Cream Filled Yellow Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache and Toffee Sprinkles, Plus Millet Salad

I made these cupcakes for a friend's birthday bash. They're all getting sloshed, so I thought I'd make something to mellow out their alcoholic binge... Don't cupcakes soak up alcohol? I'm not an expert, 'cause I don't drink- but I have a feeling that these will accompany nicely... at least until they get sick from too much booze! I used the basic yellow cupcake recipe from the famous VCTOTW book and doubled it to make 2 dozen. Then, I also filled the centers with some vanilla cream and slathered the tops with chocolate ganache. Lastly, I sprinkled some vegan candy toffee crumbles on top for texture... Yum! Like alcohol, you should probably have these in moderation!

Vanilla Cream:

1/2 pkg Tofutti cream cheese
3 T. vegetable shortening
3 T. soy milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 C. confectioner's sugar

Spinz:

Whisk all ingredients together until smooth.

Chocolate Ganache:

1/4 C. vegan margarine
1/3 C. cocoa powder
1 1/3 C. confectioner's sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 T. soy milk

Spinz:

In a sauce pan, melt the margarine, then whisk in cocoa powder. Whisk in half of the confectioner's sugar, then the soy milk and vanilla, then the rest of the sugar. Whisk until smooth, take off heat and let cool for 5-10 minutes before frosting.

To assemble:

When the cupcakes are cooled down, poke a hole from the top of the cupcake to the center with the end of a chopstick (or something similar). With your finger, push the hole in further and make a "well" in the middle- try not to break open the tops. It helps if you have slender fingers. Put the cream filling into a pastry bag or I just used an old agave nectar bottle (squeeze bottle). Fill the cupcakes level to the top. Next, dollop a spoonful of ganache on top and flatten out with the back of the spoon. Sprinkle with crumbled vegan toffee candy. Put in the fridge to cool before serving.

I've recently discovered millet. It's a small grain that I've been steaming in my trusty rice cooker (I use this for all my grains). It's delicious, fluffy, and has a great nutty taste, not unlike brown rice. Since, my mom has been focusing on whole grains for her cancer diet, I've been mixing various grains with her brown rice to soften the texture. I've also been adding a little more water to the steamer. Luckily, she's always liked brown rice- a lot of Asians prefer white rice and have a hard time getting used to the brown.

Here, I've simply mixed in sauteed onion, some raw chopped celery leaves, hearts of palm, lemon juice, a little tumeric, and a little salt. Very light and tasty!