The cupcake base uses avocado for moistness and acts as a vehicle for the puckery key lime pie-inspired frosting. The trick to keeping the frosting vibrant green is vitamin C powder (available at your local health food store).
Cupcakes
1 1/2 cups (350 mL) gluten-free rolled oats
1/4 cup (60 mL) coconut flour
3 Tbsp (45 mL) ground flaxseed
1 tsp (5 mL) baking soda
1/4 tsp (1 mL) sea salt
1/4 cup (60 mL) packed, pitted Medjool dates
2 Tbsp (30 mL) avocado oil
1 tsp (5 mL) lime zest
1/4 cup (60 mL) mashed avocado
1/2 cup (125 mL) almond milk
1/4 cup (60 mL) water
1 tsp (5 mL) apple cider vinegar
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract
Frosting
1/2 cup (125 mL) raw cashews
1/2 cup (125 mL) boiling water
2/3 cup (160 mL) mashed avocado
1/2 cup (125 mL) coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup (60 mL) agave nectar
2 Tbsp (30 mL) lime juice
1 tsp (5 mL) lime zest
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract
1/2 tsp (2 mL) vitamin C (ascorbic acid) powder
To prepare cupcakes, preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). Line 12-cup muffin tin with muffin papers.
In food processor or blender, combine oats, coconut flour, ground flaxseed, baking soda, and sea salt. Blend until coarse flour is formed. Add pitted dates, avocado oil, and lime zest, and pulse until fully incorporated.
In medium bowl, combine avocado, almond milk, water, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla extract. Add to flour mixture and purée all ingredients until fully incorporated (the mixture will be very thick).
Divide batter evenly among the 12 muffin papers. Smooth out the top of the batter with the back of a small spoon. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean. Transfer to wire rack to cool.
For frosting, combine cashews and boiling water in blender or food processor. Purée until smooth. Allow mixture to cool for 5 minutes. Add avocado, coconut oil, agave nectar, lime juice, lime zest, vanilla extract, and vitamin C powder. Purée until smooth. Cover and chill for 2 hours in refrigerator before frosting cupcakes. Keep frosted cupcakes in refrigerator until ready to eat.
Serves 12.
Each serving contains: 251 calories; 4 g protein; 18 g total fat (9 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 21 g carbohydrates (6 g sugars, 3 g fibre); 164 mg sodium
source: "Avocado Sweets", alive #382, August 2014
Tourtière is, for me, the dish that best represents Québec. It can be traced back to the 1600s, and there’s no master recipe; every family has their own twist. Originally, it was made with game birds or game meat, like rabbit, pheasant, or moose; that’s one of the reasons why I prefer it with venison instead of beef or pork. Variation: If you prefer to make single servings, follow our lead at the restaurant, where we make individual tourtières in the form of a dome (pithivier) and fill them with 5 ounces (160 g) of the ground venison mixture. Variation: You can also use a food processor to make the dough. Place the flour, salt, and butter in the food processor and pulse about ten times, until the butter is incorporated—don’t overmix. It should look like wet sand, and a few little pieces of butter here and there is okay. With the motor running, through the feed tube, slowly add ice water until the dough forms a ball—again don’t overmix. Wrap, chill, and roll out as directed above.
My love of artichokes continues with this classic recipe, one of the best ways to eat this interesting, underrated, and strange vegetable. Frozen artichoke hearts are a time-saving substitute, though the flavour and texture of fresh artichokes are, by far, much superior and definitely preferred.
Cervelle de canut is basically the Boursin of France, an herbed fresh farmer’s cheese spread that’s a speciality of Lyon. The name is kind of weird, as it literally means “silk worker’s brain,” named after nineteenth-century Lyonnaise silk workers, who were called canuts. Sadly, the name reflects the low opinion of the people towards these workers. Happily for us, though, it’s delicious—creamy, fragrant, and fresh at the same time. Cervelle de canut is one of my family’s favourite dishes. It’s a great make-ahead appetizer that you can pop out of the fridge once your guests arrive. Use a full-fat cream cheese for the dish, or it will be too runny and less delicious.