My most favorite thing about blogging is the incredible people I have been meeting along the way. Some of which I have met in person; others I have not but still feel as if I have. Kristy from Keepin’ It Kind is someone that I have actually been lucky enough to meet–and she is like a bright light in the city of L.A. Beautiful (like, you have to do a double-take at how gorgeous she is), creative (her Tofu Chevre recipe!), a great conversationalist and unbelievably generous–the perfect combo every man dreams about. Sorry gentlemen, she’s married. 

I need to start by telling you how surreal it feels to be writing this post Cara. Let’s rewind to last August, when I began giving veganism a shot. I was adjusting to reading labels on everything, learning new techniques of cookings, and coming to terms that there were certain things I was not going to include in my diet anymore. Whenever I would realize one of these things, I would go straight to the Internet and search for vegan versions of my non-vegan favorites. One of these searches, for vegan Nutter Butters (I have cravings, ok!!!), led me to Fork and Beans. I was awe-struck. “Is there no end to this girl’s creativity?” I wondered. Fast forward to several months later, after discovering we were neighbors (in LA terms), when I found myself meeting Cara for lunch. When I started Keepin’ It Kind, I never even fathomd that I would be here today, let alonge that I would have found a true friend in Cara. I am so blessed to have met this warm, peaceful, friendly, incredibly creative soul.

 

I am not good at keeping track of when certain fruits and vegetables are in season. Cauliflower? No clue as to when they flourish. Rhubarb? I just recentaly realized that it arrives in late spring (Note to self–don’t buy rhubarb in December, no matter how lovely it looks). Cherries, on the other hand, I know they come in mid-to late May. In northern California, where I grew up, that is when all the roadside cherry stands would pop up. My mother could never pass one without buying a case. For a good month or so, our trashcan would be filled with cherry pits. Appetites for dinner would be ruined on a regular basis due to this fruit. For me, May=Cherries.

Using cherries for anything other than eating straight (or in cocktails, as I practiced in my twenties) is fairly new t o me. They just don’t make it that far. I did, however, manage to save some from our first cherries‐of‐the‐season purchase to make these lovely muffins. To be perfectly honest, one of my past personal‐training clients made a full fat, non–‐vegan version of these for a Memorial Day party at her house about 7 years ago. She gave me the recipe because I liked them so much

it, but I never made them until now. I’ve toyed with it, making a few different versions to make sure I had worked the perfect low fat, refined sugar-free, gluten-free, vegan replacement. This is it.

Every bite is filled with the taste of tangy cherries, rich cheesecake, and graham cracker crust. You cannot even tell that they are low in fat! I used coconut sugar because it is a really delicious sugar replacement and read recently that it is one of the sustainable sweeteners on the planet (Go Earth!) I added small 1/4 teaspoon dollops of vegan cream cheese to the top of each muffin and swirled it in with a toothpick to give it a “marbled” look, but they would be perfect without it. I made these before we left on a trip and I took a few for my husband and I to eat on the place (we become irritable jerks unpleasantly crabby on long flights with no vegan food) and not only were they a totally scrumptious life-saver, I think they made a few people (the ones stuck with pretzels and salty peanuts) jealous, although me loudly going, “Mmmmmm! Mmmmmmmm! Mmmm!” after every bite probably didn’t help.

Just a note–these muffins are good with other berries if you don’t have cherries and if you’re feeling particularly indulgent, perhaps some chocolate chips are in order as well!

CHERRY CHEESECAKE MUFFINS

Makes 10-12 muffins

Ingredients:

  • 2 c. all-purpose gluten-free flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 3/4 c. coconut sugar
  • 1/3 c. vegan cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 c. plain vegan yogurt
  • 1 flax egg (1 T flax meal mixed with 3 T water)
  • 1/4 c. agave syrup
  • 1/4 c. canola oil
  • 1/4 c. cherry or orange juice
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3/4 c. fresh cherries, pitted and quartered
  • 2-3 T vegan cream cheese for swirling into tops of muffins (optional)

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350. Line a 12-cup muffin tim with cupcake liners or spray a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.
  2. In a small bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt.
  3. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, flax egg, yogurt, juice, oil and vanilla with an electric mixer.
  4. Add flour mix to wet cheese mix and use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to stil until incorporated. Fold in cherries. Spoon batter into muffin pan, almost to the rim. You should have 10-12 muffins.

  5. Optional Step: Using a ¼ teaspoon, spoon tiny dollops onto the tops of each muffin. Use a toothpick to make a few “swirling motions” to marble the cream cheese into the top.

  6. Bake for roughly 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Turn muffins out onto wire rack to cool. Enjoy!

Take advantage of cherry season and make these muffins–perhaps for your own Memorial Day celebration. Thank you again, Cara, for this wonderful, fun opportunity, and thank you to all of you Fork and Beans fans for taking the time to read this! I am a super happy girl right now!

All photos taken by Chris Miller