Onion-fig Jam Recipe

This is a variation on my onion jam recipe that I posted a few years ago.  The figs add just a touch of sweetness and a little texture.  I served them on some homemade cream cheese and herbed oatmeal crackers, but I imagine that it would be delicious on a hamburger or on chicken.

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons olive oil
6 red onions, large thinly sliced
1 pound figs, quartered lengthwise and then sliced width-wise
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar (not the aged sweet stuff)
1/8 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup brandy
1/2 cup honey
4 sprigs fresh rosemary, stems removed, leaves chopped
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon mustard seed
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

Heat oil in a large skillet (I used a 5 quart deep sauté pan) until it just barely begins smoking, add onions and cook until soft and translucent on medium high heat.

Once softened, lower heat to medium or medium low, and continue to cook onions until brown and caramelized. This will take forever (as long as three hours), but it is worth the wait.

Add remaining ingredients and cover the pot.  Cook on low for 10-15 minutes so the figs break down.

Uncover and continue to simmer on low stirring occasionally until the jam reaches a thick, jam-like consistency.

Yields about 5 cups.

If desired, follow standard processing procedures to preserve your jars of jam or just pop it in the refrigerator. Unprocessed, it will last about 6 weeks in the refrigerator.

Vegan Rum-Chocolate Cupcake Recipe

In my efforts to incorporate more booze into my life, I made cornbread muffins with a hint of bourbon.  This time I went for dark rum in a chocolate cupcake.  They are delicious.


Cupcake Ingredients
1 cup demerara sugar*
1/3 cup coconut oil (or veg oil)**
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup rice milk***

1/2 cup dark rum
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup golden raisins, raisins, or chocolate chips (or a combination)


Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a muffin pan paper baking cups.

Beat together the coconut oil and sugar. Mix in the rice milk, cider vinegar, dark rum, and vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl, combine the cocoa powder, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and flour.  When all of the dry ingredients have been combined, slowly add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients.

When the wet and dry ingredients have been incorporated together, mix in your raisins/chocolate chips.

Portion out the batter into the pre-lined muffin pan.

Bake for 18-22 minutes.

I topped mine with buttercream to which I added the zest of four small limes and the juice of one lime.

*I think that demerara sugar adds a richness to the recipe.  If you don't have demerara sugar, use 1/2 cup of brown sugar and 1/2 cup of white sugar.

**I use coconut oil because I like the texture and body that it adds to the recipe, but canola or vegetable oil would also work. 

*** You can use any milk substitute for this.  I use rice milk because it's what I use on my cereal.

.

Vegan Tom Yum Soup Recipe

I love Tom Yum soup.  I have tried to make it a number of times and failed miserably.  This is the first time that I made it that it was actually good.  I used this recipe for the foundation and tweaked it to my own taste.  I also had some lovely, home-grown summer squash lying around, so I tossed it in.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 quart low-sodium vegetable broth/stock

1 stalk lemongrass, sliced

3 whole kaffir lime leaves

1/2 teaspoon dried crushed chili

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 thumb-size piece ginger, diced

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

1 teaspoon brown sugar

4 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lime juice

1 1/2 cups baby bok choy (cut off the bottom of the bok choy and separate the sprigs. If the pieces are large, slice the bok choy)

5-6 sprigs of fresh cilantro

Chili oil, to taste

(optional) 1 cup tofu, 1 cup quartered and sliced summer squash, and/or 1 cup cherry tomatoes

Preparation

• Put vegetable broth in a stock pot.  Add the lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, dried chili, garlic, and ginger. Boil for 5-8 minutes.
• Add the mushrooms. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 5-8 minutes, or until mushrooms are soft.
• Add the brown sugar, soy sauce, and lime.  Simmer for 1-2 minutes.
• Add the bok choy (and any optional ingredients).  Remove from heat. 
• Do a taste-test.  If you want more heat, add a little chili oil. If you want it to be a little more salty, add some more soy sauce.  Add a little more lime juice, if you want it to be a little more sour.  If it is too sour, add a little more brown sugar.
• Serve with a little fresh cilantro.

Gluten-free, Vegan Strawberry Preserve Filled Banana Cupcake Recipe

My vegan strawberry preserve filled banana cupcake recipe was so popular that I decided to make a gluten-free version.  For a first attempt at gluten-free baking, this turned out splendidly. 

