As one second-grader said about this veggie-cake he and his class were taste-testing: "It tastes like dark choclit [sic], and it was good.  It looks like a bad snack."  (There was a time I might not have considered that a compliment...not so now!!!!)

These are among the favorite new deserts around our house. "Cupcakes" renamed "veggie cakes," with no wheat (of course!), and no sugar, but extra veggie benefits most cupcakes can't begin to offer.

Active Work Time: 20 minutes
Time to Taste: 45 minutes
Servings: 12 pretty honkin' cupcakes
No: dairy (potentially), gluten, nuts, soy

ingredients

• 2 large beets, cooked (great cooking directions here)
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, ghee, or butter
• 3/4 cup honey
• 2 Tbs. stevia
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 eggs, separated
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 3/4 cup cocoa (I like Green and Black's)
• 2 cups gluten-free flour (I like 1 1/4 cup buckwheat and 3/4 cup millet...more nutritious than tapioca flour, etc.)
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. guar gum

how to make them

1. Place cupcake papers in 12-16 regular cupcake pans (however big you like), or 24 mini-cupcakes and 4 large ones.
2. In a food processor fitted with an s-blade, place the beets, fat, honey and stevia.  Whiz until smooth.
3. Now add the vanilla, egg yolks, sea salt and cocoa.  Whiz around again.
4. Preheat oven to 350˚F. (I don't preheat at the beginning in order to save energy for the planet!)
5. In a large-ish mixing bowl, mix all the dry ingredients with a whisk.  (I like to send my baking powder, baking soda and guar gums through a small sieve so there's no clumps.)
6. In a medium-small mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff.
7. Mix the wet mixture into the dry mix, fold in the beaten egg whites, and plop into prepared baking cups. I like to swirl the tops with an offset spatula or a clean finger
8. Bake larger cupcakes about 22 minutes, and small cupcakes about 18 minutes.  They are ready when a toothpick tester comes out clean.
9. Let cool and enjoy them!

helping hands

My youngest loves to put the paper cups in the muffin tins, and PULSE the food processor.  My oldest gets a certain amount of satisfaction from his ever-improving egg-cracking abilities.  He can also blend the wet and dry ingredients quite well (no messes!)

notes

• Of course, these DO NOT replace eating whole, unadulterated beets, but they sure are an upgrade to traditional cupcakes!
• Beets are filled with folate, manganese, and potassium...not to mention fiber!
• Remind your kids that sugar is often made of beets!
• Betacyanin, the pigment responsible for beets' beautiful color, has been shown in many studies to help fight cancer (especially colon cancer).

This is a Smart Foods Healthy Kids recipe. Get more yummy, healthy, kid-friendly ideas at www.smartfoodshealthykids.com.

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