Lucky Packet Muffcakes(!)

These big cupcakes (aka muffcakes) have been quite a hit with friends and family. They're super fun to make because you can cram all sorts of cool stuff into the batter, forget which cupcake is which and continually surprise yourself upon biting into each hidden gem.

I contemplated inserting little (inedible) ceramic trinkets into the muffcake centres but realised that this was probably a recipe for disaster, what with the inevitable (well-founded) choking lawsuits that might follow. Maybe I'll do some with toys and trinkets sticking out of the muffcakes, sort of like those awesome barbie cakes you used to get when you were young. Cause if one chokes on the toy when it's within view, well, then one is probably just dumb. And one probably deserves to choke.

Whatever you put inside tends to get moist and soft so cookies are a real treat, as is the peanut butter. I have to say however that my absolute favourite was the jelly-tots (although I assume jelly-belly beans will work just as well).

So be creative, have fun making them and do a little happy dance or head-bang. I sure did.

Ingredients:

• 2 heaped cups flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup sugar or agave nectar
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1/2 cup soy milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup water
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• a sprinkle of cool shit *(jelly-tots, jelly-belly beans, vegan chocolate blocks, peanut butter, vegan cookies etc.)
• 1 bag Ina Paarman icing kit *(the kits state that they contain dairy but this is only in the event that you combine the icing sugar with butter as opposed to vegan margarine)
• 125g vegan margarine *(I use Cardin)
• 1 tsp lemon juice *(only if using the vanilla Ina Paarman icing sugar)
• 1/4 cup water

Pre-heat the oven to about 180 degrees celsius.

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Hole out the flour and add the wet ingredients. Mix.

Divy cupcake holders into a muffin tin (in order to contain the awesome big, muffcakeness of the batter) and spoon 1 tablespoon of batter into each holder.

Sprinkle cool shit into the centre of each cup and cover with a further 1 tablespoon of batter.

Place muffcakes in the oven and bake until risen and soft and spongy to the touch. Allow to cool.

When muffcakes have cooled, cream the vegan margarine in a bowl and then slowly mix in the icing sugar, water and lemon juice. Ice the muffcakes to the best of your technical ability and...

MUNCH!

~belated (demonstrative) apology for that (sleep deprived) psychotic episode~

AC/DC (Neon) Night Owl

Taking Strain

My mom recently gifted me the loveliest turquoise tea pot which has a built in strainer. It makes me happy cause I've been been plugging all sorts of cool shit into it such as fresh ginger, parsley, lemons and limes, mint, cinnamon, chilli and vanilla pods. It keeps me hydrated and amused at the same time, which is always a good outcome.

 

 

I don't think that there is much that can beat tea and cupcakes on a lazy Sunday afternoon!

Cupcake from the Greenside Cafe

Merci, mamma mia!

 

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Mugh (whole green moong lentils)

I was recently given the most thoughtful present by a dear friend of mine for my birthday. It was put together so beautifully that it pained me to unwrap it- I just wanted to mount in on my fireplace and stare at it. What topped it off was the fact that the ingredients were perfectly measured to accompanying recipes (copyright of my friend's mother who has graciously allowed me to share same on my blog).

It was such an interactive and tactile gift and I loved that it was a creative process from start to finish. Oh man. So damn awesome. I've enjoyed delving into the (previously intimidating) world of spices safe in the knowledge that I'm being guided by someone who knows what they're doing. I made the Mugh (whole green moong lentils) which was delicious! 

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup whole green moong lentils
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 large tomato, finely chopped (or pureed)
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp cumin powder
• 1.5 tsp chilli powder
• pinch of salt
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp crushed garlic
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 dried red chilli
• coriander leaves for garnishing 
  
  

Wash the lentils in warm water so as to remove the starch. Soak lentils in warm water for 1-2 hours. Place lentils and the onion in a pot of boiling water and cook until the lentils are finger soft (that is, soft, but not cooked). 

While the lentils are being cooked, combine the tomato, turmeric, cumin, red chilli powder, salt, ginger, garlic and lemon juice to create a tomato mixture. When the lentils are finger soft, add the tomato mixture and allow to simmer until the tomato has dissolved and a thick gravy forms and the lentils are very soft. 

In a separate pan, heat oil and fry the cumin seeds and the dried red chilli for about 2 minutes (or until the spices start to give off an aroma). I was a bit scared of the chilli so I removed the seeds in order to tone down the heat of the dish somewhat, but if you like it hot then keep the seeds in!

Add the fried spices to the lentil gravy and allow to simmer for a further 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and garnish with coriander.

Serve with rice or naan bread or, as I did, stuff some pitas with the lentil mixture.

*NOM*

Fresh Earth Food Store

I've had a manic couple of weeks at work and woke up yesterday morning feeling completely shattered. We decided to take it easy and went to the Fresh Earth Food Store in Emmarentia to eat some good food, drink some nutrient-jam-packed smoothies and stock up on some of the amazing produce that they have at the store. Hallelujah (such-a-damn-difficult-work-to-spell) for pay-day!

The cafe at Fresh Earth isn't entirely vegan and caters predominantly for vegetarians but I've taken various willing and able meat eaters there as well. The focus is on conscious, healthy, ethical and sustainable eating and living. What's great about the place is how holistic it is- it's a restaurant (with the most incredible food), a store (with the most incredible stock), it serves as a venue for topical talks on health and hosts awesome multi-themed cooking classes.

