Meatless Mondays - Vegan Pumpkin Cupcakes

Yes, I love "pumpkin" everything!! Especially at this time of year.So, of course, I made a vegan pumpkin treat - CUPCAKES!Because, who doesn't love cupcakes?? (If you don't, then let us prepare in intervention).

This recipe makes 12 delicious fluffy cupcakes.

Ingredients & Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

2. Mix these wet ingredients in a small bowl first and set aside.

• ¼ cup plain soy milk
• 1 teaspoon cider vinegar

3. Mix these wet ingredients together in a medium bowl and set aside.

• ½ cup pumpkin puree
• ½ cup canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

In case you're wondering, here's the pumpkin I used:

3. Then, while those sit, mix these dry ingredients together in a large bowl:

• 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 2/3 cup white granulated sugar (or you could use 1/3 white sugar and 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ginger
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup crushed pecans (optional - oh and I used mixed nuts because that's what I had)

4. Put the wet ingredients together and add to the dry, mixing until just combined.

5. Divide the batter into the cups, filling each liner about ¾ full.6. Bake for 16 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting - I've included a recipe below.

Ingredients for the Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting:

• ½ cup dairy-free soy margarine (I use Earth Balance
• 1 8-oz tub dairy-free cream cheese (I use Tofutti)
• 4 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer, blend all of the ingredients until creamy and fluffy, about 5 minutes.After frosting the cupcakes, decorate them with your favorite candies or sprinkles!

FYI the frosting will store up to 1 day in an airtight container in the refrigerator.Enjoy! P.S. My friend Jeanette thought I poured in too many nuts - probably because I didn't exactly measure them. She also thought the cupcakes would be yummy with little bits of apple baked inside. Sounds good so next time for sure!