It’s the holiday season! We all know what that means.. Family, Friends, Festive Cheer, and Food! Lotssss of food.. My holiday baking menu was ready weeks ago. However, it’s a matter of finding the time and the stomach room for all of the tasty treats! I kicked off the season with a Christmas potluck dinner with all of my university girls. I must say, I have the best, most caring, most thoughtful, and most adventurous friends anyone could ask for. Although only two of us had dietary restrictions everyone got creative with dishes that were fully vegan, gluten-free, and we even had a few raw dishes in there! It was amazing to see the effort and creativity the girls put into their dishes, although many of us were hesitant about how they would taste.. 😛 But they were all delicious! Let’s just say we were bursting at the seams. I am thankful to have such beautiful friends and to be able to spend such an important holiday with them. I encourage you to do the same. Organize a get-together. And if you’re worried about cooking I have some simple recipes to help you out!

My dessert contribution were these lovely gingerbread cupcakes with a vanilla and lemon icing.

Ingredients

1 1/4 c chickpea flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

3 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp all spice

1/2 c vegetable oil

1/3 c molasses

1/2 c agave nectar

1/4 c almond milk

3 tbsp applesauce

1 1/2 tsp lemon zest, grated

1/4 c crystallized ginger, finely chopped

Preheat oven at 350 F. Line muffin pan with liners Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and spices in a large bowl In a separate bowl whisk together the oil, molasses, agave, almond milk, applesauce, and lemon zest. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Fold in the chopped crystallized ginger Fill the cupcake liners two-thirds full. Bake for 22 minutes

Icing

Ingredients

1/4 c vegan shortening, softened

1/4 c vegan margarine, softened

1 1/2 c confectioner’s sugar

1/2 lemon, juice squeezed

1 tsp vanilla extract

In an electric mixing bowl cream the shortening and the margarine Add in the confectioners sugar 1/2 cup at a time Add the vanilla and lemon juice Continue mixing until smooth Refrigerate until ready to use

Enjoy!