Pumpkin Cheesecake Cupcakes

Once you take a bite of these heavenly cupcakes you’ll find a nice cheesecake surprise right in the center. I topped them off with my famous cream cheese frosting (my kids say it’s famous, anyway. haha) and it made these Pumpkin Cheesecake Cupcakes all the more dreamy. 

I ate one cupcake (but wanted five) and slowly savored every bite. Right after I was finished I grabbed a recipe card and wrote down the recipe exactly how I made it. Then I popped it right into my “famous recipes” box because this one is a keeper for sure. I know I’ll be making them again soon. 

Ingredients

CUPCAKES:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• ½ cup sugar
• ⅓ cup brown sugar, packed
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs

CHEESECAKE FILLING:

• 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

• 1 (8 ounce) block cream cheese, room temperature
• ½ cup butter, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners; set aside.
2. CHEESECAKE FILLING: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat cream cheese, sugar and pumpkin pie spice on medium speed until combined and creamy; set aside.
3. .............................................................................................................
4. ....................................................................................................................

full recipe : life-in-the-lofthouse.com

THE BEST VEGAN JAMAICAN PATTIES

You’re probably thinking right now: ‘So what makes you think your recipe is any good?’ I have references. Jamaican beef patty lovers who explained to me exactly how these babies are supposed to taste. Then once made, they tasted them and the reaction was unanimously positive.

That’s about it. This make for a crispy, flaky crust, and as long as you manage to keep your filling at just the right amount of moisture, you will get something like this.

Ingredients

Pastry:

• 4 Flax eggs
• 4 Cups of all-purpose flour
• 400 Grams of cold vegan butter or 1 cup and 3/4
• ¼ Cup of room temp water.
• 1 Tsp of turmeric
• 1 tsp salt

Filling

• 2 onions
• ¼ tsp celery seed in the pan with the onions to be warmed
• 2 tbsp oil
• ¼ tsp cumin
• ¼ tsp summer savory
• 1.5 tbsp Jamaican allspice
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 1.5 tbsp paprika
• 1 1/2 tsp of cayenne
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast optional
• 1.5 tbsp pepper used ½ Szechuan ¼ pink African peppercorns ¼ black pepper
• 2 tbsp rum or sherry dark alcohol
• 1 cup of red lentils
• 1 cup of quinoa
• 1/2 a 15 oz coconut cream can
• 1/2 tsp of turmeric.
• 1/4 tsp of liquid smoke.

Instructions

Pastry:

1. Add your turmeric, salt and flour into a bowl and mix.
2. Using your hands, cut your butter into the flour. You should end up with a very sandy texture.
3. Now add your flax egg and your water.
4. Bring your dough together and do not over work it.
5. Form a ball and wrap in film paper.
6. Let it chill in the fridge until the filling is ready.

Filling:

1. Start by cutting your onions and warming up your pan to medium-high
2. Add the celery seed and oil to your pan – make sure they do not burn !! You simply want them to release their flavour
3. .......................................................................................
4. ...............................................................................................
5. .....................................................................................................

full recipe : www.brokefoodies.com

Sturdy Whipped Cream Frosting

How cute are those swirls? Once I’ve piped the shaped onto the wax paper, I pop the cookie sheet into the freezer for about 15-20 minutes. Truth be told, I’ve left them in the freezer for a week and they still tasted great. If you do leave them in for more than 20 minutes, I would cover with cling film once they are stable, frozen and will hold their shape.

In the picture above, I’m using Russian piping tips. There are many reasons why these are my favorites- but the first reason is because they are big enough to hold up to the sturdiness of the stabilized whipped cream frosting. If you put on a piping tip that is too small, it just won’t squeeze through. These tips pipe the whip cream through like butter! I absolutely adore the ruffle like shapes they create too!

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 tsp gelatin knox brand, this is one pouch
• 3 TBSP cold water
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla feel free to sub other extracts.

Instructions

1. Before whipping your cream, place your beaters or mixer attachment, and your mixing bowl into a freezer for about 15 minutes to allow them to cool.
2. In a microwave safe bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water. Stir, and allow to "bloom". This takes about 5 minutes.
3. Microwave the gelatin mixture for 10 seconds. It will become a liquid versus the solid shape it had been (looks like ugly jello!). Stir to make sure everything is dissolved.
4. .............................................................................................................................
5. ......................................................................................................................................

full recipe : www.majhofftakesawife.com

Coconut Curry Noodle Soup- My Favorite Takeout Copycat! Vegan + Gluten-Free

It’s the perfect meal to make for nights when you want something easy and fresh that’s still filling and warming. I kept my broth really simple and used a combination of full-fat coconut milk, vegetable broth and red curry paste, which doesn’t take exactly like Sage’s original broth, but it’s super easy to make, plus it’s pretty darn delicious.