Ingredients

4 ripe bananas

1/3 cup coconut oil, warmed until liquid

3/4 cup demerara or raw sugar

1/4 cup rice milk

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cup quinoa flour*

Approximately 1/3 cup of strawberry preserves

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a muffin pan with 12 paper baking cups

Toss the bananas into a mixing bowl and mash them with a mixer.  Add the sugar and oil and mix well. Incorporate the rice milk, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla extract.

Add the baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Mix well.  Add flour, taking care not to overmix.

Portion out the batter into the pre-lined muffin pan, filling each cup only one-quarter of the way full.

Scoop a spoonful of strawberry preserves into the center of each cupcake and fill the cups with the remaining batter.

Bake for 22-24 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out (relatively) clean.

I topped these delicious cupcakes with my own peanut butter frosting.  The recipe can be found here.




*Quinoa flour is an interesting beast.  It has a distinctly grassy flavor.  I have read that baking it at a low temperature for a couple of hours will help to get rid of the grassy taste.  Since this was my first time using quinoa flour, I decided not to bake it so I could see what it tastes like.  The taste didn't bother me for this recipe, but I can see how it might be unpleasant in other recipes.  I'll continue to experiment and keep you updated.


.

Vegan Gingerbread Cupcake Recipe

 

Mmmmmm.... gingery....

 

Fat-free, low-sugar, moist and delicious, these cupcakes are a great holiday treat.

 

 

Ingredients

½ cup molasses

4 ripe bananas, mashed

¼ teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice mix

½ teaspoon cinnamon

4 teaspoons ground ginger

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated

¼ cup candied ginger, finely diced

¾ cup coconut or rice milk

zest of one orange

juice of one orange

2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup raisins (optional)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a muffin pan with 12 paper baking cups

Toss the bananas into a mixing bowl and mash them with a mixer.  Add the molasses, vanilla, and spices and mix well. Incorporate the coconut/rice milk, orange zest, and orange juice.

Add the baking powder and baking soda. Mix well. Add the flour, taking care not to overmix.

Stir in the raisins.

Portion out the batter into the pre-lined muffin pan. They don't rise very much, so you can fill the cups the whole way.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

Candied Pecan Recipe

A few years ago, my internet Secret Santa gave me homemade candied pecans. From that day I hated my Secret Santa for introducing me to the most wonderful concoction known to man and then dropping out of my life as if this exchange meant nothing to him.

I finally tried to make my own.

Ingredients

1 egg white

1 Tbsp water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups of pecans

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation

Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

Put the sugar, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt into a resealable plastic bag. Shake to combine.

Put the egg, water, and vanilla into a bowl and beat until slightly foamy. Add the pecans and stir to coat.

Lift the pecans out of the bowl with a fork or slotted spoon and shake to remove the excess egg white mixture.

Add the pecans to the bag with the sugar and spices. Shake the pecans in the bag until they are well coated.

Bake the pecans for 30 minutes on a baking pan that has been lined with a silpat, parchment paper, or lightly buttered/greased aluminum foil. (For God's sake: Do not forget to line you pan or you will regret it.) Stir halfway through baking.

Let cool completely before serving.

  

Gloopy Vegan Chocolate Mint Cupcake Recipe

Some might call these a lava cupcake, but I prefer the word gloopy.  Gloopy, but delicious. 

Filling/Frosting Ingredients

1/2 cup vegan margarine
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup rice milk (or an appropriate analogue)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

Melt the margarine. Mix in the cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, while beating. Stir in vanilla and peppermint extracts.

Once you have completed the filling/frosting, put it in a container and stash it in the fridge to chill.  

Cupcake Ingredients

3/4 cup demerara sugar
1/3 cup coconut oil

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 cup rice milk
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a muffin pan with 9 paper baking cups.

Beat together the coconut oil and sugar. Mix in the rice milk, cider vinegar, and vanilla extract.

Mix in the cocoa powder.  Add the baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Combine well.  Slowly incorporate the flour taking care not to over mix.

Portion out the batter into the pre-lined muffin pan, filling each cup only one-quarter of the way full.

Scoop a spoonful of the filling/frosting into the center of each cupcake and fill the cups with the remaining batter.

Bake for 18-22 minutes or until the cupcakes implode.  You'll see what I mean.

Makes 9 cupcakes.

They may be either eaten hot or cooled and frosted with the remaining filling/frosting. 

 

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

Not vegan, but designed to go on top of vegan cupcakes.  I have issues.  

