#181 The Case of Minted Pea Soup

Welcome the colour and flavour of summer!

1/4 cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 potato, chopped
4 cups water
2 rounded teaspoons (for 2 cups) vegetable bouillon powder
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
2 cups snow peas
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
salt
pepper
fresh chives (optional)

Sauté the onion in the olive oil for 2 min.

Add the potato, water and vegetable bouillon powder, and simmer covered for 15 min. or until the potato is tender.

Add the peas and snow peas, and bring back to a boil.

Stir in the mint leaves.

Purée.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

I serve my bowls of soup topped with chopped, fresh chives.

Serves 4.

♥ Becki

#180 The Case of Celebrate #Canada150 with Imajin Books

To celebrate Canada's 150th birthday, Imajin Books will be giving away 150 ebooks to Canadian residents and 150 ebooks to international residents. To enter, you only need to subscribe to Imajin Books Inner Circle (IBIC newsletter) http://www.imajinbooks.com/ibic.

This event runs July 1-31. Winners will be selected from subscribers and will be able to choose their ebook prize. Hey, you could win one of the mysteries I'm in—A PURSE TO DIE FOR or A KILLER NECKLACE! :-)

♥ Becki

PS Good luck!

#179 The Case of Happy Canada 150 Plus Imajin Books Summer Sizzles eBook Sale

Happy 150th birthday, Canada!

 

Booklover friends, click on the poster to see all the great #SummerReading books available for $2.99 or less, starting July 1st, Canada Day!

 

♥ Becki

#178 The Case of Do You Crave Chocolate Vegetarian, Vegan or Raw?

"Shoot, wouldn't you know it," Cynthia said, "I left out a whole paragraph! There's no way I'm doing this over!"

What my favourite author Cynthia left out of her podcast:

Moreover, it’s possible to adopt a vegetarian, vegan and/or raw diet as seldom or frequently as you wish. Have you heard of the Meatless Monday movement, which encourages people to eat meat-free just one day a week?

Links to the chocolate recipes she talks about:

Brownies
Chocolate Cupcakes
Red Wine Butterycream Frosting
Creamy Chocolate Pudding

♥ Becki

#177 The Case of Red Wine Butterycream Frosting

1/2 cup red wine plus 3 more tablespoons, divided
1-1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon vegan baking sticks, softened
1-1/2 cups icing sugar
sprinkles

In a small saucepan over medium heat, cook the 1/2 cup red wine and sugar, stirring constantly, until the sugar is dissolved.

Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the syrup is reduced to about 1-1/2 tablespoons.

Cool.

Beat the vegan baking sticks and start beating in the icing sugar gradually. Once almost all the icing sugar is incorporated and you've got a frosting consistency, gradually beat in the red wine reduction and the 3 tablespoons wine. Then beat in the remaining icing sugar until the frosting is light and smooth and creamy.

Frost your cupcakes.

Decorate with sprinkles.

This recipe makes enough Red Wine Butterycream Frosting for 12 cupcakes.

♥ Becki

#176 The Case of Ch-ch-ch-chia Cereal

Chia seed is hot, hot, hot right now. Hotter, I think, than when Chia Pets were all the rage. Do you remember Chia Pets? Clay figurines that, if spread with chia seeds and kept moist, sprouted "fur". Those little beasties rocketed to popularity in 1982 to the TV commercial ditty that many of us (tragically) can still repeat: "Ch-ch-ch-chia!".

The big difference between chia seed popularity then and now is, today we eat the darn things. The seeds I mean. Not the pets.

Check out my recipe for a tasty, quick-as-a-flash, healthy oatmeal alternative on Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers, a lovely mystery-related blog where I'm so pleased to have guested last month: http://anastasiapollack.blogspot.ca/2017/03/cooking-with-clorisguest-character.html.

♥ Becki

#175 The Case of Chocolate Cupcakes

My vegan cupcakes puff up in the oven due to the same chemical reaction as in kids' volcano science fair projects!

 

1-1/2 cups flour

1/3 cup cacao

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup coconut oil, measured in liquid form

1 tablespoon instant decaffeinated coffee granules

1/2 cup light coconut milk

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

vegan frosting

sprinkles

 

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

 

Line a 12-cup muffin tin with baking cups.

 

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cacao, baking soda, salt and sugar.

 

In another bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, instant coffee granules, coconut milk, water and vanilla.

 

Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until combined.

 

With a spatula, quickly stir in the vinegar until incorporated.

 

Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups (about 1/3 cup per cupcake).

 

Bake until the tops spring back when lightly touched, about 18 min.

 

Cool them for 5 min. in the pan then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

 

Pipe frosting onto the cupcakes and decorate with sprinkles.

 

Serves 12.

 

♥ Becki

 

PS Baking soda and vinegar, baby!