Unbelievably Vegan

Though I love the effort required to make something from scratch (and the satisfied, semi-smug feeling I get from doing so), there's something to be said for convenience foods. Something quick you can whip up without pulling out every tool in the kitchen.

Unfortunately, most of those foods don't have vegan counterparts - or at least not any that are readily (and/cheaply) available.

Understandably, then, I get pretty excited when I find something that is conventional, quick, stocked regularly at Kroger, and vegan. These items often surprise the non-vegans in my life, for many of whom vegan = weird.

So I've decided, everynowandthen, to include a post about some Unbelievably Vegan foods.

Oreos? Kroger Cinnamon Graham Crackers? Swedish Fish? Fritos? Vienna Cremes? Pilsbury pizza dough?

All vegan. All quick to eat and easy to find.

Today's Unbelievably Vegan delicacies are the Duncan Hines Classic Yellow cake mix and Creamy Homestyle Frosting (Classic Vanilla and Chocolate). If you read the labels carefully, you'll find many mixes and frostings are vegan. Soy- and vegetable-based fats have a longer shelf life than true dairy products and are often cheaper.

Though the cake mix itself is vegan, it requires three eggs. Enter flax seeds and the Goo! they create. I mixed two tablespoons whole golden flax seeds and one tablespoon of ground flaxseeds with nine tablespoons of warm water in a glass measuring cup. Let sit for at least 40 minutes, or until the Goo! starts to form. Then prepare the cake mix according to the box instructions. The end-result cupcake is a little more moist, more prone to falling apart in your hand than a conventionally made cupcake, but the taste is pretty much identical.

While the cupcakes are baking/cooling, divide the vanilla frosting and dye it various colors. Decorate and spend all the time you saved using pre-made mixes enjoying the looks of incredulity on people's faces when you tell them the cupcakes are vegan.

Note that the M&M's on top of the cupcakes are not vegan. I was just trying to use up some of the candy from the Easter goodie bag The Raccoon gave Roomie in a way that didn't involve my eating it all in one sitting. Plus, they look really cute like this, don't you think?