I made this recipe (based on my sister's Cream Cheese Frosting recipe) to put on top of my cranberry-orange cupcakes.  I topped the whole shebang** with a sugared cranberry slice, just for that little extra touch.

Ingredients

8 oz cream cheese

6 tbsp butter

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Zest of one lemon

Juice of one lemon

Preparation

Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla together until smooth and fluffy. Add confectioner's sugar. Beat until creamy. Makes about 1 1/2 cups. 

** IMPORTANT NOTE! "Shebang" is in my spell check's dictionary.  That is all.

.

Vegan Cranberry-Orange Cupcake Recipe

Another family Thanksgiving tradition, along with Cherry Delight, is cranberry sauce, so I took that inspiration and made these Cranberry-Orange Cupcakes.  They turned out lumpy but delicious.  

As always, if you don't have coconut oil and/or rice milk, feel free to replace them with a suitable analogue (for example, vegetable oil/soy milk).

Ingredients

1/2 cup coconut oil, warmed until liquid

1 cup demerara sugar (or raw sugar)

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 ½ cups rice milk (warmed to room temperature)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon pure orange extract

zest of one orange

¼ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sliced cranberries (fresh or frozen)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a muffin pan with 12 paper baking cups.

Beat together the coconut oil and sugar. Mix in the rice milk and cider vinegar. Add the orange and vanilla extracts. Add the orange zest, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix until well combined.

Slowly incorporate the flour taking care not to over mix.

With a spatula or spoon, stir in the cranberries.

Portion out the batter into the pre-lined muffin pan.  I ended up with a bit more batter than I needed to fill the cupcake cups; fortunately, the batter is egg-less so you can lick the bowl as much as you want.

Bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.  (Mine took about 30 minutes, but I think my oven has issues).

I topped my cupcakes with this Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe, and for a bit of added decoration, I put a sugared cranberry slice on top.

.

Gina's Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

This is my sister's recipe.  She gave it to me so that I could use it on my Cherry Delight Cupcakes. 

Ingredients

8 oz cream cheese

6 tbsp butter

1 cup confectioner's sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

Preparation

Beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla together until smooth and fluffy. Add confectioner's sugar. Beat until creamy. Makes about 1 1/2 cups. 

Cherry Delight Cupcake Recipe

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, so I decided to make a Thanksgiving themed cupcake.

Along with the typical holiday meal items - turkey, stuffing, corn, pumpkin pie, cranberries - my family has another food tradition: Cherry Delight.  

Cherry Delight is our name for a type of no-bake cheesecake that has a graham cracker crust, a filling made with Cool Whip and cream cheese, and a topping of cherry pie filling.  It is absolutely delicious, and it is always the first dessert that everyone pounces upon after dinner.

This is my Cherry Delight inspired cupcake.

Ingredients

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (from about 10 squares)

3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

1 1/2 cup pureed cherry pie filling (save 12 whole cherries for inside the cupcakes)

1/3 cup coconut oil, warmed until liquid

1/2 cup demerara or raw sugar

1/4 cup rice milk

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2/3 cup whole wheat flour

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a muffin pan with 12 paper baking cups.

Place graham cracker crumbs and melted butter in a large bowl. Stir until well combined.

Place 1 tablespoon graham cracker mixture into the bottom of each prepared muffin cup. Use the bottom of a small glass to pack crumbs into the bottom of each cupcake liner (I used a shot glass).

Cream the sugar and oil together. Incorporate the rice milk, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla extract. Add the pureed cherry pie filling

Add the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well. Add the flours, taking care not to overmix.

Portion out the batter into the pre-lined muffin pan, filling each cup only half full.

Place a cherry into the center of each cupcake and fill the cups with the remaining batter.

Bake for 20-24 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out relatively clean (there may be a bit of cherry on the skewer).

I topped the cupcakes with this cream cheese frosting recipe.

Vegan Strawberry Preserve Filled Banana Cupcake Recipe

The name says it all.  It's a bit like a peanut butter, banana, and jelly sandwich, but it's a cupcake!

Ingredients

4 ripe bananas

1/3 cup coconut oil, warmed until liquid

3/4 cup demerara or raw sugar

1/4 cup rice milk

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

Approximately 1/3 cup of strawberry preserves

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a muffin pan with 12 paper baking cups

Toss the bananas into a mixing bowl and mash them with a mixer.  Add the sugar and oil and mix well. Incorporate the rice milk, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla extract. 

Add the baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Mix well.  Add the flours, taking care not to overmix.