Vegan Cheese Burger

All the food is clearly labelled (both in the store and at the Deli), the staff is well conversant with veganism (hopefully this will become the norm at most restaurants as time goes by) and it feels great supporting an establishment that has such a good vibe to it!

What is also great is that the store is slowly expanding and has recently launched its online shop, so those of us who aren't very close to the place can still stock-up on certain goods.

The dogs probably won't sniff twice at the vegan pet food but we thought we'd give it a try.

It was the first time I tried Seitan. Oh man it was so good and such a mind trip.
I checked about ten times just to make sure that it didn't have meat in.

The restaurant is really decently priced and the stock in the store ranges from affordable to crazy-expensive (given the fact that so much of the stuff is imported). If you haven't been there before, I'd definitely recommend visiting the place as you're sure to find something to meet your fancy...and feel good about the fact that there are no cruel and abusive practices underlying the running of the establishment.

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Albie Logic (breaking the spell)

Breaking the Spell by Gogol Bordello 

Pray//Prey

Frog Princess

On a recent bright and early winter’s morning I went to our local supermarket, awash with the excited anticipation of buying some AWESOME baking materials and goods. I was combing the isles of the supermarket, compiling a mental shortlist of goods I would buy (everything I needed + everything I wanted – everything I couldn’t afford) when I happened upon the fruit section and decided to stock up for our morning smoothies.

I hovered over the massive selection of loose bananas, trying to find the most pristine bunch. As I zoned in to pick my chosen bunch I felt something cold moving against my finger and assumed that it must have been a piece of open, broken fruit. When I looked down however, I saw a pale albino-like creature moving in between the bananas, frantically trying to cram itself into the smallest and most inconspicuous space. It took me about five seconds to realise that it wasn’t some sort of albino cockroach or broken fruit or Gollum but rather an eensy-teensy tiny frog which had (in the light of our wonderful culture of mass consumerism) been inadvertently transported from the “tropical” banana farms of Kwazulu-Natal to this artificially lighted shopping centre.

My first thought was “ah fuck man” followed by “oh poor little thing” followed by “oh shit man, why do these things always happen to me” followed by “okay, get it together, this is operation froggie rescue RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW bitches!” followed by “oh shit but it’s sort of brightly coloured, what if it’s one of those poisonous tropical frogs from the Amazon” followed by “ok it can’t be poisonous because your finger hasn’t fallen off yet” followed by “at least it’s not operation bigass-spider rescue” finally followed by “get it together, you are the chosen one and it is YOUR immediate goal in life to save this frog’s life!”

But HOW. Did it constitute stealing if you “took” a frog that had been on the shop’s produce? Did the frog somehow also become a tradable commodity by virtue of its association with the bananas? Could I steal this frog? Could I steal a packet to put the frog in? Why was this so difficult?! Where was my Roman-Dutch Law of property when I needed it?! Why couldn’t I remember the law of acquisition?!?! Why couldn’t I just whip out a can of anarchy when I needed to?!?! Forcing my moral dilemma aside, I managed to grab and loosen the one banana to which the poor frog was clinging for dear life and ever so slowly inserted le petit frog into the plastic bag, and then, for fear that froggie would asphyxiate, inconspicuously tried to inflate the packet with air.

I then proceeded to have my one banana weighed. I approached Mr weigher-man and kindly informed him to be careful as I intended buying the banana and the frog which was on the banana. I then waited for what seemed like an interminable amount of time while Mr weigher-man either tried to calculate what the surcharge for the frog would be or wondered as to when the shop has started selling frogs (and for what purpose). I then rephrased my request and stated that I wanted him to weigh the banana and ignore the frog. He then snapped into action and I was off. I stumbled around in a stupor with my R2,50 banana and frog and considered whether I could still do my much-longed-for baking shopping. However, given the urgency of froggie’s situation, his probable dehydration and the fact that I was terrified of squashing him, I decided against it and proceeded towards the check-out…only to realise upon reaching the check-out that I had a whopping 5 cents on me.

D’accord: proceed to collect one can of dog-food to compliment my one banana (and one frog) so that I can use my debit card. Proceed to request that Ms checkout-lady be gentle as there is a frog on my banana. Proceed to console shitfitting checkout-lady that the frog is not going to hurt her, that she’s not cursed and that I’d simply like to purchase my banana avec le petit frog. Proceed to jog out of the shop with gaping mouths staring after me.

I finally made it home and put froggie on his banana on leaves in a tea carton with some water. I then stressed over froggie and his potential injuries for the next hour (and came to the welcome conclusion that I shouldn’t ever have kids because I’d definitely suffer from Munchausen by Proxy).

After a strategic session with tookey, we decided that the best way forward would be to take froggie to the lake by our local park and release him there. We’d already come up with this plan of action several years ago when a much bigger froggie travelled the whole distance from Magaliesburg to Johannesburg in my (very squashed) shoe.

I said good-bye to froggie on his banana at the edge of the lake amongst some reeds and I really hope that he survives, given the change in his environment and his travelling ordeal.

If froggie does survive, I hope that he meets our froggie from Magaliesburg, that they serenade each other with lovely froggie *ribbits* , that they make froggie babies together, that they start a new froggie race and make happy froggie memories together. And catch ------< flies. Or eat fruit.  

Albie Logic(?)