Chocolate zucchini cupcakes & chocolate bacon frosting

Today we got a taste of spring sunshine and I was really in the mood for a picnic. Sadly it was still too cold to actually sit outside so my daughters and I had an indoor tea party with all of their little Russian dolls and these yummy chocolate zucchini cupcakes.

The best part of zucchini cupcakes  ( besides being delicious) is of course getting a little extra veggies in the kiddos diet without a fuss. Luckily my kids love veggies but even they can be stubborn about eating sometimes.  These are lightly sweet and oh so yummy and the frosting has a hint of salty bacon in it making them a little extra special.

What you need

Cupcakes

• 1 medium-large zucchini
• 1/2 c coconut oil
• 1/2 c honey
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 c cocoa powder
• 1/2 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 eggs
• pinch of salt

Frosting

 

• 4 tbsp coconut oil
• 4 tbsp honey
• 1 heaping tablespoon of bacon grease ( you can use chopped cooked bacon for ‘sprinkles’!)
• 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp corn starch
• A few drops of water as needed

 

How to make it

Cupcakes

• Preheat oven to 350
• in one bowl mix flour, cocoa powder,  baking powder & soda and salt together and set aside
• Grate zucchini finely
• in a bowl mix zucchini, eggs and honey
• Melt coconut oil
• Add coconut oil to dry ingredients and mix well
• add zucchini mixture to flour mixture and mix well
• add batter to a greased muffin tin
• reduce oven to 300 and bake for 15 minutes or until done

Frosting

 

• In a kitchen aid or in a bowl with a mixer whisk together cocoa powder and corn starch until fully blended
• add coconut oil and honey slowly and whisk in
• whisk in bacon grease
• add a few drops of water if needed until consistency is like frosting
• Place in the fridge for at least 15 minutes
• (coconut oil may clump together once cooled, just whisk again to blend or not if you don’t care )

 

 

 

Whole wheat sweet potato & black lentil samosas (baked)

Last night was grocery day ( thank goodness!) and I was finally able to make something that wasn’t “experimental” . I have been wanting to try to make whole wheat samosas for a long time and I finally figured out a recipe that worked. It took some trial and error and one really gross sauce to come up with this absolutely delicious recipe.  You know something is good when your child is completely silent while eating…and then she licks the plate.

This recipe is a little time consuming but if you want to make it go a bit quicker you can use prepackaged pastry dough. I was feeling excited to have a fridge full of food again and  since it was the weekend  I decided to go the hard route. It takes around an hour prep/cooking time altogether or if you are like me and you have kids who want snacks every 3 minutes it takes around 3 hours.

These samosas are baked not fried so they are not as greasy but just as flaky and delicious!  You can fry these up if you like, I suggest using coconut oil.

Enjoy this recipe and be sure to follow me over on my new facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/MamaMouseSays

What you need

Filling

• 1 cup of lentils , I used black lentils
• 1 sweet potato
• handful of  cilantro
• 2 tbsp garam masala
• 2 tbsp honey
• 4 tbsp coconut oil
• 1.5 C broth or water and a bullion

Pastry

• 1 1/4 c whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup butter or vegetable shortening, I used smart balance
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp turmeric (optional but i love the color it made the dough)
• 3 tbsp yogurt  mixed with 1/4 c  water
• 2 tbsp melted coconut oil to brush top of pastry

How to make it

Filling

• In a pot add lentil and water/broth and cook until tender, set aside
• Peel and dice sweet potato into dime sized pieces
• put in a pan with coconut oil and fry for a few minutes
• add garam masala and mix thoroughly until coated
• continue coking until it begins to brown on the edges and soft inside
• add to lentils
• add cilantro and  honey and mix gently
• salt to taste

Pastry

• mix flour, baking soda , turmeric and salt in a bowl
• put the butter or shortening in the center of the bowl
• take a little bit of butter and a little bit of flour and rub it in your hands gently until it crumbles
• continue until all the flour and butter is mixed and crumbly
• slowly add the yogurt/water mixture little by little until  the dough comes together and forms a ball, you may not need all the water.
• knead in the bowl until the ball is smooth and well mixed
• divide the dough into 8 balls

Assembly

• preheat oven to 275
• prepare a bowl of water mixed with flour ( very watery) for assembly
• Take a ball and roll it in your hand until it is a nice circle
• press down onto a floured surface
• roll out  into a thin circle, about 5-6 inches wide
• cut the circle in half
• take a half  and put water along the edges
• fold to sides over to form a cone
• press the edges down to seal
• add mixture into cone
• close edges with water and press
• put on an oiled baking pan and brush with melted coconut oil
• bake for 20 minutes or until brown on egdes

For a detailed video on how to assemble a samosa check out this one HERE. 

