Rhubarb Oatmeal Bars

This years’ crop of rhubarb has been extremely bountiful. My guess, is that the 60 days of snow on the ground earlier this year was of benefit (to the rhubarb) although not necessarily us. At any rate, John (husband) loves rhubarb, and does not particularly care for it to be tainted with strawberries. There is nothing better than a rhubarb pie, but I decided to try this recipe over Memorial Day when family was visiting. It was a hit and fab, thus I made another batch this weekend after a plentiful harvest. As is standard M.O. for me, in the kitchen, I switched things up a bit. This recipe posting is for my cousin Beth – living the life in Scotland, land of the “Stuarts”.

Ingredients for crust / topping

• 1⁄2 cup raw cashew pieces
• 1 1⁄2 cups GF rolled oats
• 1 cup coconut sugar (recipe called for brown sugar)
• 1⁄4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup GF flour
• ½ cup almond flour
• 1 cup shortening (can substitute butter/ applesauce/ coconut oil) last batch I made was 1/2 butter, 1/2 organic applesauce
• 1⁄4 teaspoon vanilla (was out of vanilla substituted Orange Flower water)
• Dash of cardamom, depending on your taste

Rhubarb filling

• 3 cups chopped rhubarb
• 1 cup organic turbinado sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1⁄4 cup water (I squeezed fresh orange juice, could also sub mango juice)
• Fresh grated ginger – approx. 2 + tablespoons (or more)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla (again, substituted Orange Flower water)

Directions

Crust: Combine all ingredients until crumbly.
Pat half of mixture into 13x9" baking pan (I lined mine w/ parchment paper)
Bake for about 20 minutes

For the rhubarb filling
In saucepan combine rhubarb, sugar, cornstarch and water
Cook until clear
Blend in vanilla
Pour over baked crust
Sprinkle with remaining crumb mixture
Bake at 350° for 20 minutes

This makes a good portion of “bars”, dependent on how large (or small) you cut them. Best refrigerated.

As Julia would say “Bon Appetit!

Crazy Good and Easy Coconut Oil Chocolate Chunks

I found this recipe on Facebook – it sounded simple and straightforward (plus I had all of the ingredients on hand) so I decided to try it out. Perfect for Valentine’s Day and of course for the chocolate lover. I doubled the recipe – makes a full 13x9 pan with a good thickness for a serious chocolate hit. From a time management perspective it was simple and as we found out - YUMMY.

Ingredients
2/3 cup organic cocoa powder
2/3 cup organic coconut oil
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon honey, maple syrup or simple syrup
(I made my own simple syrup using organic raw coconut sugar, it is a 1:1 ratio – sugar/water – cook for 10 minutes)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of sea salt

Instructions
Heat coconut oil in a small saucepan over low heat.
Once it melts add the remaining ingredients.
Stir well and pour mix over a 13x9 baking pan lined with parchment paper
Place cookie sheet in refrigerator for 2-4 hours, or until it is set
(freezer works well for set up and storage)
Once the chocolate hardens, break it up into pieces.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator (or freezer)

Toppings:
Raw cashews, candied ginger, caramel topping, sea salt. Sprinkle the amount you desire on top for cashews /candied ginger. Let it sit for a few minutes and add the sea salt. For the caramel sauce – wait for a bit until it hardens and then drizzle on top.

As Julia would say...Bon Appetit!