Today is a special day for me.
It’s my 1 year vegan anniversary! One year ago today, I watched the documentary Vegucated, and it changed my life forever. It’s now been 365 days since I decided to make the switch to a vegan diet.
And to celebrate, I made myself some yummy chocolate chip cupcakes. Then slathered them with vanilla buttercream frosting. ‘Cause that’s how I roll.
But first, a few things I’ve learned since switching to a vegan diet:
- It’s not as hard as you think it will be to eliminate all animal products from your diet.
- Instead of thinking about foods I was eliminating, I thought about all the new foods I would be adding to my diet. This made it much easier for me to make the switch.
- Once you stop eating animal products, people are suddenly extremely concerned about your protein intake. And iron. And calcium.
- There are a ton of amazing vegan food substitutes out there that, although are not ideal on a regular basis (as they are often highly processed), make transitioning to a vegan diet so much easier.
- Vegan food is kind of delicious and amazing. And by kind of, I mean definitely.
Things that have happened to me since switching to a vegan diet:
- My compassion for animals skyrocketed. It’s always been pretty high to begin with, but I actually feel compassion for bees and flies, elephants, chickens and whales now, too. All animals are friends. Not food!
- I have lost weight (without even trying). It’s been months since I’ve stepped on a scale, but at that point it was 10 pounds.
- I’ve lost my love of all things super-sweet. In fact, super-sweet foods make me feel ill most of the time. I even switched to dark chocolate, when before, that stuff tasted like burnt cardboard to me. Now – I love it.
- I’m more excited to cook now, when before, I was bored with the repetition of meat, potato/rice, veggie. My meals are way more exciting these days!
- My hair is stronger and no longer falling out every time I run a brush through it.
- My nails are stronger and growing like crazy.
- I’ve introduced a whole heap of new food to my diet, things that I never knew existed before are currently some of my favourite foods.
- I’ve increased my awareness of the things I put in my body.
- I haven’t had a pimple in an entire year. Yippie!
Foods/Drinks that I consume (and love) now, that I wouldn’t touch before:
- Tofu!
- Asparagus
- Avocados
- Mangoes
- Dandelion Greens
- Swiss Chard
- Farro
- Freekeh
- Buckwheat Groats/Flour
- Cashews
- Coconut Water
- Hemp Milk/Protein/Seeds/Oil
- Bananas (I used to hate them!)
- Agave
My life has changed a lot in the last year, and all for the better. Happy 1 year anniversary to me!
Now, time to stuff my face with these amazing chocolate chip cupcakes.
They’re moist, sweet, chocolate-y and the vanilla buttercream frosting on top, well, that just takes these babies right over the edge. Perfect for a 1 year vegan celebration.
- 1 cup non-dairy milk (I used almond milk)
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup vegan butter, softened (I used Earth Balance)
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1½ cups kamut flour
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup + ¼ cup vegan chocolate chips
- ½ cup vegan butter (I used Earth Balance)
- 2½ cups powdered sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla
- 2 tbsp non-dairy milk (I used almond milk)
- Preheat oven to 350F. Spray your muffin pan with non-stick spray (or use paper liners).
- In a small bowl, add non-dairy milk and vinegar. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add butter, sugar and vanilla, and using an electric mixer, beat until light and fluffy.
- Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add in the milk/vinegar mixture and beat again until incorporated. Do not over-mix.
- Add in ½ cup chocolate chips and mix with a large spoon, until combined.
- Divide batter evenly among your cupcake holders, being sure not to over-fill. You will likely have a bit of batter left over.
- Bake for 12 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Set aside and allow to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, add your butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and non-dairy milk. With an electric mixer, beat until light and fluffy. If the frosting is too thick, add a bit more non-dairy milk. If it is too thin, add a bit more icing sugar. Add in a drop or two of food colouring too, if desired.
- Once your cupcakes have cooled completely, frost them and sprinkle a few more chocolate chips on top (the remaining ¼ cup, divided). I used a piping bag to pipe the frosting on my cupcakes, but you don't have to!
