Vegan Cupcakes

In light of the little ones food allergies, I've had to adjust my diet. I spent three days rather hungry, as I realized that my pantry was FULL of hidden allergens. It is actually a blessing in disguise, because it made me realize that I've slipped off of the fresh food diet of my youth. So, we went grocery shopping and purchased a lot of "ground food". I'll be going back to the cooking of my youth, which my husband will enjoy immensely as it is also the type of food to which he is accustomed. A friend of mine has also offered to purchase me an allergy free cookbook, which I think will be a valuable resource. I've scoured the Internet, and spoken to some friends, and found "top-8 free" and vegan cooking resources. But one area was still coming up short. Dessert. I love my fresh fruit and all, but sometime this woman wants a chocolate lava cake. A friend of mine suggested that I get Vegan Cupcakes Take over the World. So, I found a few of the recipes online, and decided to try one out before I purchased the book.

I took the plain vanilla cupcake recipe, added some vegan chocolate chips, and voila, a vegan cupcake. The thing that I liked about the recipe was that it wasn't a "regular" cupcake veganized. It didn't call for egg substitutes, and things of that nature. I seems that the authors created the recipe from the ground up, without the dairy and animal byproducts. And, it was easy. No strange ingredients that I can't find, or afford. In fact, I had all of the ingredients in my house already. Easy. So, was it tasty?

You bet it was! This is not a healthy cupcake. It is full of sugar and fat and vanilla and lovely deliciousness. If you want a healthy cupcake, this is not for you. If you want a GOOD cupcake (or cake or brownie) this this might be the book for you. I liked the cupcakes so much I ate four! I've never eaten four cupcakes in a row in my life. I only stopped myself because I knew it was a bad idea to eat any more. Everyone else in the house liked them too, a few people liked the vegan cupcake better than its non-vegan counterpart. The flavor is different, lighter, but it tastes like a cupcake. Most people would not believe that this cupcake was vegan.

I'm excited! I can make desserts for parties and celebrations. I can have parties and cookouts and get-togethers, and most people will be able to eat the foods I make. I won't have to cook two different meals for my family. My sister and mother, who love to bake, can still bless us with their culinary skills. We can all eat, drink and be merry, and no one suffers. My son and others with food allergies or dietary restrictions can enjoy everything. My husband, and others that eat everything, will love the well cooked, tasty food, and won't feel like they are suffering or eating tree bark.

I'm having a party...