Stew of the Week: Mid-Week Update

My gracious sister just gave me a very Stew of the Week friendly book for graduation:



Babycakes: Vegan, Gluten-Free, and (Mostly) Sugar-Free Recipes from New York's Most Talked-About Bakery by Erin McKenna (owner and founder of Babycakes).

I'm totally stoked. Babycakes is absolutely delicious. Now that I live even relatively close to it, I had planned on going all the time, but now I can make their delicious treats at home, as well! And I can do fun variations for you folks in non-New York locations! It's going to be one tasty summer.

Thanks, sis!

Stew of the Week: Special Battle Edition Winner

And the winner is...

Bev's!!!!

It was really no contest.

No, really, it was no contest because when I asked everyone which they wanted to make first, everyone chose Bev's and no one wanted to make the other kind. So Bev's wins on recipe alone (the rolled oats really put them over the edge). A truly complete victory.

However, let us not disregard the other cookies. We did use egg whites instead of eggs, less salt, whole rolled oats instead of chopped, and I believe possibly even less sugar, so huzzah!

The cookies this time were even better than when I made them at home. Fluffier, crispy on the outside and soft in the middle, absolutely delightful.

And the vegan chocolate, chocolate chip cupcakes were scrumptious, as always. And a good helping of WALL-E added just the adorably romantic note to end the night. A happy birthday had by all!

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.