Happy World Vegan Day! The world’s first Vegan Society was founded on November 1st, and November is also World Vegan Month. It’s a wonderful opportunity to celebrate all the individuals and organizations working to make the world kinder to animals and the planet everyday.
For those who are curious about veganism but haven’t made the leap yet, it’s the perfect time to find out more about how healthful and delicious a cruelty-free lifestyle can be. Some great websites with loads of resources are:
Vegan Outreach (get your free starter guide)
Vegan.com
The Vegan Society
On to a recipe! I can’t resist the appeal of pumpkin everything in October and November, especially teamed with ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon and I’ve been baking with pumpkin regularly since the end of summer. For those who think you need eggs and dairy to make baking soft, rich and fluffy, I am happy to assure you that vegan baking has all the taste and texture you’re looking for.
This muffin recipe makes for a decadent, cake-y muffin, perfect for brunch or dessert. Turn them into cupcakes by topping with icing! My cupcakes in the photo have also been sprinkled with cacao nibs.
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins and Cupcakes
1 3/4 cup flour (I use half whole wheat, half all-purpose)
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp powdered ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/3 cup grapeseed or melted coconut oil
1/3 cup soy milk or water
1/4 cup molasses
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chocolate chips or chunks
vegan icing (optional, see below)
Mix the dry ingredients together (except for the chocolate chips). Mix the wet ingredients together in a separate bowl, then pour into the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined. Add the chocolate chips and gently stir.
Pour into 12 greased muffin cups and bake at 400 degrees for 22-25 minutes, or until baked all the way through.
Variation: Chocolate Chip Sweet Potato Muffins/Cupcakes: swap the pumpkin for pureed baked sweet potato! They taste just as delicious.
For the optional cupcake icing, I simply put powdered sugar in my blender, added a drop of vanilla extract, a splash of soy milk, then I add vegan margarine until it makes the perfect creamy texture. Voila: super easy, vegan vanilla icing, no exact measuring required. Or you can use whatever vegan icing you wish. A super easy chocolate icing recipe is The PPK’s Chocolate Ganache.
In other news, I’ve been posting recipes and photos more frequently on Instagram these days. You can find me here.
