MINI CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES WITH BUTTERCREAM FROSTING AND VALENTINE'S DAY SPRINKLES

For Valentine's Day I Made:

MINI CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES WITH BUTTERCREAM FROSTING AND VALENTINE'S DAY SPRINKLES.

Both cake and frosting recipes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World.

I made 50 and delivered them to my husband's work.

They were gone in less than an hour!!!

Guess they were a hit!!!

I really made 64, but I couldn't stop eating them.

Isa and Terry have perfected chocolate cupcakes and buttercream frosting.

The cupcakes have THE most intense chocolate flavor and they're so moist and

the frosting is rich without being too heavy.

MUSHROOM TERIYAKI PINEAPPLE BURGER

Last night I Made:

MUSHROOM TERIYAKI PINEAPPLE BURGER for Dinner.

Pinto bean patties,homemade teriyaki sauce,thinly sliced mushrooms, tomatoes,green leaf lettuce, caramelized onions,vegan american style cheese on a whole wheat bun.

You can find the recipes for the teriyaki sauce here and the patty recipe here.

Both my husband and I agreed that the burger was good but not great.

The teriyaki sauce curdled once it came to room temperature...not very appetizing.

I think I'll stick to my vegan BIG MAC instead.

COCONUT YOGURT

This morning I made CHEF JENNY'S COCONUT YOGURT.

It was super easy to make.

All you need is the flesh of 3 coconuts, 1/4 cup fresh coconut water, 1/2cup blueberries, agave to taste and a Vitamix.

Add coconut flesh to Vitamix and blend until smooth.

If needed add the 1/4cup coconut water to thin out.

Then add blueberries and agave to taste and blend until smooth.

Fast delicious and so nutritious!

My husband and I just learned how to open up fresh coconuts a few weeks ago from Chef Rod Rotondi owner chef of Leaf Organics in Culver City.

And now we open up our coconuts!

Select a good young coconut.

It should be heavy, full with water.

The husk should be white, not tan, beige or brown spots on the bottom.

Use a chef's knife top open.

Turn the coconut on it's side and begin husking the top of the coconut.

USE EXTEME CAUTION!!!

KEEP HANDS/FINGERS AWAY FROM KNIFE!!!

Completely husk the top of the coconuts to reveal the shell. remove all or most of the white husk left on top.

The coconut shell should have three veins that divide the top of the coconut into 3 sections like a pie chart.

Look for the biggest section and with the side of the chef's knife to make a slit by using s quick flicking motion.

Make sure it's at least 1 1/2inch to 2 inches long.

Husk Shavings

Press the tip of the chef's knife into the slit until it's about 1 inch long and the knife is securely in place.

Pull the lid off with the knife.

Use your hand to completely remove it.

Pour water into a container with a lid and refrigerate.

I got almost 6 cups of water from all 3 coconuts!!!

Next, remove the flesh using the top part of a spoon. Once the flesh is loosened, scoop it all out and place in a bowl.

Clean to remove all brown spots under running water.

I was dreading opening up the coconuts.

But, I feel like i'm an expert after opening up just 3 coconuts.

It was so easy, I'm still in shock.

If I can do it, you can too!

KIND KREME

BREAKING NEWS:

KindKreme just opened their doors yesterday in Pasadena!!!

Kind Kreme is a GOURMET,RAW,VEGAN,ORGANIC Icekreme shop.

All their flavors are made in-house in small batches using organic and local ingredients.

All Icekremes are either coconut, almond milk, or cashew based.

Flavors change depending on the season.

Some flavors DO contain honey, but they're clearly labeled.

They also serve smoothies, shakes, juices, hot drinks, and treats.

Their GRAND OPENING will be held SATURDAY, FEB. 5th.

This is their second location. The other location is in Studio City.

The Pasadena location's great because it's 1 block away from a 2-story Whole Foods!

I do want to give you guys a heads up, the parking lot is small and has mostly 20 minute parking.

PICS!

On to the Icekreme:

I ordered the soft-serve chocolate vanilla swirl in a cup, but later added a sugar cone for nostalgia's sake.

My husband ordered the coconut flavor.

Both were creamy with tons of flavor.

DELICIOUS!!!

The coconut icekreme even had large coconut flakes mixed in!!!

My only complaint are the prices.

We paid $14 for 2 medium servings!!!!

YIKES!!!

But we both think it's worth it and plan on going back soon.

We plan on getting the banana split next!!!

CHEF JENNY'S COCONUT MILK

I can't believe how easy it is to make COCONUT MILK!!!

All you need is:

8 Tablespoons Coconut Butter

4 cups of Water or Fresh Coconut Water

pinch of salt

Vitamix blender (optional, but works the best because of the horsepower)

Blend and sweeten to taste with agave or dates.

Pour into an airtight glass jar and refrigerate.

Will last up to 4 days.

Never again will I buy pre-made coconut milk!

CHEF JENNY'S KALE SALAD

KALE SALAD

1 head of dinosaur kale, washed, hard stem removed and julienned

1 fuji apple, washed,peeled and julienned

1/3cup chopped pecans

1 avocado (or more) diced

1 lemon

1 teaspoon coconut oil

Himalayan salt to taste

1 clove garlic minced (optional)

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and massage with gloved hands (I recommend latex gloves).

Taste and adjust seasonings.

RAW FOOD CLASS WITH CHEF JENNY ROSS

Last night my husband and I attended a Raw Foods Cooking class at the Pasadena Whole Foods

with Chef Jenny Ross from Costa Mesa's 118 Degrees Organic, Gourmet Plant Based Cuisine restaurant.

My husband is leaning more towards raw food, so I need to learn the simple more day-to-day raw food techniques.

We've eaten at 118 degrees twice and I loved it!!!

We've tried Juliano's restaurant in Santa Monica, Cru in SIlver Lake, Leaf in Culver City, and Cafe Gratitude in the Bay area.

But, I prefer 118 over all them.

Chef Jenny uses just the right amount of seasonings in her dishes, not too much garlic either.

The only problem is that it's so far from us, 45 minutes with no traffic.

Luckily, she sells some of her ready-to-eat items at a few local Whole Foods.

And she even has a book called The Art of Raw Living Food ,which we purchased from her last night.

Back to last night's class.

It was only $10 for and hour and a half of demonstration and tasting.

About 20 people attended the class.

Chef Jenny had all of us introduce ourselves.

There were a lot of vegans, vegan's dabbling with raw food, and people who just want to learn how to eat healthier.

Chef Jenny opened up a few coconuts (she made it look so easy!!!) and used the water and the flesh to make COCONUT MILK, COCONUT GREEN SMOOTHIE,COCONUT YOGURT, and a COCONUT KALE APPETIZER.

She also made a simple KALE APPLE SALAD.

Everything was delicious!!!

We bought 3 coconuts to open up ourselves to use in some of the recipes Chef Jenny shared with us.

I will be sharing a recipe a day starting later on today.

So check back later!