RAW VEGAN CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES with VANILLA CREAM FILLING

I saw this picture of some Hostess cupcakes on Tumblr awhile ago and figured I'd better make a raw and vegan version because... why not. Although I never ate the infamous baked treats before I became vegan, their imagery still managed to infiltrate my eyesight; good marketing does that. If you're not familiar with what I am talking about, Hostess cupcakes are just chocolate cupcakes filled with a vanilla cream, and topped off with chocolate frosting and an endearing little swirl of the vanilla cream.

Sadly, they're full of all the crappiest-quality ingredients you could possibly put together. Seriously - no one is living longer or fighting cancer by eating these guys. Fortunately, apart from their appearance, this recipe is the exact opposite, plus it probably tastes better (I'm a little biased though). The ingredients include dates, oats, cashews, coconut oil and cacao powder. Google any of those and you will see that they are all excellent for you. Hehehe. Sometimes it feels like the world is almost too good to us.

Here's a run down of the recipe: the cupcake part is made up of oats, date and cacao powder; the vanilla cream filling is mostly cashews and coconut oil; and the chocolate frosting is cacao powder, almond butter and whatever sweetener you like. My frosting skills are lacking, as you can tell by the pathetic swirls I failed at creating. I had to use a hoisin sauce bottle, okay? No fancy piping bags in THIS kitchen, we do it thrifty-style. Of course, it doesn't actually matter what your swirls look like, since they're all gonna taste equally delicious and wholesome.

When I made these they were very sweet and rich (almost too much so, and for me that is saying a LOT) so in the recipe I typed up here, I lessened the amounts of sweeteners. But as always: you can - and should - adjust the recipe to suit your tastes/available ingredients/whatever. Note: you will have leftover vanilla cashew cream... I assume this will not be a problem.

CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES WITH VANILLA CREAM FILLING

Cupcakes:
1 cup oats
1 cup dates
2 tablespoons cacao powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Vanilla cream filling:
1 cup cashews 
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup water
1-2 tablespoons coconut nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Chocolate frosting:
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
1 tablespoon cacao powder
1 tablespoon coconut nectar (or other sweetener)

To make the cupcakes: pulse the oats in a food processor until they become flour-like. Add the rest of the ingredients and process until it all sticks together. Press into lined cupcake tins and indent a thumbprint in the middle of each one for the vanilla cream. Put in the fridge.

To make the vanilla cream: blend all the ingredients together until smooth. Scoop a spoonful into each of the indents you made in the cupcakes. You'll have lots left over. Put the cupcakes back in the fridge.

To make the chocolate frosting: mix together all the ingredients until smooth. Let it re-solidify just enough so that you have a frosting consistency. Frost the top of the cupcakes and then using a piping bag, decorate the tops of your cupcakes with the vanilla cream. Eat right away or within 1-2 weeks.

raw vegan hair care

you love the raw vegan lifestyle (or not...) but what is one to do with their hair while staying stay raw vegan!? all the shampoos out there are full of chemicals, unsustainable ingredients and tested on animals, right?

nope.

there's a PLETHORA of righteous, sustainable, animal-friendly, health-delivering products from awesome vegan hair and body care companies out there. their stuff usually isn't even that pricey (especially when you consider what you're supporting). some examples of such companies are lush, kiss my face, jason, dessert essence organics, avalon organics, nature's gate, BWC (beauty without cruelty), devita, 100% pure, sevi, and countless others. check them ALL out here for yourself.

one more company i want to mention is morrocco method. recently they contacted me and asked if i would like to review their products (DUH I WOULD!) they specialize in hair care. all their ingredients are raw, organic, gluten-free, wholesome and vegan. seriously, the ingredient list is so simple and straightforward.

they sent me chi essence shampoo and pearl essence creme rinse. i'm being totally honest when i say i LOVE THEM. i wouldn't lie to you guys.

i've been making my own shampoo and conditioner for years now because i couldn't find any on the market that (a) had acceptable ingredients, (b) that i couldn't just make better myself, and (c) that gave better results than my hand-made stuff. but i think i've finally found something special. it's basically like i DID make these myself, except they work better (and smell better...) they're also quite affordable considering you're buying wild-crafted, raw, vegan, organic, natural, cruelty-free, gluten-free products that support sustainability.

my hair was shining, stronger and smooth within a few days. i got more impressive results with these than my own hand-made shampoo and conditioner.

