My Fave Vegan Desserts!

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I, just recently in the last year, changed my eating habits and became a vegan. For those of you who may not already know, a vegan is just someone who eats and consumes everything that is plant based and never animal products. 

I went vegan for three main reasons:

1. The cruelty that animals face due to humans is disgusting. And if you knew, and I mean really knew, where you food came from and how it was processed, you probably wouldn't eat the way you do now. ("Food Inc." is a fantastic documentary). 

2. It's more eco-friendly, and I am all about reducing my carbon foot print.

3. And lastly, I have a very sensitive stomach and had major issues for many years. Constant pain, bloating, nausea, and not regular at all bowl movements. So my diet was always very restricted and I felt trapped. Going vegan actually allowed me to see the endless possibilities of the power of veggies!!

Not to mention that being a primary consumer and eating lower on the trophic level, you gain a lot more energy than a secondary or tertiary consumer does. ~Sorry that's a bit sciencey, but basically what I mean is that you get more energy from eating plants then animals. 

By far, the hardest thing to reject when out with friends or family has been the desserts. Oh how it was difficult in the beginning cause this girl really loved falling victim to her sweet tooth. 

Once I found vegan recipes/alternatives for the things I used to love to eat, things got a little more joyous. 😁😋

Number One!

Ben and Jerry's Vegan Ice Cream Is The Bomb Diggity!!! My fave is the peanut butter with chunky bits of cookies!

Number Two!

I would like to attach a recipe for vegan carrot cake from "Loving It Vegan"

Here is the link: https://lovingitvegan.com/vegan-carrot-cake-lemon-buttercream-frosting/

Here is the Recipe for Vegan Carrot Cake Straight from "Loving It Vegan" By: Alison Andrews:

2 cups (250g) All Purpose Flour

1 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Salt

2 tsp Ground Cinnamon

1 tsp Ground Nutmeg

2 and 1/3 cups (255g) Grated Carrot

1 and 1/2 cups (300g) Brown Sugar

2 Flax Eggs (2 Tbsp Ground Flaxseed Meal with 6 Tbsp Water)

1/2 cup (120ml) Extra Virgin Olive Oil*

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar

1 cup (100g) Chopped Walnuts (Optional)

For the Lemon Buttercream Frosting:

3 and 3/4 cups (450g) Powdered (Confectioners) Sugar

3 Tbsp Vegan Butter

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar

3–4 Tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).

Grease two 7-inch cake pans (See Notes*) and line the bottoms with parchment paper.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg into a mixing bowl.

Add the grated carrot and the brown sugar.

Prepare the flax eggs, by mixing 2 Tbsp Flaxseed Meal with 6 Tbsp Water and allowing to sit for a minute.

In the meantime, add the oil, vanilla and apple cider vinegar to the mixing bowl.

Add the flax eggs.

Mix everything together in the mixing bowl. Have a little patience and let the batter sit for a minute or two so that the carrots can release more water into the batter to enable you to mix it all together.

*If your batter is still too dry to mix after letting it sit for a couple of minutes (and only if it’s too dry to mix after sitting for a few minutes) then add in a little non-dairy milk, only as much as you need to get the batter to a wet enough consistency so that it can mix properly.

Lastly add the chopped walnuts if you want to add them.

Divide the mixture between the two 7-inch cake tins.

Place into the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Allow the cakes to cool completely on a cooling rack.

While the cakes are cooling, prepare your frosting.

Add the powdered sugar, vegan butter, vanilla, apple cider vinegar and 3 Tbsp of lemon juice to an electric mixer bowl.

Start mixing on low speed.

If your frosting is too thick then add in more lemon juice a drop at a time as needed to get your frosting mix to the perfect consistency. If your frosting ends up too thin, add more powdered sugar.

Add frosting to the top of one of the layers.

Add the other layer on top and complete the frosting of the top and sides of the cake.

Sprinkle crushed walnuts on top of the cake and serve.

Number Three!

A blueberry muffin is a must! Here is a recipe off of "The Simple Veganista" website. 

Here is the link: https://simple-veganista.com/vegan-blueberry-muffins/

Here is the Recipe for Vegan Carrot Cake Straight from "The Simple Veganista" By: Julie:

2 cups flour (all-purpose, spelt, white whole wheat or combo)

2 ½ teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon mineral salt

¾ cup organic pure cane or turbinado sugar

1 cup unsweetened almond milk*

⅓ cup olive oil (or fruit infused olive oil: lemon or orange)**

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ½ – 2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen***

optional garnish

a few extra blueberries

sprinkle of cane sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix wet ingredients: In a 2 cup measuring cup, add the milk, sugar, oil and vanilla, stir to combine a few times to help soften the large grains of sugar.

Mix dry ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Combine wet & dry: Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and mix until just combined. Don’t overmix, overmixing the batter tends to make the muffins less tender.

Add blueberries: Toss in the fresh or frozen blueberries and gently fold them into the batter.

Scoop: Fill each muffin lined hole with batter. For uniformity, fill muffin tin using a ¼ measuring cup or large ice cream scooper to scoop up the batter and pour into the muffin holes.

Topping: Optionally, add a few strategic blueberries on top and sprinkle the top with a little pure cane sugar or raw sugar. The sugar will add a nice crunch to the tops!

Bake: Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Let cool a few minutes and enjoy warm or at room temperature.

Makes 12 muffins

Storing:

Counter & Fridge: Once completely cooled, store the muffins with a paper towel underneath and overtop in a container on the counter for up to 3 – 4 days. The paper towels will soak up moisture and keep them from getting too moist, losing their delicious crunchy top. They are also fine loosely covered for 1 – 2 days. Or store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Freezer: Once completely cooled, wrap muffins individually and store in a freezer safe container or baggie or up to 2 months. When ready to eat let thaw to room temperature.

(For further notes and instruction, you can go straight to their website). 

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I hope you find these three recipes/alternatives helpful and yummy. And don't forget, just because you're vegan or thinking of going vegan, there are ALWAYS super delicious options out there. 

Please, be good, be safe, and wear your masks! 

Peace 💟

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