fiesta de puebla

while at the library the other day, i noticed a stack of vegetarian times magazines that were in the free pile. i took some of them home, and i'm so glad i did! we've already tried out a couple recipes, and everything has been great. i thought i'd share my modified recipes, but if you're interested in the originals, they're probably online. i'd bet they're even better!

i started out making dessert first, and had it only been me that was eating, i would have stopped there. while flipping through the stack at the library, this is the recipe that made me take a couple home. having tasted tres leches cake for the first time ever only a couple of months ago at a local restaurant, i've been on the hunt for a good recipe to make my own. this one was almost as amazing as the first i tried. i added goji berries with whipped cream since i had them on hand, and it was awesome.

tres leches cake with lime and mint infused goji berries

cake:
1 1/2 cups of flour (i did half whole wheat, half white)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup of unsalted butter, room temp
1/4 cup all natural cinnamon applesauce
1 cup sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract

tres leches glaze:
3/4 cup low fat evaporated milk
1/2 cup low fat milk
1/2 cup low fat sweetened condensed milk ( i thought for sure i had some coconut milk in the pantry to use instead, but i didn't. i think it would be an awesome substitute - i'm going to try it next time)
2 tbsp all natural mojito mix (this is my newest cooking secret! i freeze it in cubes, and use it instead of lime juice. it's just a little sweeter and has a hint of mint. hint of mint, ha!)

infused goji berries:
3 tbsp goji berries
2 tbsp mojito mix

1. preheat oven to 350 F. coat 9" pie pan with cooking spray. soak goji berries in mix and set aside.
2. cake: whisk first four ingredients in medium bowl.
3. beat butter, applesauce and sugar with an electric mixer 2 to 3 minutes, or until light and fluffy. beat in eggs one at a time, then beat in vanilla. continue beating on medium 2 minutes, or until batter is smooth. beat in flour, 1/2 cup at a time until batter is smooth. increase beater speed to medium high, and beat 5 minutes.
4. pour batter into prepared pan, and bake for 30 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. place cake on wire rack to cool, and poke holes all over using a fork or skewer.
5. tres leches glaze: whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl and spread over cooled cake (i just did this in the pan, skipping the cooling rack).
6. top with whipped cream and drained goji berries, and enjoy!

nopalitos-style salad

dressing:
2 tbsp lime juice (or my mix trick)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp chili powder
3 tbsp olive oil

salad:
bunch of arugula (i'm crazy about it)
bunch of romaine
1 diced apple
small jar of artichoke hearts
chives

need i explain? enjoy!