Stew of the Week

Vegan Cupcakes: They're not just for vegans anymore!

It's tough living in a world of delicious temptation when you have to keep your triglycerides and cholesterol low while your other twenty-something friends eat in abundance. However, the cavalry has arrived in the form of vegan cupcakes!

*Note: I am not a vegan, but seriously, these cupcakes are insanely good.

1) They stay moist and delicious longer than regular cupcakes. No joke! I make a batch on Monday and they taste just as delicious on Sunday.
2) Easy as pie substitutions: canola oil for butter, soy milk for regular milk. Those two little changes cut out the vast majority of "baddies" from regular cupcakes.
3) A third fun substitution: agave nectar for sugar. It's the same calorie-wise, but it has a tremendously lower glycemic index, which is better for your digestion and reduces your risk of getting diabetes. Awesome!
4) Try them with whole wheat flour. It's just as delicious as regular flour and, again, has a lower glycemic index and retains a good amount of the nutrients naturally found in the grain. Why not?
5) You can make them in all shapes, sizes, and flavors. The book I've been using? Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World - they've got great basic recipes and fancy ones for the more adventurous. If you only make cupcakes on occasion, though, here's the book's recipe for a basic vegan cupcake.
6) Spoiler Alert: these cupcakes still have a decent amount of fat in them, including saturated fat, so they're not an everyday dessert, but if you're going to have a cupcake, this is the cupcake to have.
7) Give your friends/co-workers/significant others (or prospective significant others) one of these cupcakes, and they will love you forever. Who doesn't love love? Or at least getting on the boss' good side via delicious desserts.

Enjoy and happy stewing!

PS. If you have any vegan (or just plain not-quite-so-bad-for-you) cupcake recipes that you love, send them over and I'll post them for everyone to enjoy.