"Butter Cream" frosting

I love frosting. I grew up in a house where it was perfectly acceptable to eat it out of the fridge with a spoon (as long as no one caught you, that is - but we all did it). In particular, I love chocolate butter cream frosting. Believe it or don't, but I have come up with VEGAN butter cream recipe that you would never guess was dairy or soy free. The secret is in the palm oil shortening. Spread the word. Palm oil shortening is also good for making french fries in a cast iron skillet. Versatile and delicious. And super allergy-friendly. Yay for palm oil.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup palm oil shortening, slightly chilled is best
  
• 1/4 cup rice milk
  
• 1 cup cornstarch-free powdered sugar*
  
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

* or make your own: put one cup of white cane sugar and 1 tsp cream of tartar or tapioca starch in blender or food processor. Mix on high until sugar is powdered. Voila!

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cream shortening and rice milk with a hand mixer.
   
2. Slowly add powdered sugar until you get a nice frosting consistency. If it's too stiff, add more rice milk. If it's too thin, add more powdered sugar.
   
3. Add vanilla and mix well.
   

Yield: enough frosting for a batch of brownies, the top of a sheet cake or a batch of cupcakes.

ALTERNATIVES:

• Add 1/4 cup cocoa powder to the frosting for chocolate butter cream.
  
• Use cold coffee or espresso instead of all or part of the rice milk for coffee butter cream. You can also sub out vanilla and sub in coffee extract.
  
• Use coffee AND cocoa for mocha butter cream.
• If you can do nuts, sub out vanilla for almond extract.
  

Easy One Bowl Brownies

Not only did we recently re-lose eggs, now we are finally addressing the lingering chocolate issue. Namely: I love it and really don't want to give it up, despite a potential reaction. I am in serious denial here, but we really need to find out.

So, vicariously, I am posting this fantastic brownie recipe. It's a little crumbly as is, but if you can tolerate eggs, that helps immensely.

INGREDIENTS:

• 10 Tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 cup safflower oil
• 2 Tbsp flax meal + 6 Tbsp water heated in microwave = flax meal gel
• 1 cup cane sugar
• 1 cup brown rice flour
• 1 cup sorghum flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix flours, salt, soda & cocoa.
2. Add sugar.
3. Add oil.
4. Add flax meal gel.
5. Add vanilla.
6. Pour batter into a greased & lightly floured 9x13 glass pan.
7. Bake at 350*F for 30 minutes or so. Edges will pull away from sides of pan & knife tip will come out clean when pushed into center.

Yield: Double batch. For us, that means 24hrs, 48 max. For other, more will-power endowed, it will last longer.

ALTERNATIVES:

• Eggs instead of flax meal, will help it hold together better.
• Try adding chocolate chips, dried coconut, or dried fruit, like cherries.
• Use coconut oil to grease pan.
  
• Make a chocolate "buttercream" frosting and frost like a cake.
  
• Pour into muffin tins for brownie "bites".