Ital is Vital... Vegan Cupcakes

Vanilla Vegan & Gluten-Free Cupcake with Vegan Buttercream and Strawberry Slices

Ital or I-tal (/ˈaɪtɑːl/ eye-tahl)  a diet designed to increase Livity (life energy).

Growing up in a Rastafarian household, there was a time that we ate only Ital food. In it's most purest form, Ital food is akin to a vegan diet minus the salt. In truth though, there are variations on the theme, and it is open to some level of interpretation. For me, when I think of Ital baking, I want to make something that anyone can eat, whether they are vegan, have nut allergies, a gluten intolerance or whatever else can steal the joy of someone wanting to eat a tasty cake.

Irie!

It's been a while since I did any, but last weekend, I tried my hand at a bit of Ital (in this case vegan and gluten-free) baking with a simple cupcake recipe adapted from Ms Cupcakes new cookery book - "The Naughtiest Vegan Cupcakes in Town"

Cupcakes fresh out of the oven

In my little bit of experience in making vegan cupcakes, I've discovered that there are a million ways to make them. Also once you get the right ingredients it's actually quite straightforward (my kinda cooking!)

Whilst I perfect my own recipe to share with you guys, check out PETA's website for a cool, step-by-step guide on how to make vanilla vegan cupcakes (Click here).

Some extra vegan baking tips;

• Vegetable shortening use Trex (for the British readers)
• Vinegar means Apple Cider Vinegar or White Wine Vinegar
• Oil means flavourless i.e. groundnut, grapeseed or sunflower oil
• I used gluten-free flour mix instead of the usual self-raising flour
• Work quickly once the liquid has been added to the dry-mix & don't overmix
• Vegan cakes don't last as long as normal ones so they are best eaten straightaway (which is really no problem at all!)

Vanilla Vegan & Gluten-Free Cupcake with Vegan Buttercream and Strawberry Slices - Ital baking at it's best!

Before I forget, the book is an essential item in a baker's kitchen - it's beautifully put together and the recipes are easy to follow. Get yourself a copy! :)

Peace & Love

xx

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Things I Love Thursdays... Jamaica

Jamaica

The sun greeted me as I stepped off the plane

Calling me in a way that only a mother can

Her warmth embraced me

She came with strong arms and a cool breeze.

Gently so as not to alarm.

I was pleasantly surprised to hear my soul relax

It was an unexpected sound

It was the sound of home

The air was thick with God, sex and magic

My heart beat to the sound of the bass

I was intoxicated

I was home

As I floated through the days

My senses somersaulted through the welcoming party

Music blasting through my veins,

Calling me to attention

The sing song of the people soothed

While my heart danced to stolen glances from secret friends

For my eyes, there were colours.

Some vibrant with youth,

Some wise and subdued with experience.

Pastels, and reds and yellows and greens and browns

Oh the browns

The brown earth,

The brown skins,

My earth, my skin

Our earth, our skin

Kissed, caressed and burnt by the sun

Our brown that tells a million stories

Stories of pain and beauty and captivity and freedom

Stories of home.

I am home.

Peace & Love

Xx

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Photography....

It's been a while since I got behind the camera seriously because I've been sooooo busy but I finally got to exercise those muscles with my homegirl Marie Dahlstrom, the very talented Danish soul singer.

In between catching up on life, eating & drinking wine, we managed to get some pretty cool shots!. Look out for her EP Gloom, coming soon!

https://soundcloud.com/mariedahlstromsound

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International Women's Day

This post is dedicated to the women and girls across the world. It's for the daughters, the sisters, the mothers, the friends and the lovers. It's for those that inspire us; the freedom fighters, the entrepreneurs, the activists, the performers, the leaders. It's for the beautiful women that capture our imagination and ignite our jealousies. It's for the poets and storytellers that sing our lives with their songs. It's for the women who don't have a voice, who aren't allowed to learn, or to vote or to drive or to show their faces. It's for the ones that suffer abuse at the hands of those that should protect them and who silently carry their pain. It's for the women that have been betrayed or lied to and those that have betrayed and lied. It's for those that choose to stand and be counted and for those that quietly take a stand behind closed doors. It's for those that flaunt their sexuality in the name of freedom and those that see modesty as their strength.

But most of all it is for you, and for we, and for me.

We are fearfully and wonderfully made. Too weak to carry heavy weights but strong enough to carry life. As young women, our vitality turns heads and stops traffic, giving way to stretch marks that bare the scars of a fruitful womb. Our tears may flow freely but our courage will never shrink.

Peace & Love to all the woman and lovers of woman across the world, let us celebrate each other, today and forever.

xxx

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The Lady Loves Cake

This is one of the pictures from my latest photo shoot with the beautiful and talented Marie Dahlstrøm, an up and coming soul singer from Denmark, currently based in London.

Me hard at work!

We had a lot of fun on the day and I managed to grab a sneaky picture of her eating one of the red velvet cupcakes that I bought along to keep our sugar levels up. I have no idea how she manages to make eating look quite like that, maybe one day when I grow up I'll discover the secret!

I'll be posting more pictures of this shoot and other on my Tumblr blog over the coming week so keep an eye out.

Peace & Love

xx

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Cupcake In A Jar... (Take Two)

I'm a romantic at heart and a lover of all things handwritten and handmade. I especially love handwritten post (or mail for my American friends), bills are definitely not included! So from the moment I saw the idea of cupcakes in a jar on one of my favourite blogs, Cakies, I really wanted to try it. It seemed like the perfect combination of all things cool for a gift.

Last year I went for it & sent a friend who lives a long way away, some red velvet cupcakes in a jar as a surprise birthday gift. 

Everything was fine until I posted it, at which point I transformed into a nervous wreck! I started panicking that the jar would break during transit (even though I had bubble wrapped it and covered it in newspaper) and whether it would get there in time for the big day. On the day itself, I was checking my phone every two minutes for word which never came.

It was just my luck that she was out when it arrived and as she wasn't expecting anything (surprise), she didn't rush to the Post Office to collect it. The next day she went on holiday for a week! By the time she eventually got the present, I'd been through all the stages of grief at my failed plan and was just hoping that the cream cheese frosting wouldn't poison her! The whole thing was a little traumatic to be honest and although she appreciated the gesture, I had hoped she'd be able to actually eat the cake!

Undeterred I tried my luck again this year. I still went for the element of surprise (as in I didn't tell her I was sending anything), but this time round, I made a vanilla cupcake with buttercream as I figure it doesn't need to be refrigerated and could cope with an unexpected short holiday. More importantly though, I let go of any stress and pressure because I'm pretty sure my nervous energy followed the gift the last time round!

It was a happily ever after ending and I was really pleased that I didn't let the first experience put me off trying again. It made me think about how important it is to keep trying as a more general life lesson. 

I do not think there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature. John D. Rockefeller.

Before I sign off I just wanted to remind you about my photography blog, I've added some pretty cool pictures over the last few weeks that I'd love you to see!

Peace & Love

xx

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