Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes

Batter can also be used to make a cake. Makes 12 cupcakes.

Preheat oven to 350 F

1½ cup all-purpose Gluten Free flour
1 cup sugar
½ cup cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
3/4 teaspoon Xanthan Gum
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. white vinegar
1 cup room-temperature water
1 cup chocolate chips (optional; mix into batter last)

Grease a muffin tin or line with baking cups.
Beat all ingredients in a large bowl until well-combined. Makes a thick batter.
Spoon into muffin liners, filling to 3/4 full, and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let cool.

Basic Icing Recipe

½ cup butter (or margarine), softened
2 cups icing sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Cream the butter and vanilla.
Gradually mix in icing sugar.
For chocolate icing add 1/4 to ½ cup cocoa powder.
Store in fridge.

Broccoli & Cheese Soup

Asked to make broccoli & cheese soup on the weekend, here's what I came up with:

2 cups of vegetable broth
1 cup of soy milk (or cow's milk)
1 1/2 cups grated old cheddar cheese
1/3 cup of feta cheese (optional but makes soup really good!)
salt & pepper to taste
garlic powder, onion salt, celery salt, and paprika to taste
1 medium sized broccoli, chopped into bite size pieces
1 tsp cornstarch (optional, used to thicken broth)

Heat the broth and soy milk, then add the cheese. Stir and let it melt in. Season with spices. Taste as you go. Add the cornstarch. Once cheese is melted in and broth appears smooth, add in the broccoli. Heat just until broccoli is tender, then serve.