Avocado Strawberry Caprese

Ingredients

• 1.5 teaspoons â almond milk unsweetened as needed
• 250 mL vanilla almond milk unsweetened
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar 
• 5 mL apple cider vinegar 
• 1 medium avocado diced pitted ripe
• 50 g â avocado packed
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• 80 mL balsamic vinegar 
• 8 g basilâ leaves loosely packed
• 2 servings pepper black freshly ground to taste
• 5 mL karo syrup 
• 100 g â vegan butter 
• 160 g cherry tomatoes halved
• 250 mL coconut water 
• 15 g cilantro leaves fresh packed
• 18 g parsley leaves fresh loosely packed
• 2 large granny smith apples cored roughly chopped (400 g total)
• 80 mL grapeseed oil 
• 1  to 2 wheatgrass cubes frozen
• 5 large to 6 ice cubes or as needed
• 60 mL almond milk ice cubes plus more for serving
• 250 g powdered icing sugar sifted
• 125 mL mango juice organic (I love Happy Planet Mango juice)
• 4 teaspoons â lemon juice fresh to taste
• 15 mL juice of lemon fresh
• 70 g mango chunks frozen
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup pure to taste
• 1 teaspoon matcha tea powder green
• 0.3 teaspoon ground mustard dry
• 220 g natural cane sugar 
• 1.5 teaspoons olive oil extra-virgin
• 0.8 cup pure/refined olive oil (190 mL to 250 mL)
• 70 g leaf lettuce red packed
• 0.3 teaspoon sea salt to taste fine
• 0.5 teaspoon sea salt to taste fine
• 0.8 teaspoon sea salt fine
• 2 servings sea salt to taste fine
• 2 servings sesame seed toasted chopped for serving
• 2 servings sprinkles for decorating***
• 135 g strawberries hulled sliced
• 2 small pinky-sized pieces turmeric fresh peeled (12 g total)
• 210 g unbleached flour all-purpose
• 27 g cocoa powder unsweetened
• 250 mL coconut milk unsweetened
• 0.3 teaspoon vanilla bean powder seeded
• 0.5 teaspoon vanilla extract pure
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract pure
• 45 mL aquafaba (chickpea brine)

Equipment

• bowl
• sauce pan
• oven
• whisk
• mixing bowl
• wire rack
• blender
• toothpicks
• aluminum foil
• muffin liners
• immersion blender

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, bring the vinegar to a simmer over medium heat. Once the vinegar starts to simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 6 to 10 minutes, uncovered, until the vinegar thickens, and reduces in volume by half. Set aside.Meanwhile, add the strawberries, tomatoes, avocado, and basil into a large shallow bowl.
2. Drizzle on the oil and gently toss until the veggies are coated. Season generously with salt and pepper and toss again just briefly.Scatter on your desired amount of toasted seeds or nuts.
3. Drizzle on all of the balsamic reduction.
4. Serve immediately. This salad is definitely best enjoyed fresh, but leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for a few hours if necessary.
5. Add the aquafaba, lemon, vinegar, syrup, salt, and dry mustard into a tall container. With an immersion blender, blend to combine. Alternatively, use an upright high-speed blender, and blend on low to medium speed. While blending, slowly stream in the oil (a tablespoon or two at a time) until it thickens into a white, creamy mayo. (I usually use3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of oil, but you might need anywhere from 3/4 to 1 cup.)Store leftovers in an airtight container or jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
6. Add the cup of almond milk into a blender along with 2 almond milk ice cubes, matcha powder, vanilla, maple syrup, and the optional frozen wheatgrass cube(s). Blend on high for around 20 seconds to ensure it gets nice and frothy.
7. Pour into a glass, along with more almond milk ice cubes. You can also add a spoonful of coconut whipped cream and a sprinkle of Matcha on top to make it ultra fancy-pants!
8. Add the coconut water and mango juice into a (64-ounce) high-speed blender. (If your blender is on the small side, you may want to make a half-batch.)Now add the rest of the ingredients. Blend on high until super smooth. If you have a Vitamix, use the tamper stick to get things moving. Taste and adjust sweetness if desired. If it's too tart, feel free to add a bit of liquid sweetener.
9. Serve and enjoy!
10. Add the milk, sugar, oil, vinegar, and vanilla into a large mixing bowl. With electric mixers, beat the wet ingredients on low speed until combined.In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt until no clumps remain.Gradually add the dry flour mixture to the wet ingredients and beat just until smooth and no patches of flour remain.Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, about two-thirds full for each.
11. Bake for 20 to 24 minutes, or until the cupcakes slowly spring back when pressed gently with a finger. A toothpick inserted into the centre should also come out clean. Cool the cupcakes on a cooling rack.For the buttercream: In a large bowl, beat the butter and vanilla with electric beaters until light and fluffy.
12. Add the icing sugar, gradually, while beating on low speed. Now, add in the milk to thin it to your desired consistency, while gradually increasing the speed. I add a teaspoon at a time. If at any point you add too much milk and the buttercream becomes runny, simply add more icing sugar to thicken it back up. You want a nice spreadable consistency that is not runny.
13. Add the salt to taste and beat again to combine.Once the cupcakes are completely cool, spread a thick layer of frosting on top of each, followed by a generous amount of sprinkles. Enjoy!Leftover cupcakes will keep for a couple days in a sealed container, or you can freeze them for up to 1 month. I freeze them uncovered at first and then once they are frozen solid, I wrap each cupcake individually in foil. Then I place all of them into a large freezer zip bag, pressing out all the air.