Coconut Lime Cupcakes with Lime Buttercream

Last month, our friends Maya and Ryder hosted a dessert potluck. I love the idea of a get-together featuring yummy drinks (they served Hot Toddys and sparkling wine with a pomegranate syrup) and desserts. Hello, sugar!

I made Coconut Lime Cupcakes with Lime Buttercream from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. They were very good, but not one of my favorites from the book. But they looked pretty and fancy, here featured on a beautiful and funky ceramic plate my friend Kate made me. 

Maya made vegan truffles using this recipe. They were awesome! She added almond extract to some and orange extract to others; I liked those best. I will definitely make these truffles.

Meghan made a raw vegan cheesecake that was great, but I don't have the recipe. It was smooth and creamy, with a sweet crust. It had cardamom in it, which was a really interesting and different taste. I'd like to try my hand at a raw vegan cheesecake sometime.

Skinny Margaritas

My husband and I grilled out last night to make fajitas for Cinco de Mayo. I grilled portobello mushrooms and onions for my fajitas. I also made amazingly fresh and delicious guacamole for the fajitas (recipe below). I lightly grilled the corn tortillas too. The fajitas were amazing!

I also made the best margaritas ever! I searched skinny margarita recipes online and combined what I thought were the best of each I found. They were so fresh and delicious--definitely one of the best drinks I've ever had. (See recipe below.) Of course they were great with chips, salsa, and guacamole, but I think I'm going to serve these margaritas up for my next get-together with friends, too.

We ate dinner on our patio then headed up to the roof off of our third floor, where we have a great view of Downtown Pittsburgh and the fireworks for the Pirates game. And there was a super moon, too! 

Skinny Margaritas
Makes 1 drink

• 1 whole lime
• 1/3 orange
• 1/2 packet of Stevia, or your favorite sweetener (optional)
• 1 shot of tequila
• 1/4 cup Sprite Zero

1. Squeeze the juice from 1 whole lime and 1/3 of an orange into a glass.
2. Add some sweetener if you'd like. I tend to like things very sweet, but a packet of Stevia was way too much. A half packet was okay, but they were just as good without any sweetener.
3. Add the tequila, ice, and stir well.
4. If you want a strong drink, skip the diet Sprite. I don't like strong drinks, so I added a bit of Sprite Zero.
5. Enjoy!

Guacamole (from Veganomicon)
Guac is so simple to make, but I'd never made it before I'd bought Veganomicon. If you're looking for a good, basic recipe, this is great.

• 1 very ripe avocado (the riper and softer, the better)
• 1/2 to 1 lime
• 1 small red onion, minced
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper

1. Slice the avocado in half, then again in quarters. Throw out the pit (or keep it if you're not going to eat all the guac immediately). Peel off the skin and put the quartered pieces in a bowl.
2. Add the minced red onion, and squeeze the juice of a half a lime on top.
3. Mash everything up with a fork. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and mix again.
4. If you want it more lime-y, add more juice. The original recipe called for 1 lime, but I thought a half was perfect.
5. To store it, put the pit in the guac and cover with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap against the guac so no air can get through and cause the guac to go brown.