Monday, August 27, 2012

Meatless Monday And More

So after doing the dishes today I realized how much I hate cooking meat. I enjoy eating it, but damn, I hate cooking it. The grease, the smell of meat, the hardened fat. . . UGH! So I am going meatless at home not just on Mondays, which I normally do, but, with baby steps, one month at a time. So, with that being said, I needed to create some delicious meals at home. Off the the bookshelf. Hmm, oh look, I have the Skinny Bitch "Ultimate Everyday Cookbook by Kim Barnouin". After going through the recipes and my kitchen I found two that were definitely going on my wedding for the week. 

LUNCH: Curried Chickpea Cakes (which I served with a piece of fruit and POP chips)

DINNER: Lentil Tacos with Fresh Salsa (but instead of using tortillas, I used Boston lettuce to hold my fillings).
Check out the book for the recipes

But know we all know I have one of the biggest sweet tooth's ever so I had to bake some cupcakes. I just tool the traditional, basic vanilla recipe and created a cupcake around my favourite dessert: RAS MALAI.
Lulu's Ras Malai Cupcakes (Makes 12)
Ingredients For Cake
1 cup condensed milk (Fat Free)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1.75 cups wheat flour
2 tbsp cornstarch
0.5 tsp salt
1/3 cup canola oil
2 tsp vanilla
1 pinch of saffron
3/4 sugar
Ingredients For Frosting
2 sticks of butter
3.5 cups powdered cane sugar
1.5 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup soy milk
3 tbsp chopped pistachios and a few for decorations

First I mixed the condensed milk and vinegar. In a separate bowl I sifted the dry ingredients and then added the milk mixture to it. I then added the oil, sugar, vanilla, and saffron until I had a smooth, yet thick mixture. I then scooped the mixture in 12 cupcake cups and baked the cupcakes at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Allow the cupcakes to cool. For the frosting, beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Slowly add the remaining ingredients. Frost the cupcakes and then top with some pistachios. Mmm, so yummy. Maybe one day I will have my own bakery.