The Best Gluten-Free Vegan Cupcakes

With a slew of food allergies it can sometimes be tough to bake…never knowing if the items will turn out like cardboard. Luckily, gluten free foods have some a long way in the past decade and some are actually tastier than the ‘real thing’!

I have a ton of major food allergies, I avoid gluten, dairy and eggs…like 3 major (super tasty) food groups! My brother used to joke that I couldn’t eat anything fun, and that totally used to be the case. Fortunately, I have experimented a ton in the kitchen and have found a few brands that make super clean products that make baking so much easier!

My favorite egg substitute is The Neat Egg, I did a whole blog post on my experience with it when I said goodbye to eggs January 2020. You can check it out here. I love this vegan egg substitute because it is super clean and only has 2 ingredients!

One of my goals for 2021 was to learn how to bake my own gluten free vegan bread, and although I have not yet accomplished this I have found a company whom I love and is helping me until I carve out some time to experiment in the kitchen. Simple Mills is gluten free, non-gmo, and uses organic ingredients. One of the things I love most about this brand is that they keep the ingredients minimal and super clean. The vanilla cupcake’s only have 7 ingredients…and you can clearly read and understand them because they are real food ingredients. The other draw to the Simple Mills brand is the low sugar, they use organic coconut sugar which has a lower glycemic index (35) compared to regular sugar (65). The coconut sugar is a real food versus the artificial chemical sugar found in some “low sugar” brands that our bodies can not even breakdown. When comparing this Simple Mills vanilla cupcake mix with 8 grams of sugar to others brands, I found that the average vanilla cupcake mix contains 22 grams of sugar per serving! That’s insane.

I substituted the 3 eggs that the recipe called for with my Neat Eggs in order to make the recipe allergen friendly and vegan. I have made these cupcakes twice in the last month, and my non-gluten free non-vegan family members loved them! Appearance wise I think you can tell that they are healthier, but taste wise they are so yummy!

This post is in no way sponsored or associated with Neat Egg or Simple Mills; I just enjoying sharing recipe modifications that work with me and my food allergies in hope that they may work for you too!

Black Bean Salad

I’m officially in full holiday mode, and have been mapping out our Christmas Day menu. Even though it will just be my husband, myself and my parents I still want to make some fun appetizers and treats!

Due to COVID-19 I thought it would be fun to make individual appetizer plates for everyone, and one of the appetizers I am considering including is my black bean salad. This is a great option because it is super alkalizing for the body, it’s high in protein and fiber ….both of which will keep you full!

This recipe can feed a lot of people, and would also be great for Sunday football or your next virtual happy hour!

Black Bean Salad

Ingredients:

2 cans black beans, drained

1 (15-ounce) can corn, drained

2 roma tomatoes, diced

1/4 cup diced red bell pepper

1/4 cup diced red onion

1/4 cup diced green onions

1/4 cup diced pineapple

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro leaves

1 jalapeño, seeded and minced

4 tablespoons sherry vinegar

The juice from 1/2 lime

3 tablespoons honey (optional)

1 tablespoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

Pinch ground cumin

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour.