Vegan Miso Ginger Dressing

About 6 years ago I decided to ditch bottled grocery store salad dressing (you know, the kind loaded with preservatives, MSG, salts and oils!), and I began making my own dressings with natural ingredients like mustard, vinegar, ginger, and even hot sauce. I used to eat at Japanese recipes just for the salad with ginger dressing. It has taken me a while to create the perfect miso ginger dressing, but now I can finally dine at home!

WHAT YOU NEED & WHAT TO DO:

• 4 tbs rice vinegar

• 3 tbs miso paste (you can find this in the cooler at any Asian super market)

• 3 tbs low sodium soy sauce

• 2 tsp ginger, peeled and grated

• 1 tbs copped white onion

• 1 tsp garlic, minced

• 2 tsp lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend until creamy.




Keep refrigerated for up to 7 days.

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes

Happy Birthday, Dad! Shhh... do not tell him he these are eggless, dairy-free cupcakes! 

My dad and I share a love for food, especially sweets. However, getting my dad try my culinary experiments, especially any "V-word" dishes, is like introducing spinach to a child. I have not had to resort to using the airplane method yet, but there has been a lot of fibbing involved. Long before I became vegetarian, my parents used to lie to me and tell me chocolate milk came from brown cows, and the pork chop or sirloin steak on my plate was "chicken," since chicken was the only meat I wanted (I guess I never had much of a taste for animals...). In Dad's house, there is meat and a heaping helping of something buttery on the dinner table every night. When I offer to cook my dad dinner he sighs and says, "Whose child are you, anyway? My daughter, cooking another vegetarian meal...." Pops, I am not trying to completely convert you to the dark-veggie-loving-side! I just want you to live a little while longer! More birthdays, more cake!

WHAT YOU NEED & WHAT TO DO

• 2 cups coconut milk
• 1 3/4 cups sugar 
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp pure almond extract 
• 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking soda
• kosher salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degree.

Line cupcake baking pans with paper baking cups. I also like to grease with olive oil cooking spray so the paper holders can be peeled away from the cake nicely.

In a large bowl, beat coconut milk, sugar, vinegar, vanilla extract, almond extract, and melted coconut oil on low speed with a hand mixer. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Sprinkle dry ingredients into the larger bowl and beat on low speed until all clumps are gone. Batter should look and taste like chocolate pudding. Seriously. Taste it raw!  

Divide batter into paper baking cups and bake for 20-22 minutes until spongy. Wait for cupcakes to cool before decorating. Recipe yields 24 cupcakes.

For today's celebrations, I made half of my cupcakes with chocolate frosting and the other half with vanilla frosting using this recipe from my sugar cookie post.