Vegan Lemon Cupcakes

I was first introduced to Ms Cupcake's amazing cakes at a recent Vegan festival, I received her book,  'The Naughtiest Vegan Cakes in Town' for my birthday and I have been dying to try a recipe ever since.

As I've been having a huge craving for lemon drizzle cake recently, I decided to adapt the basic cupcake recipe slightly. Well there was no real magic here, I just basically added some lemon essence, lemon juice and zest.

I also want to mention that I only had cupcake cases and I think muffin ones would have been better, as there was more icing to cake ratio going on, not that my children minded and believe me when I say that these turned out to be the most amazing and lightest fluffiest cakes I have ever made!

Everyone who had the pleasure of popping over today to try one, commented on how fantastically fluffy and tasty they were. Before changing to a plant-based diet, I was always baking but I just haven't found a Vegan cake recipe that really worked for me until today. I mean I've made Vegan cakes that were ok and tasted good but these were on a whole new level of cupcake heaven.

So here's what I did, I took the basic vanilla cupcake recipe from the book, here's the link


Ms Cupcake: The Naughtiest Vegan Cakes in Town


and yes it's an Amazon affiliated link, which doesn't change the price if you were tempted to buy it, however it would make me a few extra pennies to keep the blog going. This is not a sponsored post, I'm new to blogging and so if I'm ever lucky enough in the future to be sent items to be reviewed I will be honest and tell you guys.

Anyway back to what I did, I took the basic vanilla cupcake recipe but didn't add the vanilla extract, as I added some lemon extract instead. Then I used the vanilla buttercream icing recipe but added some lemon juice instead of vanilla, with some more icing sugar to thicken the icing back up again. Finally I added some lemon zest on the top of the finished cakes.

Seriously these cakes turned out so so good! I thought mixing plant-based milk with cider vinegar was a bit weird but now I'm thinking it must be the secret weapon.

There is only one downside to this recipe and that is these cakes will disappear so fast.

Let me know in the comments if you found any great cake recipes. I absolutely cannot wait to try out more from this book.

Have a great day, stay kind.

Vegan Pancakes

With pancake day coming up on Tuesday, it's time to perfect those tossing skills so they don't end up on the floor or stuck to the ceiling.

I've personally tried so many different ways of making plant-based pancakes but these were the most scrum-diddly-um-ious. Pancakes in our house either get covered simply with lemon and sugar or lots of chocolate sauce with bananas or raspberries or strawberries or any other fruit for that matter.

So for the pancakes, first you will need to decide what style of pancakes you want to make, crepe style or stackable pancakes.......

Then you will need......

• 150g self-raising flour (pancake stack) or plain flour (crepe style)
• 2 tbsp of caster sugar 
• 2 tsp of baking powder
• 1/2 tsp of salt 
• 300ml of non-dairy milk
• 1 tbsp of oil 

Put all the ingredients in a blender, I always use my nutribullet. Just be careful if you use this method when you unscrew the lid, it will probably get you a little, think fizzy drink bottle opening.

For the crepe style pancakes, with a lightly oiled non stick pan, pour some of the mixture into the middle of the pan and then tilt it each way to make it spread to the edge of the pan.

For stackable pancakes, depending on the size of your pan you will need a large spoonful for each pancake, I can fit three in mine.

Cook on a medium heat for a few minutes before turning or tossing if you only have one in the pan, unless you have skills to toss all three at once, then go for it! And please share the video online because I need to see this :)

It they feel like they are stuck to the bottom of the pan, they aren't quite ready to turn. You really do need to make sure you use a lightly oiled non-stick pan. Use a spatula to turn them by checking the edges. The stackable pancakes are easier than the crepes.

And then serve your pancakes your way, with whatever you fancy. I've gone for melted dark chocolate, banana and maple syrup and they were delicious.

So how do you have your pancakes? I'd love to hear in the comments.

