Almond chocolate raw cupcakes

My friend inspired me to try this recipe. It will take you around 20 minutes or less to produce a batch of the most delicious cupcakes you’ve ever tasted. 100% chocolate, no cooking, no eggs or flour, minimum mess. If you are not into raw/ vegan food, then you’ll need to get some relatively expensive items from the health food stores/ sections: cocoa powder (and it is crucial that you get a really good one, not the no-name stuff from your regular food store), coconut butter and almond butter (budget around $10-14 for each of these items, but you’ll use them for other desserts too).

Ingredients: 4 Tbsp cocoa powder, 3 Tbsp coconut butter (leave it out for a couple of hours before using it; you want it to be in a liquid form), 2 Tbsp honey, 2 Tbsp almond butter, a pinch of salt. Optional: a bit of rum, any type of nuts, raisins or dried fruits.

Instructions:

1. In a big bowl, mix cocoa powder with coconut butter and a pinch of salt. Add the honey and the almond butter. If using any of the optional ingredients, add them now too.
2. Line a muffin pan with muffin paper cups.
3. Spoon the mixture into the muffin cups and gently press the contents to homogenize.
4. Put in the fridge for 20-30 minutes (keep refrigerated when not eating them!).

Delicious dinner at Aida’s Mediterranean Bistro

I recently had dinner at Aida‘s, the small Lebanese place on 4th St (2208 4th Street SW). I really enjoyed it and will probably go back there with friends. The place itself is small and cozy, but the food is really what will make you want to go back. Kabobs, shawarmas, falafel, baba ganoush (eggplants dip), humus – you’ll find them all there. The menu offers both meat and vegetarian options.

We were more curious than hungry, so we ordered way more than we were able to eat. Next time, we’ll probably stick to a plate for two, which should be more than enough for dinner. I would warmly recommend the in-house rose water iced tea ($2.75) which is delicious! We also got the mezza for two ($32) – basically a huge plate that had four dips (baba ganoush, humus, tzatziki and a bell pepper spread), pita, falafel, rice stuffed grape leaves, meat pies, some other meat and veggie balls (kibby), and pastry with spinach.  On top of that, we also asked for two chicken kabobs ($5.50 each), a lamb chop ($5.50) and a regular salad (fattoush – $8.00). The lamb chop was absolutely delicious – tender, perfectly seasoned. The salad was equally delicious, and could be a meal on its own with some pita and dip.

The only thing I wasn’t particularly fond of was the desert, which the waitress introduced as a ‘tiramisu with a Lebanese twist’, meaning no alcohol. I didn’t really like the cream and the texture of the cake, so I think I’ll stick to the regular tiramisu for the time being!

The bill came to $70 (GST included, before tip), but we could have easily eaten with around $40 if we had ordered the plate for two.