Portion out the batter into the pre-lined muffin pan, filling each cup only one-quarter of the way full.

Scoop a spoonful of strawberry preserves into the center of each cupcake and fill the cups with the remaining batter.

Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out (relatively) clean.

I topped these delicious cupcakes with my own peanut butter frosting.  The recipe can be found here.

  

Mesir Wat (Ethiopian Red Lentils) Recipe

     I really enjoy Ethiopian food.  I often visit the Blue Nile Restaurant here in Columbus and Abay in Pittsburgh, but I really want to learn to cook it myself.  This recipe is mostly the same as the one found here, but I removed some of the oil and cut the recipe in half.  

     *Top Tip: Heat the leftovers and wrap them in a tortilla with some cheese.  It's a really great midnight snack.

Ingredients
1 onion
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon ginger, peeled and minced
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon Paprika
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup red lentils, rinsed
2 cups vegetable stock
Salt and pepper (to taste)

Preparation

Puree the onion, garlic and ginger in a blender or food processor. Add a little water if necessary.

Spray a saucepan with cooking spray and heat over a medium flame. Add turmeric, paprika and cayenne pepper and stir rapidly for about 30 seconds to toast the spices. (Make sure that you have your spices ready. I put in my paprika and watched it burn as I tried to open the turmeric container.  The smell of burned paprika is not pleasant, and it kind of hurts the sinuses).

Add the onion puree and sauté until the excess moisture evaporates and the onion loses its raw aroma. Do not burn. It takes about 5-10 minutes.

Add lentils and vegetable stock to the saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer until lentils are cooked through and fall apart, about 30 to 40 minutes. Add more water to keep the lentils from drying out, if necessary.

Stir in salt and pepper to taste and serve. (Add a little more salt than you think you need, it really makes a difference).






    

Vegan Lime Pudding Filled, Chili Spiced Chocolate Cupcake Recipe

I don't know where I got the idea for this pairing.  I think it came from the internet.  Aside from when it doesn't, the internet brings good ideas into our lives, so that's a pretty safe bet.


I developed my own recipe and filling.  It turned out pretty yummy. 


Cupcake Ingredients
3/4 cup demerara sugar
1/3 cup coconut oil (or veg oil)
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 cup rice milk
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon ground chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour


Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a muffin pan with 9 paper baking cups.

Beat together the coconut oil and sugar. Mix in the rice milk, cider vinegar, and vanilla extract.

Mix in the cocoa powder, chili powder, and cayenne powder.

Add the baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Combine well.

Slowly incorporate the flour taking care not to over mix.

Portion out the batter into the pre-lined muffin pan.

Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

Makes 9 cupcakes.


Filling Ingredients
6 ounces Silken Tofu
4 ounces vegan cream cheese
1/2 small package Jell-O Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
4 tablespoons Rose's Sweetened Lime Juice


Preparation for Filling
Using a mixer, combine the tofu, vegan cream cheese, pudding mix, powdered sugar, Rose's Lime Juice, and vanilla extract.  Refrigerate.


Filling the cupcakes
Unless you have one of those fancy-scmancy pastry bags, filling cupcakes can be a little complicated.  Here's how I did it:

First, let the cupcakes cool before filling them or you will burn your fingers.

Cut a cone out of the top of the cupcake.

This a delicious, delicious cupcake cone.

Trim the bottom of the cone off so that you just have a disk of cupcake top.  What you do with the discarded cupcake innards is between you and the cabinets.  Also, remember that cupcake innards have no calories.  All of the calories are on the outside of the cupcake.

Fill the hole in the cupcake almost to the top with the tasty lime filling.  You can widen the hole to make more room for the pudding, if you want to.

    Place the cupcake top disk on top of the filling to conceal the deliciousness that hides inside.

You can frost the cupcake to hide the big hole or you can eat it as it is.

Vegan Vanilla-Chai Frosting Recipe

I designed this recipe to go along with my Vegan Vanilla-Chai Cupcake Recipe.  Not a huge fan of vegan margarine, I tried to substitute the vegan margarine with coconut oil.  The results were mixed (it tasted a lot like lightly-flavored fondant), so this is the best that I can do for now.  If you can think of a suitable butter substitute, please enlighten me.

Chai-Buttercream Frosting

1 cup vegan margarine, warmed until liquid

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3 cups powdered sugar

1 ¾ tsp garam masala

1 tablespoon coconut milk

Melt the margarine. Add the powdered sugar and beat in the vanilla and coconut milk.