Ginger corn cakes & coconut syrup

I love coconut, not  just for its flavor but for its amazing healing properties. It is cold and flu season and with everyone just getting over being sick I have been trying to add coconut oil to all of our foods to help boost our immune system.

Sunday morning I was craving a warm , sweet and filling breakfast but when I opened the cabinets I realized I forgot to buy whole wheat flour at the grocery store so pancakes and waffles were out of the question. We did however have some cornmeal and coconut milk  and I decided to experiment a bit and see what happens.

These corn cakes were a hit with my family and after eating breakfast everyone was energized and ready to get some projects we have been putting off done. Perhaps the coconut oil and milk gave us an energy boost or perhaps it was just having a belly full of good food.Either way these corn cakes are a much healthier alternative to pancakes drowned in syrup and are a nice fresh and exotic twist to an ordinary breakfast.  Enjoy!

What you need:

• 2 cups corn meal
• 2 eggs, I used local eggs from Clifford family farm
• 1 can of coconut milk , I used the sustainable brand Native forest  for both milk and cream
• 1 SM can of coconut cream
  
• coconut oil, I used the sustainable organic brand tropical traditions
• sweetener of choice- sugar, honey, maple syrup…
• cilantro
• ginger
• tapioca starch, you could also use corn starch. I used the ‘let’s do organic’ brand
• Bit of water as needed

How to make it:

• In a bowl mix corn meal and 1.5 tablespoons of  grated fresh ginger
• add 2 table spoons melted coconut oil, 2 eggs and 1/3 of the can of coconut milk.
• Mix together and if your mixture is too dry add a bit of water, I added around 2 tablespoons water
• Mixture should be  moist but  thick enough to grab and form into balls
• Heat  about 4 tablespoons of coconut oil on stove, MED heat
• Form balls of corn meal mixture, a bit bigger than a golf ball, and flatten into patties
• place in pan and fry until golden brown on both sides
• Place in a warm oven to keep crisp and warm until your syrup is done

For syrup:

• In a sauce pan add the rest of the coconut milk and the coconut cream and heat on MED heat
• In a small bowl put 2 tbsp of tapioca powder and add 4 tablespoons of coconut milk
• stir to dissolve then add it to the pot
• add sweetener
• let simmer until a little thicker, It will still be runny but it will be creamy

Top corn cakes with coconut syrup and cilantro, yum!

yummy ginger corn cakes and coconut syrup

**full disclosure: I was given a sample of a product used in this recipe. I was in no way obligated to use the product or review it. I only use products I love, trust  and have tested.

 

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Peanut butter & chocolate surprise treats (sugar free)

I love sweet treats but I hate sugar, a real dilemma I know. It isn’t that I think sugar is terrible to eat, it’s that I know if I do eat it I will have to share with my daughter and one bite of sugar in her system and she’s bouncing off the walls for days. Today my chocolate craving hit HARD and I needed a sweet treat to get me through.

I found a few sugar-free chocolate  recipes on pinterest  but I wanted something  more than just chocolate. I thought it would be fun to add a surprise inside  chocolate peanut butter treats and my daughter agreed it was an awesome idea. I had sunflower seeds, raisins, dried cranberries, frozen banana and apple slices on hand  and some cute mini cupcake liners to make this fun recipe.

This is a great late night sugar craving snack, a good treat to reward a kiddo or a fun treat for a picnic or party. Let me know what you think and show me your results!

What you need

• 1 1/3 C organic peanut butter
• 1/4 c sugar free cocoa powder
• 1/2 C coconut oil, I used Tropical traditions
• 4 tbsp honey
• treats to go inside: fresh, dried or frozen fruit or nuts… I used dried cranberries, apple slices, raisins, frozen banana and sunflower seeds
• Mini cupcake or candy paper liners like these,ooh pretty!

insides of treats

insides of treats

How to make it

• melt coconut oil and add to food processor or blender with peanut butter, cocoa powder and honey until blended
• line a baking sheet with cupcake liners
• Put treats in bottom of cupcake liners
• pour mixture into liners until 3/4 full
• put in freezer for at least an hour, overnight is best
• store in a freezer bag in the fridge or freezer
• enjoy!

**full disclosure: I was given a sample of a product used in this recipe. I was in no way obligated to use the product or review it. I only use products I love, trust  and have tested.