Christmas Morning

Mom has been doing a great job of feeding us from the bounty we purchased at the Korean grocery store. She cut radish cakes for breakfast which I tried to cook and ended up burning myself. I cut myself last Saturday so I haven't been too lucky in the kitchen. Mom made 2 kinds of chicken last night and this morning, her amazing braised spareribs (pork spare ribs, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, rice wine, rock sugar). I've been on a veggie and fruit kick so enjoyed an entire ruby red grapefruit.

As Doris would say, we "chillaxed" after breakfast. I made some vegan almond cupcakes which I think came out really well. So fluffy! And we rocked out. I got 100% on Eye of the Tiger. Aw yeah!














Vegan Almond Cake
adapted from Dairy-free Almond-orange Cake, Vegetarian Planet, Didi Emmons

1 cup whole almonds, lightly toasted
2 cups unbleached white flour
1.5 tsps baking powder
0.5 tsps baking soda
0.5 tsps salt
2/3 cup canola oil
1 cup soy milk
2/3 cup honey
1 tbsp vanilla extract
0.5 tsps almond extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 or 10 inch cake pan by rubbing or spraying it with a bit of oil.
2. Grind the almonds in a food processor or blender. Transfer the almonds to a large bowl. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well.
3. In a smaller bowl, combine the canola oil, soy milk, honey, vanilla and almond extract. Pour about half of this mixture into the flour mixture, and stir briefly. Add the remaining liquid and stir until the batter is smooth. Pour into the prepared pan.
4. Bake the cake for 40-45 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool in its pan on a rack for 15 minutes, then loosen the cake with a sharp knife. Place a plate on top of the pan, and invert the cake onto the plate. Let the cake cool completely before frosting.