As always stay kind and have a beautiful day xx

Keep it Kind Deodorant

I initially purchased this product for my daughter and I absolutely love, love, love that this £2, natural, cruelty free, vegan product is aimed at children. After smelling and trying this product for myself about six months ago, I immediately stopped buying a way more expensive brand.  

This fragranced roll on deodorant has been specifically designed for young teenage skins and it contains natural ingredients, which allows the skin to breathe.

It is Aluminium, Paraben & Alcohol Free and most importantly, it is NOT tested on animals, yay and is suitable for vegans, double yay, which is clearly marked on the packaging, TRIPLE YAY!

There are two scents to choose from and both smell just how you would expect a teenage scent to smell, if that makes any sense, one is light, fresh and sporty and the other is fresh, floral with a very slight musk. The one slight downside is it takes a couple of minutes to dry underarm, having said that when I have been in a rush it hasn't left any white stains on my tops. 

The lasting power or should I say the workout power is average, for day to day normal light activities its absolutely fine but I mean lets get real here, it contains natural ingredients which is great but it's not going to inhibit any sweating when you workout. But if you are anything like me, I just take a quick shower after workouts anyway and then reapply.

I have been regularly purchasing this deodorant from Sainsbury's, where it is on sale for only £2 and I personally find roll on deodorants last so much longer than spray, however if spray is more your thing, they also do both scents in a spray on version.

I have nothing but love for this product, I love that its only £2, who doesn't love a bargain and I love that it is a Vegan Cruelty Free natural product that is aimed at children. Good work Keep it Kind. 

Top Ten Things About Going Vegan

To be honest, I changed to a plant-based diet for health reasons but over a year down the line and after watching and reading lots of information on the Vegan lifestyle, here are my 10 reasons for going Vegan.

1. For the animals

I was one of those cheese lovers, believing I could never live life without it, so thank goodness for Gary! And I enjoyed a bloody steak, yes my taste buds loved all those animal products but this had always conflicted with my view of myself as a huge animal lover.

After watching the films Earthlings and Cowspiracy that was it, it was like being woken up by a lightening bolt to the head, I couldn't do this anymore, my taste buds were not going to rule over my mind. And with my mind made up, I have gradually moved towards a more compassionate life.

2. New and exciting food

Now lets get this straight, Vegans no longer eat just lentils and kale. I know shock, horror. After signing up to Veganuary, I knew if I was going to stick at eating a plant-based diet, it had to be tasty. I didn't want my taste buds to be tempted in the slightest, so I purchased and was kindly gifted lots of Vegan cookery books by my supportive family and friends, I say 'supportive' because not everyone is going to support you to start but just keep going, they all get over it eventually.

So armed with all my new books, my meals have never been so exciting, tasty, creative and amazingly colourful. And you don't need to buy books, the internet is full of exciting recipes.

3. Health

We all know we should be eating more fresh fruit and veggies, I definitely eat way more on a plant-based diet. I feel healthier and there are lots of studies out there to back this one up and whilst everyone else is getting cold after cold, I'm still feeling good. However, you can eat a plant-based diet by eating chips, popcorn and crisps which wouldn't be good for your health, so you still need to think about what you are eating, even on a veggie diet.

4. Energy

So this one is closely linked to health, I now have way more energy, not every day, if I've had a very busy day, I still feel exhausted at the end of it, I'm not super woman but on the whole I wake up in the morning full of energy and ready to go.

5. The environment

So studies show that going Vegan shrinks your ecological footprint, as plants need less water than  beef. A good documentary to watch is Cowspiracy if you are looking for more information on this and there is also a link to global warming, as more carbon dioxide comes from cows than cars. If you're thinking why don't I know all this stuff, I never knew either, it's shocking that it isn't on the news everyday, seeing as we all get told to car share, ride our bikes to work etc.

6. Better skin, hair and nails

To start, I'm not going to lie, my skin got worse, a lot worse before it got better and I guess looking back now, it was part of a detoxing process. Now I rarely get a spot, my nails are stronger and my hair is thicker and healthier looking.

