork, and mix well
5. Add the chocolate chips, and stir until well distributed
6. Fill your cupcake cups, and bake for 20 - 24 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into a cupcake

Cinnamon Icing

• 3/4 cup icing sugar (or more if you want a thicker glaze)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp melted butter or margarine
• 1 tbsp soy milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

1. Mix all 5 ingredients together in a small bowl until smooth with a fork or small whisk
2. If you would like a thicker glaze, continue to add icing sugar until it is just right
3. Drizzle over the cooled cupcakes
4. Enjoy!