If the frosting is still thick, add a few more drops of coconut milk.

Makes about 2 cups of frosting.

Vegan Vanilla-Chai Cupcake Recipe

I'm apparently on a bit of a cupcake kick.  I really enjoy making and sharing them.  Cupcakes are just a wonderful food.  They are serving-sized cakes!  How can that be a bad thing?

This serving-sized cake is spicy, sweet, and delicious.  I put frosting on some of them, but I actually prefer them plain.  They are just so yummy.

Ingredients

1/2 cup coconut oil, warmed until liquid

2/3 cup demerara sugar (or raw sugar)

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 ½ cups lite coconut milk (warmed to room temperature)

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

2 teaspoons garam masala spice mix**

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups all-purpose flour

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a muffin pan with 12 paper baking cups.

Beat together the coconut oil and sugar. Mix in the coconut milk and cider vinegar. Add the vanilla extract. Add the baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix in the garam masala and ginger. Combine well.

Slowly incorporate the flour taking care not to over mix.

Portion out the batter into the pre-lined muffin pan.

Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

Makes 12 cupcakes.

I frosted my some of my cupcakes with this frosting, but I like them better without the frosting.

** Check the ingredients on your garam masala mix.  I accidentally picked up one with onion and garlic powder.  They didn't taste horrible, but they didn't taste good.  I recommend McCormicks.

Vegan Jaffa Cake Cupcake Recipe (Orange Marmalade Filled Cupcakes)

My family loves Jaffa Cakes, and every time I visit England I have to smuggle back at least a couple dozen.  I came up with this recipe as a possible way to satisfy my family's cravings during those long spans between trips.

These cupcakes aren't 100% like Jaffa Cakes, but they are still quite yummy.  They are best served cooled because the marmalade filling is very hot straight out of the oven.

Ingredients

1/2 cup coconut oil, warmed until liquid

2/3 cup demerara sugar (or raw sugar)

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 ½ cups rice milk (warmed to room temperature)

1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon pure orange extract

zest of one orange

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup of vegan chocolate chips

Approximately 1/4 cup of Sweet Orange Marmalade

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a muffin pan with 12 paper baking cups.

Beat together the coconut oil and sugar.  Mix in the rice milk and cider vinegar. Add the orange and vanilla extracts. Add the orange zest, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix until well combined.

Slowly incorporate the flour taking care not to over mix.

With a spatula or spoon, stir in the vegan chocolate chips.

Portion out the batter into the pre-lined muffin pan - filling only about half-way.

Scoop a spoonful of orange marmalade into the center of each cupcake and fill the cupcake cups with the remaining batter.  They don't rise a lot, so I filled the cups almost to the top.

Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out relatively clean (it might have a little marmalade on it).

Makes 12 cupcakes.  

I iced my cupcakes with this Vegan Orange-Chocolate Frosting.

Vegan Swedish Fish Cupcake Recipe

They said it couldn't be done, but I did it.  I made vegan cupcakes with Swedish Fish*, and they are absolutely delicious. 

There's a lot going on in these cupcakes, but it all works.  I created an orange cupcake base for my cupcake because I thought it might nicely accent the ummm.... cherry flavor?  Are they cherry?  I just don't know, but I thought red flavor would go well with orange.  This basic vegan cupcake recipe is the one upon which I was built.  My recipe is much different, but I like to give credit to those who came up with the original ratios.

If you don't have coconut oil, you can substitute it with canola or vegetable oil.  Ditto if you don't have rice milk.  It can also be replaced with an appropriate analogue if necessary

Ingredients  

1/2 cup coconut oil, warmed until liquid

2/3 cup demerara sugar (or raw sugar)

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 ½ cups rice milk (warmed to room temperature)

1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon pure orange extract

zest of one orange

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup of small Swedish Fish

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a muffin pan with 12 paper baking cups.

Beat together the coconut oil and sugar.

Mix in the rice milk and cider vinegar. Add the orange and vanilla extracts.

Add the orange zest, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix until well combined.

Slowly incorporate the flour taking care not to over mix.

With a spatula or spoon, stir in the Swedish Fish.

Portion out the batter into the pre-lined muffin pan. They don't rise a lot, so I filled the cups almost to the top.

Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Makes 12 cupcakes.

I iced my cupcakes with this Vegan Orange-Chocolate Frosting.

* Swedish Fish are vegan.  PETA says so.