i highly recommend morrocco method for anyone with hair... 

that's probably you. 

now wash your gorgeous locks and listen to this wonderful album:

holy three cheese pizza

my girl friend and i decided it should be illegal, or it's distribution at least regulated; for this pizza is dangerous.

these pictures aren't that great. sorry. we were not concerned with photography at this point - only devouring this work of cruelty- and dairy-free art. i could seriously have eaten the entire pizza, but we were civil and split it halfway.

the recipe is gonna be a little tricky to recreate because i used a bunch of leftovers, but if i give you a general outline you should be able to do it. trust in yourself. all it takes is some vegan cheese, veggies and love...

then again, doesn't everything? 

if you use a gluten free crust and only daiya cheese - this is soy-free, gluten-free and obviously dairy-free. hurray! if you wanna leave out the cheese and keep it totally whole foods, it'll still be delicious.

three cheese pizza with grilled veggies, black rice, and sweet & sour mustard sauce: 

pizza crust:
buy one pre-made (easy to be gluten free) OR use this gluten free recipe, OR:
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 to 1 cup warm water
1 packet yeast
2 teaspoons sea salt & pepper
dried herbs of your choosing (i like basil, oregano, rosemary and thyme)

sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil (or use pine nuts and water)
1 tablespoon tamari
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
2 tablespoons mustard
a few drops of liquid smoke
handful fresh basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
2-5 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes
1 1/2 tablespoons honey/agave 
water as needed

toppings:
2 grilled bell peppers
grilled eggplant slices
1 cup cooked black rice mix (like we used leftovers from a stir-fry)
handful basil leaves
1/3 cup shredded soya cheddar cheese (or use shredded daiya cheddar cheese)
1/3 daiya mozzarella shredded cheese
pepper and/or fave dried herb mixes
fave hot sauce
parma cheese!

make the crust: combine the yeast and warm water in a warm mixing bowl. sprinkle on a tinsy bit of sugar to feed the yeast. let it rise for about 10 minutes. add the other ingredients and kneed the dough or mix in your mixer (we have a kitchen-aid) until it's soft and elastic; 8-10 minutes. let it rise for an hour or until it doubles in size. then roll it out into a pizza crust! partially bake it for 8-10 minutes at 425 degrees.

to make the sauce: blend all ingredients until smooth. duh. if it's too thick, add more water. spread onto your par-baked pizza crust. theeeeennn... load on the toppings, with the cheese last, sealing in all the goodness. leave the pepper, hot sauce and parma off until it's out of the oven. bake for 8 minutes at 425 or until it looks done. slice it up and ENJOY the heck out of it.

health on a budget summit

You guys, I have been asked to be an affiliate for the Health On A Budget Summit, which is a 5 day event hosted by Raw Foods On A Budget. Check it out here.

 Pretty cool, huh? The following gives you a good idea about what this Summit is about.
And DON'T WORRY - IT'S FREE! And online.

Let’s be honest, the topic of being healthy on a budget has been brushed aside for WAY TOO LONG! And in the current economy, we need these answers more than ever! The people over at the Health on a Budget Summit have made it their mission to find experts in affordable healthy living and they have brought them to you! For FREE!

The Health on a Budget Summit is a FREE 5-Day online conference that will be aired LIVE from May 19th to 23rd! During the Summit, you will be able to listen to over 30 talks and interviews with experts discussing topics like:

Eating Raw Foods on a Budget
Eating Vegan on a Budget
Eating Vegetarian on a Budget
Eating Organic on a Budget
Eating Gluten-Free on a Budget
Feeding Your Family on a Budget
Foraging Basics and Foraging in Urban Areas
Eating Healthy on Food Stamps
Eating Healthy in College
Raw Food for Busy People
Getting Fit on a Budget
Budgeting 101
Raising Financially Responsible Children
Creating a Budget that You Love
Live More on Less
Gardening on a Budget
Getting Healthcare on a Budget
Natural Beauty on a Budget

The Summit will feature a Cooking section that will showcase affordable raw, vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free recipes; a Fitness section featuring exercise videos exclusively created for the Summit; a Summit cookbook with 100+ vegan, raw, vegetarian, and gluten-free recipes; Gardening and Budgeting 101 guides; and a HUGE Community Forum!

Take advantage of these AMAZING registration options that are GUARANTEED to fit your budget!

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Register HERE.