Winter Salad

I'm putting aside, not too unwillingly if I might say, my text books to write this post. I have been studying everyday of my winter break in the hope of catching up with my classmates. coming back home from a few months abroad is never easy. but I'm not complaining, I actually enjoy studying.

sometimes.

what I enjoy most, is definitely stopping at 12.30 am to cook lunch. I have been feeling so inspired and creative! I'd like to share with you this recipe I've created (even though, I'm sure that out there so many people eat this already). I like it because it's delicious, healthy and very fast to make, if you plan ahead.

you'll need:
cooked pumpkin, cubed
frozen fava beans
celery, diced
an onion, diced

now, I almost never buy frozen vegetables and never frozen fruit. sorry, it just feels a bit wrong! but the fava beans are otherwise really a pain in the butt to cook (you have to boil them and then peel them one at the time!). if they're frozen, they're much less time consuming.
as for the pumpkin, you'll only need to clean it and dice it, then either steam it or roast it.

roast the pumpkin, the celery and the onion for about 20 minutes, when you see the edges brown a little bit. before putting them in the oven, drizzle the celery and onion with a little bit of olive oil. remember to toss them around every now and then. meanwhile, bring some water to a boil, salt it and throw in as many fava beans as you like. let them cook 6-8 minutes, from when the water starts boiling. take a bowl you love, throw everything together. if you like, add some olive oil, salt and pepper (am I the only one who eats vegetables completely plain?).

and there you have it, a heartwarming, winter salad.

I'm no nutritionist, but these ingredients are so healthy! fava beans are a very nutrient-dense food: they are filled with protein, fiber, vitamins, iron, copper, phosphorus, potassium and magnesium. pumpkin is also loaded with vitamins and antioxidants. celery, in my opinion, is delicious!

now, let's get back to studying...

Almost Vegan Clementine Cupcakes

first of all: happy New Year!
how have your first days of 2012 been? for me it involved a lot of digesting: it's incredible the amount of food I was able to fit in my belly on New Year's Eve. and the first. and yesterday. I'm hoping to give my stomach a rest soon, but celebrations keep getting in the way!

just NOT to help with the current too-much-food-situation, I decided to bake some'! seems like the right decision, right? well, I saw this recipe and simply could not resist!

now, I adapted it because: 1) I don't know about you guys, but 12 cupcakes are a lot! I know they get eaten very fast, who would pass on them?, but still! so my recipe calls for 6; and 2) I made it only partly vegan.

I am very very very much tempted to switch to being vegan. I am a vegetarian, who will eat fish from time to time (for health reasons), but my secret wish is to switch to veganism. my parents wouldn't be very happy. they weren't very pleased when my brother was. but we'll see, I'm still young!

anyhow, this is my version of Clementine Cupcakes

ingredients

125g (1 cup) flour

100g (1/2 cup) cane sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tbsp clementine zest (about 2 clementines)

pinch of salt

100 mL (1/2 cup) soy milk

1 egg

1 tbsp applesauce

1 tbsp canola oil

2 clementines, peeled

1 tsp vanilla

directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350ºF) and line or grease a cupcake tin.

2. In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, zest, baking powder and salt.

3. Puree the two clementines in a blender until liquified, then pour only two tbsp of the puree into a small bowl and mix it with the egg, milk, applesauce, vanilla and oil.

4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just combined. Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners- about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

I honestly would skip the glaze, but that's up to you: I think it makes the cupcakes a little bit too sweet. I would go ahead and glaze the clementine slices: sprinkle them with some cane sugar and bake them at 200°C (400°F) for about twenty minutes. When they are done (they look dry, the edges fold a little bit upwards and the house smells d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s), top the each cupcake with a slice.

and voilà!