7. Cancer prevention

Regularly eating a diet more rich in fruit and veggies is associated with reducing the risks of cancer. I've heard meat eaters say 'well I could die in an accident' against this one, but with research suggesting 1 in 2 people will be diagnosed with the disease at some point in their life, I think I'd rather reduce my risk.

8. Live longer, Age slower

According to studies us Veggies outlive meat eaters by 6 years and plant based diets that are high in antioxidants slow down the ageing process, kale yes to that ladies. You can still keep your beauty cream, as long as it's cruelty free.

9. Help to end world hunger

If we used the crops grown to feed animals and used them to feed humans instead, there would be enough food to feed the world's population.

10. Be the change

I believe in being the change you want to see in the world and that one person becomes two and so on, so by being Vegan or plant-based, others will follow and each year more and more people are changing their diets, Veganuary grew from 3,000 people in 2014, to 12,000 in 2015 and 23,00 in 2016. By being the change, you are promoting the change and things will change!

Here's to keeping it kind in 2017.

Vegan Handbags - LeBante

I somewhat stubbled across this brand on the House of fraser website and I'm so glad I did, these beautifully designed vegan handbags come without the designer price tag! 

With a powerful 'Do you believe in standing up against cruelty in fashion?' motto, LaBante is a PETA approved vegan label making bags using the highest quality vegan products, with the aim to change peoples opinion of faux leather, they offer the softest faux leather.

LeBante can be found at House of Fraser here in the UK but the LeBante website offers worldwide shipping options, so the only question left to answer is 'Which one will you choose?'.

The gorgeous Piccadilly cross body bag is currently on sale at £35. 

Lacock

Ahhh lovely Lacock, what can I say? Whilst visiting this beautiful village it's easy to see why parts of Pride and Prejudice, Downton Abbey and Harry Potter were filmed here, as it's like stepping back in time.

The Abbey itself is quite simply stunning ........ I will let the pictures do all the talking here.

Lacock village is situated in Wiltshire and is almost entirely owned by the National Trust and was where the beautiful YouTuber Zoe Sugg (Zoella) and her brother Joe grew up.

We went on a gorgeous cold crisp February day and so it was very quiet, I can imagine in the middle of summer it would be full of people.

The George inn was our destination for lunch, it's a cozy old pub and had lots of Vegetarian options on the menu, the vegan option was this Warmed Chickpea salad to which I added fries, olives and bread, it was delicious!  

Stay Kind :) 

Deliciously Ella Energy Balls

I absolutely adore Ella Mills née Woodward's books, Deliciously Ella and Deliciously Ella Every Day, so I was super excited to see this new range of energy balls in my local supermarket.

There are three to try, the Cacao & Almond, Hazelnut & Raisin and Cashew & Ginger 40g energy ball. I only purchased the Cacao & Almond because at £1.80 per energy ball, there was no way I could justify spending nearly £6 on snacks.

If you have visited Ella's site or have her book, they tasted the same as the recipes there. They tasted great, full of plant power and calories to give you that energy boost.

There are only 6 natural ingredients - dates, almonds, cacao, almond butter, coconut oil and salt.

The only downside is the price, on the same shelf as Trek, Naked bars etc, these were quite pricey in comparison. I will be looking out for them to be on offer, before trying the other flavours.

Stay kind :)

Vegan Explosion - Quorn Fish Fingers

Goodbye Veganuary and Hello February, I love January because there seems to be an explosion of new Vegan products, as companies react to people going Vegan for the month.

One of the small downsides to changing your diet, especially if you have children, is feeding other peoples kids! There seems to be this myth that us plant eaters only eat lentils and avocados, which we all know isn't true.

However, feeding your child's non-vegan friends has now become so much easier thanks to Quorn's vegan fishless fingers. Serve these with some baked beans and fries, to make them plant strong!

Kale them with kindness xx