vegan, gluten fee, refined sugar free

Rhubarb season is here, you can find it at your local farmers market, you might have it in your backyard or know someone that has it and doesn’t know what to do with it. Go get it and let’s make some treats!

Ingredients:

• 200 g dates
• 200g rhubarb
• 1 orange zest and juice
• 150g water
• 300 gluten free flour (or make your own with 150g fine rice flour and 150 g corn starch)
• 60g melted coconut oil (or sunflower, canola oil)
• 1tsp cinnamon
• 1tbsp baking powder
• 1tsp vanilla

Method:

1. Soak the dates in hot water for at least 20 minutes.
2. In the meantime clean and cut your rhubarb in about 4 cm pieces. Bring some water to boil and cook your rhubarb for about 3 minutes, untill very soft. Drain it and put it aside.
3. Turn on the oven at 180* C and prepare your muffin tray.
4. Drain the dates and add them to a bowl. Mash them with a fork until a creamy consistency.
5. Add the melted oil, vanilla, cinnammon, salt, orange zest (grated) and juice, and water mixing untill well incorporated.
6. Add the flour and baking bowder, and last the mushed rhubarb. Mix briefly just enough to combine. Do not overmix.
7. With the help of a spoon fill up your tray and bake at 180* for 30 minutes.
8. Let cool for a little bit and serve warm. Enjoy

Storage:
You can store them in an airtight container for 3- 4 days, rest assure they stay delicious.
I often freeze them in a ziplock bag and take out one of the time a couple of hours before eating it.

Serving suggestion:
You can serve them with some poached rhubarb and a fresh orange slice.
Bring to boil 1 cup of water with 1/2 cup of sugar ( I use coconut) and a cinnamon stick. Cut your rhubarb in batons about 8cm long, when the syrup is boiling, turn off the heat, add your rhubarb and cover. Let it sit till cold. Your poached rhubarb should be soft but still a bit crunchy, not mushy.
You can save the syrup to add on your pancakes or porridge.
They go well also with coconut cream or a classic butterscotch sauce.

How to grow rhubarb:
Rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum) is a perennial plant originary from Asia. It’s super easy to grow and produce in abundance for many many years.
It’s quite hardy but to thrive is better planted in a rich draining soil. It doesn’t like wet roots and it’s an heavy feeder. Best place it’s near a compost pile where can grow undisturbed. It can spread wide up to 2 mt and easily reach 1mt height.
Plant s in spring and do not harvest for the first year and harvest just a little on the second year. From the third year you can start dividing the crowns to propagate and gift them to your neighbours.
Only the stalks are edible, the rest of the plant is toxic but they can provide green mass for your compost or can be used them as mulch.

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