as previously expressed, i have kumquats coming out of my ears. but, i'm kind of loving it. it has me hyper focused on one ingredient and figuring out all the wonderful things i can do with that ingredient. 

plus, if you haven't noticed, they are really freaking adorable. 

so i'm getting very creative with kumquats. kumquat squares. kumquat jam. kumquat cocktails. 

but my favorite so far has been these lavender + kumquat cupcakes. 

one of the women i work with at one of my yoga studios and her friends bought a whole lavender plant when they made my lemon + lavender cake and were so sweet to give me the plant when they were done. and i've absolutely fallen in love with it. lavender has proven to be an amazing compliment to the tart and sweet kumquats and together they made a scrumptious cupcake.

lavender + kumquat cupcakes
serving size: 18 cupcakes
prep time: 10 min
bake time: 15-20 min
total time with frosting: 1.5hrs
ingredients: 2 cups flour. 2 tsp baking powder. .5 tsp salt. .5 cup shortening. 2 eggs. 1.5 cups sugar. 1 tbs diced kumquat (about 2 kumquats). 1 tsp lavender leaves, minced. 1 tsp lavender flowers, minced. .75 cups buttermilk. .5 cups whole milk .5 tsp vanilla extract. .5tsp almond extract. 

preheat your oven to 350 f. with a mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the sugar and shortening.

while the shortening and sugar are being worked, combine the extracts, kumquats and lavender in a small bowl. 

with the mixer on a medium speed, add in the eggs until just combined. then add in the kumquat, lavender, extract mixture. 

still on medium, pour in the milk and buttermilk and mix till smooth. 

with the mixer on a slow speed add in the dry ingredients until just combined. 

spoon the mixture into a large ziplock or piping bag. 

into prepared cupcake pans, add 2-3 tbs batter to each pan. 

bake until a toothpick comes out of the cake clean. about 15 to 20 minutes
allow to cool completely.
frost with cream cheese frosting and serve. 

xo, a

lavender + kumquat cupcakes
serving size: 18 cupcakes
prep time: 10 min
bake time: 15-20 min
total time with frosting: 1.5hrs
ingredients: 2 cups flour. 2 tsp baking powder. .5 tsp salt. .5 cup shortening. 2 eggs. 1.5 cups sugar. 1 tbs diced kumquat (about 2 kumquats). 1 tsp lavender leaves, minced. 1 tsp lavender flowers, minced. 75 cups buttermilk. .5 cups whole milk .5 tsp vanilla extract. .5tsp almond extract.
preheat your oven to 350 f. with a mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the sugar and shortening.
while the shortening and sugar are being worked, combine the extracts, kumquats and lavender in a small bowl.
with the mixer on a medium speed, add in the eggs until just combined. then add in the kumquat, lavender, extract mixture.
still on medium, pour in the milk and buttermilk and mix till smooth.
with the mixer on a slow speed add in the dry ingredients until just combined.
spoon the mixture into a large ziplock or piping bag.
into prepared cupcake pans, add 2-3 tbs batter to each pan.
bake until a toothpick comes out of the cake clean. about 15 to 20 minutes
allow to cool completely.
frost with cream cheese frosting and serve.

it's no secret that i'm more of an everything in moderation type of cook and less of a healthy, animal free, gluten free, paleo, atkins, juice cleanse kind of cook. 

i mean, do you. but i never met a carb i didn't like, beef gives me life (literally & figuratively) and i can't go more than a few hours with out solid food.
but now that i'm teaching yoga pretty regularly, i'm definitely becoming more sensitive to the food needs of others. 

my good friends and yoga teachers recently relocated and relaunched their studio and this weekend they celebrated with a fabulous wellness fair serving their clients and community. i did a little food drop off for the event since i wasn't able to attend for long, and these tasty, energizing treats were the bell of the ball. 

tropical chocolate bites
serves: 25ish bites (depending on how big you cut them or how tall you make them)
prep time: 5 minutes
cook time: 10 minutes
cool time: 4 hours - over night
ingredients: 12 oz semi sweet chocolate morsels. 12 oz bittersweet chocolate morsels. 1 cup roasted nuts (i used almonds, brazil nuts, cashews), chopped. .25 c dried mango, chopped. .25 c raisins, chopped. .25 c dried cranberries, chopped. .25 c shredded coconut. 3 tbs sunflower seeds. 3 tbs chia seeds. wax or parchment paper. 

pour all the morsels in a glass or stainless steel bowl. fill a large pot with water and place the bowl of chocolate over the pot to create a double boiler. a double boiler is used so you do not burn the chocolate and it melts smooth. bring the water to a boil and allow the chocolate to melt, stirring every few minutes. this should take about 10 minutes.

when the chocolate has melted, pour in the sunflower seeds, chia seeds, nuts, raisins, cranberries, half the coconut and half of the mango. stir till the mixture is well combined. 

lay out the wax or parchment paper on either a rimmed baking sheet or square baking pan. spread the chocolate out evenly. top with remaining coconut and mango and allow to cool in the refrigerator for four hours or over night. 

remove the chocolate from the paper and slice it into equal bite size pieces. serve cool or at room temp. 

xo, a

tropical chocolate bites
serves: 25ish bites (depending on how big you cut them or how tall you make them)
prep time: 5 minutes
cook time: 10 minutes
cool time: 4 hours - over night
ingredients: 12 oz semi sweet chocolate morsels. 12 oz bittersweet chocolate morsels. 1 cup roasted nuts (i used almonds, brazil nuts, cashews), chopped. .25 c dried mango, chopped. .25 c raisins, chopped. .25 c dried cranberries, chopped. .25 c shredded coconut. 3 tbs sunflower seeds. 3 tbs chia seeds. wax or parchment paper. 
pour all the morsels in a glass or stainless steel bowl. fill a large pot with water and place the bowl of chocolate over the pot to create a double boiler. a double boiler is used so you do not burn the chocolate and it melts smooth. bring the water to a boil and allow the chocolate to melt, stirring every few minutes. this should take about 10 minutes.
when the chocolate has melted, pour in the sunflower seeds, chia seeds, nuts, raisins, cranberries, half the coconut and half of the mango. stir till the mixture is well combined. 
lay out the wax or parchment paper on either a rimmed baking sheet or square baking pan. spread the chocolate out evenly. top with remaining coconut and mango and allow to cool in the refrigerator for four hours or over night. 
remove the chocolate from the paper and slice it into equal bite size pieces. serve cool or at room temp.