Sweet Potato Cupcakes w/ Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

...That are vegan...

Don't ask me why I didn't include that in the title.

Actually, please ask me.

Maybe it's because I know If wrote vegan, 1/2 of you wouldn't look at it.

And that 1/2 of you would also think I am weird.

Let me just say this...If vegan looks (And taste) THIS good...

Then I am A-O-K with with weird.

There is nothing wrong with being weird. For instance. You might think that my 7 month old daughter is weird because she likes to make out with herself in the mirror.

You think it's weird. I think she is simply expressing her self in a healthy way....

But if she is still doing this 10-15 years down the road...I might agree with you on the weird...even a little worried...thing.

And let me be clear that I am not saying Vegan's are weird. Because I myself eat alot of Vegan dishes.

Am I weird?!?

Heck to the no! (Just nod your head and agree)

You see what I am trying to do is explain and teach...I think that is how I am going to put it. I have alot of friends and family who question the way that I eat. They always ask me..."Now is this vegan, does this have butter, what did you put in those cupcakes...??" And I simply reply with..."yes, maybe not, and you don't want to know!"

This post isn't about trying to convince everyone to eat the way I do, or avoid animal products all together. I really want to share with others how I made the decision for me not to eat meat sometimes, as well as avoiding some dairy. And in return, I will share with you something that may...well...

Make you love me forever.

Choosing to not eat meat (all the time) didn't really happen because I simply saw how cows & pigs were killed, and decided from then on I was turned off. It happened gradually. I started watching documentaries and reading books. I learned the truth about our food and it's industry and realized what I was putting in my body was potentially harming me. I didn't like the thought of mass production and animals sitting in their own droppings. It scared me that animals who were sick and full of diseases were being processed and packaged and shipped to stores around the nation. It bothered me that in ONE hamburger was the meat from 1000's of different cows. It terrified me that young children, and MANY adults were sick with diabetes and a number of other diseases due to the mistreatment of their bodies. And it sickened me that products are recalled all the time due to contamination.

I thought about my daughter and my family, and then I thought about our bodies. Why would I want to put harmful things into my body, which is such a blessing. My body is a temple, and I should treat it that way.

Now I'm not saying eating meat is a bad bad naughty tsk tsk thing. But too much of anything is a never a good thing. Unless it's chocolate. I will NOT argue there. So I began to eat meat in moderation, and if I ate it, it was usually chicken, and I made sure it was organic. Call me a freak, but I wanted my chick a dees fed the right food, treated properly, and taken care of..aka not stuffed with crap, barely able to walk, unable to see the light of day...

I began to include whole fresh ingredients, and a lot of my meals were vegetarian/vegan based. Of coarse I love the occasional goat cheese, eggs, and Argentine Empanadas because they are my favorite, but I chose to remember all things in moderation.

And I have never felt better. I love my body and what it does for me, and I want to treat it the best way possible.

Again, this is not meant to force a vegan/vegetarian diet on you. Every person is different and requires different needs. This is all based off of me...and what is best for me and makes me happy :)

And what makes me happy the most...

are these delicious VeGaN cupcakes :)

Vegan Sweet Potato Cupcakes w/ Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients: (Cupcakes)

1 1/2 C whole wheat pastry flour

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. Baking soda

3/4 tsp. Baking Powder

1 cup soy milk

1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup canola oil

1/2 cup organic sugar

1/2 cup sucanat or brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. almond extract

1 cup sweet potato puree

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 cup earth balance (butter)

1/2 cup vegan cream cheese (tofutti is best-or reg cream cheese)

3-4 cups powdered sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

3-4 TB 100% pure maple syrup

1-2 TB soymilk

Directions: (Cupcakes)

1. Preheat oven to 350. In a liquid measure, whisk together soymilk and vinegar, and set aside.

2. In a separate bowl sift together flour, BP, BS, and spices and set aside. In another bowl add sweet potato and soymilk. Mix until combined. Add oil, vanilla, almond extract and combine. Then add sugars and mix until combined. Then add the dry ingredients and mix...until combined :)

3. Pour batters into cupcake pan and bake for 22-27 min.

4. Once done, let cool and prepare frosting.

5. For frosting cream butter and cream cheese until smooth. Then add powdered sugar, syrup, vanilla, and soymilk. The trick with frosting though is to do it in batches to reach your preference. I like my frostings sweet. If you want it more sweet at sugar. If it's too thick add milk. If it's not enough cream cheesy add more by the TB, and does it need more maple? You get the idea.

6. Frost cupcakes and top with pecans. Eat..and Enjoy!

I topped mine with more maple syrup...

That was definitely a smart move.

These are so moist and the frosting is so creamy, you wouldn't even guess they were...shhhh..the V word!

Which is why I don't usually tell people..aka..the hubby. Poor guy doesn't even know what I feed him. But he keeps coming back for more :) SO I guess I don't feel to bad!