For the vegetables, I used carrots, broccoli, and baby bok choy because they’re in the original dish. You definitely don’t have to stick to these veggies though! I think mushrooms, zucchini, potatoes and eggplant would all be perfect in the soup. Feel free to get creative with what vegetables you add, and let me know what combinations you come up with that I should try!

Ingredients

• 4 portions of rice noodles of your choice
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 1(13.5 oz) can full-fat coconut milk
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons red curry paste
• 2 large carrots, sliced into thin rounds
• 2 bunches baby bok choy
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1 (14-oz) block extra firm tofu, cubed
• tamari, to taste
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Prepare the noodles according to instructions on package.
2. In a large pot, heat the coconut oil at medium-high. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and sauté until the onions are translucent (about 5-7 minutes).
3. .........................................................................................
4. ..............................................................................................

full recipe : thecolorfulkitchen.com

DAIRY-FREE CHOCOLATE CHIP SHORTBREAD

These buttery biscuits are melt-in-your-mouth heaven and the little bites of chocolate just take it to a new level of delicious-ness. So if you’re still craving a little bit of chocolate, but not too much after Easter, then give these a go.

INGREDIENTS

• 200 g dairy-free butter (make sure it's a good tasting one!)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 100 g caster sugar
• 300 g plain flour sifted
• 1 tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot powder
• 75 g dark chocolate chips(dairy-free)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cream the butter, vanilla and sugar Stir in the flour and corn flour and mix into a dough.
2. Mix in the chocolate chips a small amount at a time, gently folding into the dough until it’s all combined.
3. Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm up.
4. ...............................................................................................................................
5. ........................................................................................................................................

full recipe : wallflowerkitchen.com

AFRICAN DOUGHNUTS – TWISTED DOUGHNUTS

Now note that if making the twists is too hard for you, you could simple shape the dough into small one-inch balls and fry. I’m not gonna lie – I have quickly shaped them into balls and fried when I was hosting an event in my home and had very little time to make the twists. But note that the balls take a longer time to get cooked through compared to the twists.

I adapted this recipe from one of my favorite YouTube cooks, Maangchi. After testing the recipe several times, I successfully adjusted the ingredients to suit measurements in grams so those of you who use grams will find it easy to follow. So for this recipe, you need 500 grams or half a kilogram of flour. Neat, right? Also, 500 grams of flour equates to 4 cups of flour so whether you choose to measure in grams or kilograms, you are good.

Ingredients

• 4 cups all purpose flour (500g or 1/2 kg)
• 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 oz sachet)
• 12 oz evaporated milk (354ml or 1 3/4 cups)
• 3 tablespoons butter - melted
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt (not heaped)
• 1 egg

Instructions

1. Heat the milk to be just slightly warm to the touch. I heated it for 1 minute in the microwave. The milk should be about 110 degrees Fahrenheit. 
2. Add the yeast to the milk and let it rest for 2 minutes. Add the sugar, salt, melted butter and egg then whisk everything together. Finally, add in the flour and mix with a wooden spoon to form a dough. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place for about 1 hour until doubled in size.
3. Punch down dough to deflate then place on a floured board and cut into 24 equal pieces. (I start off by cutting the dough into two. Then cutting each piece into two twice to form 8 pieces. Then I cut every 1 of the eight pieces into 3. That makes 24 pieces.)
4. Take one piece and roll out into a 13-inch rope. Twist the rope in the opposite direction (move one hand upward and the other hand downward as you roll). Hold up and keep twisting until it forms a twisted doughnut. Press the ends together to seal them. Place the twisted doughnut on a large tray or chopping board. Repeat process with the rest of the dough.
5. ..........................................................................................................................
6. ..................................................................................................................................

full recipe : www.preciouscore.com

Baked Shrimp

However, defrosting shrimp is very easy: fill a large bowl with cool water. Add the shrimp. Replace the water once or twice, gently separating frozen shrimp that have stuck to each other. Shrimp should be fully defrosted in about 10 minutes. Drain them using a colander, then dry on paper towels.

If you just defrosted your shrimp and they are very cold, the melted butter will harden as soon as you mix it into the shrimp. That’s OK – it will melt back when baked, but when this happens, I do quickly spray the top of the shrimp with oil before baking, just to make sure they don’t dry out. Another option is to use olive oil instead of butter when using just-defrosted shrimp – I tried this recipe with olive oil and it’s excellent.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb. large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt (not fine salt)
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Arrange the shrimp in a single layer on a large baking sheet. 
3. Pour the melted butter on top of the shrimp and toss to coat. 
4. ...............................................................
5. ....................................................................

full recipe : healthyrecipesblogs.com