I made these on a whim the other day because I had some strawberries in the fridge that were threatening to go bad at any moment, and I know that strawberries are all too serious when they start with that kind of talk. I just so happened to have some empanada discs in the freezer and some cream cheese laying around. Not exactly the traditional guava and cheese empanada, but close enough and just as delicious!If you've never made empanadas before, I'll teach you the process. It's not too hard, and although it's a little time consuming, the end product is worth it!
First you roll out your dough and cut out 4 to 5 inch circles out of it.
Then you place your filling onto the lower hemisphere of the circle.
Then dip your finger in a cup of water and get the edges of the dough wet on the bottom hemisphere. Not soaking wet, but just enough to feel damp. This will help the dough glue itself together. Then fold the top hemisphere over the bottom half, like above.
Using a fork, press the edges down so you form a seal.
And there you have it! Doughy pockets filled with fruit, all waiting in a row to be baked or fried.
I fried mine because I like to live on the edge. Baking them is a healthier alternative. Recipe below!
Ingredients:
For the dough:
1 1/2 cup flour
pinch of salt
3/4 stick veggie shortening, cold, cut into tiny pieces
ice water
For the filling:
1 pint strawberries, cut into small pieces
4 oz. vegan cream cheese
Directions:
In a food processor, add flour and salt. Pulse a few times to mix well. Add the shortening and pulse until the clumps of shortening are pea-sized (about 3 to 4 pulses should do it). Add water by the Tablespoon-full until dough JUST comes together.
Form dough into a ball, flatten with heel of hand, then wrap in wax paper and chill for about 30 minutes.
While it's chilling, prepare the filling. Mix vegan cream cheese with strawberries in a bowl using a wooden spoon. Refrigerate until needed.
Then roll the dough out in a 1/4 inch thick layer, and cut out 4 to 5-inch diameter circles from the dough. Then fill and seal the dough discs.
If frying, heat oil over medium heat, then gently lower the empanada in with a metal spatula. Be careful not to splash the oil onto you! Turn over once to let the other side cook. Remove when it turns golden brown. Let rest on a towel to absorb the extra oil.
If baking, spray baking sheet with spray oil, and coat tops of empanadas with some melted vegan butter, and bake at 350 until golden brown.
Enjoy immediately!
I know there's been a lot of cupcakes on this blog so far, but fall/winter is a time of plentiful birthdays, so I've been making a lot of them for friends. There's some history behind these cupcakes that I'd like to share with you.
Every year, I have a giant feast where I make a wonderfully decadent five-course meal in which I invite my closest friends, and the cake is the grand finale of the meal. At one such dinner, one of my friends who sat at the opposite head of the table from me, had been blown away by each course, just sat in total amazement with each bite he took.
When the cake came out, he just couldn't contain himself any longer. He started talking about how wonderful this cake was, how it was just the best food he had ever tasted. It was hard for him to find words for what he was experiencing. Finally, he came out with it: this cake was interstellar.
These cupcakes are the vegan version of this cake. I have modified this recipe to fit a vegan cupcake format. Hopefully you'll think they're interstellar as well!
This is the mess I make in my kitchen as I cook.
This is after I've hollowed them out.
Here's with the blackberry filling. If you're not a big fan of frosting, you could just eat them this way. They're gorgeous and not too sweet.
Here's the final product sliced down the middle. Recipe below.
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup (1 stick) vegan butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
4 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup almond milk
12 oz blackberries
1/4 cup sugar
8 oz vegan cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup vegan butter, softened
1 lb powdered sugar
Directions:
In a small bowl, mash the blackberries with a fork until a lumpy liquid is formed. Stir in 1/4 cup sugar and let sit for at least an hour.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl, sift dry ingredients together. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix butter and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in apple cider vinegar and vanilla extract.
Mix the flour mixture into the sugar mixture. Then add almond milk and mix until uniform texture is achieved.
Pour into greased muffin tin and bake for about 22 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into each cupcake comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire cooling rack to let cool completely.
Once cupcakes are cooled completely, cut around the edge of each cupcake at a 45 degree angle about half-way down the cupcake so a cylindrical pyramid shape comes out of the top of each one. Then spoon blackberry mixture into each depression up to the top of the cupcake.
In a medium bowl, mix vegan cream cheese and vegan butter until smooth. Add in confectioner's sugar and mix until incorporated.
Ice the top of each cupcake. Enjoy!
