Can Vegan Cupcakes Save the World?

Twenty-four mini vegan cupcakes went to work with me on Friday, each one cozily placed in my blue Wilton cupcake carrier. I enjoy using this cupcake carrier that I received for Christmas last year so much that it is the only container that I will use to transport my tasty little treats. This means that my cupcakes come to the office, parties an other events in teams of twelve large cupcakes or twenty-four mini cuppies. If you ever want to sample one of my vegan treats, you better catch me quick.

I think the cupcakes I brought to work on Friday went over pretty well, because none were left to take home (I did eat two myself :/). Even though I am not a vegan (yet), I still like to cook and bake vegan at home. I believe that this makes baking more challenging. For the most part, pastries and sweets are already lacto ovo vegetarian friendly. Besides the challenge of making the science and art of baking work without eggs and dairy, the thing I love the most about vegan baking is the conversation that it sparks. Put a tray of cupcakes in front of a group of people, throw the word vegan in there, sit back and listen to the socially conscience conversations start.

My cupcakes were devoured by a small group of students at UNLV with a range of dietary ideals. The students in this group ranged from psychology, math, science, liberal arts, and education majors. I wish I had a tape recorder because this hour long impromptu conversation went everywhere. We discussed the correlation between vegetarianism and sexual orientation (Psych student!). We touched on the pros and cons of feeding grains to beef cattle, and is it really worth it to eat organic foods living in Las Vegas. From there the conversation went from the idea of being a localvore, to the damages of genetically modified organisms. To say the least, this conversation got pretty deep for a group of students who got together for a small pizza party and a cupcake.

The end result of this conversation was that there is much more to discuss. Therefore, we have all decided to get together for vegetarian/vegan cooking night. A time to get together eat some good home cooked veg food, and talk about the world.

So, can vegan cupcakes save the world?.......I am not sure, but I think it is a delicious start!

Soundtrack for this blog: Camera Obscura, Let's Get Out of this Country.

Welcome to my Blog!

As if I did not have enough on my plate already, I decided to start a blog. This all started at work today when Juawana said, "You should start your own blog, with sweet and clever stuff" and I said, "okay I will!" So, the conversation went something like. Juawana might tell you differently though. Any-who, A Vegetarian in Vegas was born. As you probably know I am a vegetarian, so basically I will post some recipes I am trying out or experimenting with, some good places I am eating at, or other crazy crafty stuff. All of these things will be accompanied by some photogs and probably a some sort of mention of music. All this blog stuff is new to me, so carrot with me as I learn. I hope you enjoy!

Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes

In honor of my first blog and my first blog post, I decided to make some vegan cupcakes (plus I promised cupcakes for work tomorrow, two tofu birds, one stone). While I am not a vegan, most of the items I make are vegan. The carrot cake cupcakes are cruelty free, and topped with vegan cream cheese frosting. I found the recipe in Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. I modified the recipe slightly to accommodate the ingredients I had around the house. I sampled one out of the oven, and I think they are pretty amazing. I hope my carnivorous co-workers think so too.

The Soundtrack for these cupcakes: Lucinda Williams, Live at the Fillmore