Good Morning, readers! Already we're 3 weeks into the new year. Where does the time go? I've promised myself that this will be a year for great change and growth, oh, and, of course, tons of new recipes.

A friend and coworker of mine recently mentioned that his significant other is putting together a Richmond-based vegan and non-vegan cookbook. How could I pass up the opportunity to submit something? I've been meaning to work on a new vegan cake filling for a while now. When I was compiling recipes for my zine, I didn't get a chance to experiment with tofu that much. The world of soy-based products is extensive. There are about a dozen different varieties of tofu alone. It can be quite intimidating if you don't know even where to start. As always, I suggest you take things slow and make sure to do a little research before buying anything, after all, there's nothing worse than wanting to make a tofu scramble only to find out you bought the wrong type of firmness.

Below is my recipe for vegan Dark Chocolate cupcakes, taken from "A Monsterous Appetite for Cake", my Pomegranate Orange Mousse filling and my Killer Dark Chocolate frosting, tweaked, but also from AMAC. When I was trying to think of a seasonally appropriate dish, my mind gravitated towards pomegranates. Pomegranates really are a winter fruit. They're typically in season between September and February. The ruby-colored seeds of the pomegranate make it particularly festive, especially around Christmas. Pom juice is exceptionally high in antioxidants, so, do yourself a favor this year- start eating right by first baking yourself a cake.

Vegan Dark Chocolate Cupcakes w/ Pomegranate Orange Custard & Dark Chocolate Frosting

1/4 cup Molasses

1/3 cup unsweet. Applesauce

3/4 cup + 1/2 tsp Sugar

4 oz. unsweet. Baker's Chocolate

1 Tbsp Vanilla

1 Tbsp Distilled White Vinegar

1 cup hot Water

1 1/2 cups Flour

2 tsp Baking Soda

1/4 cup unsweet. Cocoa Powder

1/2 tsp Salt

Custard-

1 pkg (12.3 oz) Silken Tofu (Extra Firm)

1 Tbsp Grand Marnier

3 Tbsp Pomegranate Concentrate

1/2 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
1 Tbsp Agave Nectar
4 1/2 Tbsp Powdered Sugar
1/2 tsp Natural Red Food dye

Orange Zest

Begin by melting the chocolate either in a double boiler or the microwave. Make sure to stir constantly to avoiding clumping and burning.

Combine the molasses, applesauce, sugar and vanilla. Mix well. Add in the melted chocolate. Mix again. Add the vinegar. Mix a third time. Add the water. Mix once more. Sift together the flour, soda, cocoa and salt. Stir until just combined. 

Divide the batter evenly among the cups. (Tip- use an ice cream scoop to ensure uniform cupcake size). This recipe makes 14-15 cupcakes. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 18 minutes. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before you core them.

While you're waiting, start preparing the filling. Pour the first six ingredients into a blender. Pulse thoroughly. You want the filling to be satiny smooth- think yogurt consistency. Scoop the mousse into a small bowl and manually stir in the last two ingredients. Let the filling firm up a bit- refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

To fill the cupcakes, simply load a zip-loc baggy with some of the mousse and cut off one of the tips. Pipe until the mousse reaches just the top of the cupcake.

Dark Chocolate Frosting

4 oz. unsweet. Baker's Chocolate
3 Tbsp Vegetable-based Shortening
4 cups Powdered Sugar
1/4 cup unsweet. Cocoa Powder
Warm non-dairy milk
Pinch of orange Zest

Begin by melting the chocolate either in a double-boiler or the microwave. Stir constantly to avoid clumping and burning. Add the shortening (it should melt completely). Beat in the powdered sugar and cocoa.

Heat up the non-dairy milk. Add milk to desired taste and consistency. Beat until smooth. You want the frosting to be stiff but spreadable. Finish by adding in some orange zest. You want just a hint, to pick up the zest in the filling.

Pipe your cupcakes and enjoy! You can garnish your cupcakes in a variety of different ways, here are just a few ideas: dot the tops with fresh or chocolate-covered pomegranate seeds, drizzle with a pomegranate red wine reduction, candy or dehydrate orange slices or create caramelized sugar decorations.

If you would like to create your own sugar decorations, this is a simple recipe I picked up from Fine Cooking. I switched out the lemon juice for orange juice but, next time, I'll probably also add 1/2 tsp Orange extract. 

Happy New Year! Today is the first official day of 2012! I'm sure most of you are still recuperating from last night's festivities.

It's amazing just how many parties get squeezed into that three week period surrounding Christmas. People are intent to celebrate, catch up with old friends and blow off a little steam. No doubt you had your fair share of yuletide merry-making this past year. I know I did.

Instead of attending yet another party last night, I decided to end my 2011 on a sweeter note, by baking cream puffs. It seems like most people are accustomed to cupcakes or cheesecakes on New Year's Eve. Cream puffs, or profiteroles as they are also called, are tiny balls of dough, stuffed with a luxurious creme filling. They may be bite-size, but, they're incredibly sophisticated. A single batch can yield dozens but they're quite easy to put together. They make for the ideal party dessert.

Below, is a recipe that's been in my family for years. It was given to my grandmother by one of her closest friends, Gloria Nelson, who was a Home-Ec teacher. To put my own spin on this old classic, I decided to swap out the traditional pastry-creme filling for an almond mascarpone filling. It certainly requires less effort but it's still wonderfully creamy and the almond paste gives it such a lovely nutty flavor. If you have another New Year's party today or an office party later this week, it wouldn't hurt to keep this recipe in mind. I'm sure you'll impress more than just one or two co-workers. Who knows- you just might get that raise this year.

Gloria's Cream Puffs
(Courtesy of my Nana's friend & neighbor, Gloria Nelson)

1 cup Water
1/2 cup Margarine
1/8 tsp Salt
1 cup Flour
4 room-temp Eggs

Optional filling-
16 oz. room-temp Mascarpone Cheese
3 tsp Vanilla
4 Tbsp Honey
5 oz. Almond paste

Before starting, make sure that all of your ingredients are room-temperature. The "warmer" your eggs are, the better your dough will rise.

Begin by melting the margarine in a large pot with the salt and water. Bring the mixture to a boil. Remove from the heat and pour in all of the flour. Stir vigorously. It should come together into a ball and not stick to the sides of the pan or spoon.

Add one egg at a time into the mixture. Beat well after each. Once all the eggs have been incorporated, the mixture should be smooth and shiny.

Using a 1 Tbsp cookie scoop, dollop each mound onto a greased cookie sheet. It should make about 20.

Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes, before reducing to 375 degrees. Continue to bake for 15-20 minutes. Allow the shells to cool completely before filling.

(Tip- You should fill your cream puffs no more than an hour before they're eaten, otherwise the shells will get soggy.)

To make the filling, begin by cutting up the almond paste. It's best if you break it apart with your fingers. Almond paste is VERY thick so to avoid having huge clumps in your filling, cut it up as little as you can.

In a large bowl with a hand mixer or a fairly large food processor, mix together the cheese, honey, paste and vanilla. Beat it until smooth; the more you beat it, the lighter it will become. Cover it and let it harden a bit in the fridge, about 30 minutes.

If you're looking for a pretty presentation, you can either pipe the filling or use your cookie scoop to fill the cream puffs. Make sure to coat the shell tops with either melted chocolate or powdered sugar.