Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Muffins

What is better than a chocolate muffin? A muffin with more chocolate! So why not try to make chocolate-chocolate chip muffins?! They are easy and quick to make, and everyone at the table will rejoice. Bake them for your fancy dinner party, pack some in your kid's lunch box, prepare them for your better half for a romantic dinner, make a batch for your colleagues at work, or simply make them because it's Monday ... They work for every occasion.

For 9 muffins (7 centimeter diameter at the top, 4 centimeter diameter at the bottom, and 4 centimeter tall) or 12 small-sized muffins (6 centimeter diameter at the top, 4 centimeter diameter at the bottom, and 3 centimeter tall), you will need:

• 240 grams of flour
• 11 grams of baking powder (1 packet)
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
• 25 grams of cocoa powder
• 150 grams of sugar
• 180 grams of chocolate chips
• 235 milliliters of buttermilk
• 100 milliliters of canola oil
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 15-20 minutes*


Start by pre-heating your oven at 205 degrees Celsius (400 degrees Fahrenheit).

In a bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, and sugar together.

Add the chocolate chips to the dry mix and stir together.

In another bowl, mix the buttermilk, canola oil, egg, and vanilla extract.

Pour the wet mix slowly to the dry mix, and stir together.

Slightly oil your muffins trays, and add the batter into them.

9-muffin batch

12-small-sized-muffin batch

Bake the muffins for about 15 to 20 minutes. Make sure to check at 15 minutes the inside of the muffins by poking with a knife. If the knife gets out clean, the muffins are baked. If the knife gets out with some uncooked batter, let them bake a few more minutes.

9-muffin batch

12-small-sized-muffin batch

Once baked, let the muffins rest until serving time.

As a suggestion, you can serve the chocolate-chocolate chip muffins with a delicious vanilla cream or a cardamom cream.

*Note: For the small-sized muffins, don't forget to readjust your baking time to 12 to 13 minutes.

As with all the other recipes we put on this site, this is meant to be easy to follow. We are hobby chefs who love to cook, and we are always up for learning new techniques. If you know of anything in this recipe which can be done a different way, whether for increased ease of preparation or better taste, please add a comment below!

Whipped up by Charline Leblond

Guacamole

Guacamole is one of my favorite dips. I enjoy it with corn or tortilla chips, and as a topping in my beef burger.

Guacamole is very easy to make and you don't have to make it hours in advance, as it is very quick to make. If you have the ingredients on-hand, it is a last minute snack or appetizer when unexpected guests stop by for a drink.

To make my guacamole I use a pestle and mortar. But if you don't have one, use a potato masher and a bowl.

For 4 to 6 servings, you will need:

• 2 large, ripe avocados
• One small red onion, for 2 tablespoons  
• A large handful of fresh cilantro, for 2 tablespoons
• One tomato, for 3 tablespoons
• One chili, for 2 tablespoons*
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper*
• 1 tablespoon of lime juice

Preparation time: 10 minutes

For the guacamole preparation, don't crush the ingredients to a paste, because you want a nice chunky texture at the end.

Start by dicing the red onion into small pieces and loosely dicing the cilantro.

Then, peel the tomato - I like it that way, so you don't end up eating pieces of tomato skin - and dice it. Finally, dice the chili. Reserve the diced tomato and chili until it is time to incorporate it to your preparation.

Crush the diced red onion and cilantro together in a mortar with the pestle.

Add the salt, cayenne pepper, diced tomato, and diced chili into the mortar and crush with the pestle.

Peel the avocado, remove the pit, and cut it into large chunks. Add the avocado chunks and the lime juice into the mortar and loosely crush with the pestle.

That was easy! Your guacamole is ready! Reserve it in the fridge tightly sealed until serving.

*Note: You can deseed the chili and substitute the cayenne pepper with paprika if you want your guacamole mild.

As with all the other recipes we put on this site, this is meant to be easy to follow. We are hobby chefs who love to cook, and we are always up for learning new techniques. If you know of anything in this recipe which can be done a different way, whether for increased ease of preparation or better taste, please add a comment below!

Whipped up by Charline Leblond

Quinoa Salad with Roasted Eggplant and Chickpeas

A hearty and wholesome savory salad to enjoy for lunch or dinner. This is a meal in itself, or it pairs really well with grilled meats, sausages, and other barbecue foods.

For 4 servings, you will need:

• 150 grams of quinoa
• 1 eggplant
• 1 can (400 grams) of chickpeas, drained
• 1 medium-size red onion or 2 small-size red onions
• A handful of fresh cilantro
• Some olive oil to roast the eggplant and chickpeas

For the dressing, refer to our sweet and spicy dressing recipe.


Preparation Time: 40 minutes
Resting Time: At least 1 hour if you'd like your salad cold


Start by pre-heating your oven at 220 C ( 430 F).

Drain the liquid out of the can of chickpeas, then rinse and drain them.

Rinse the eggplant, then shop it into small cubes.

Place the chickpeas and eggplant pieces in a large bowl. Add some olive oil and toss the chickpeas and eggplant pieces to have the olive oil coat your veggies.

Cover an oven rack with foil or parchment paper, and drizzle a little bit of olive oil.

Spread the chickpeas and the eggplant pieces on the foil, and place the oven rack in the oven for about 15 to 20 minutes, keep your eyes on it.

While the chickpeas and eggplant are roasting, prepare the quinoa per the packet's instructions - mine says one part quinoa for two parts water, and heat it up for about 15 minutes.

While everything is roasting and boiling, finely chop the red onion and roughly chop the coriander.

Once the chickpeas and eggplant are roasted and the quinoa is cooked, let them cool down for about 20 minutes.

Combine all the ingredients together.

Prepare the dressing by referring to our sweet and spicy dressing recipe.

Now, you have another decision to make!
If you would like to eat the salad warm, serve it right away after adding the dressing.
If you would like to eat the salad cold, which is my preference, cover the salad and place it in the fridge for at least one hour. Before serving, add the dressing, or simply let everyone help themselves to however much dressing they want to add.

Enjoy!

As with all the other recipes we put on this site, this is meant to be easy to follow. We are hobby chefs who love to cook, and we are always up for learning new techniques. If you know of anything in this recipe which can be done a different way, whether for increased ease of preparation or better taste, please add a comment below!

Whipped up by Charline Leblond