Betcha anyone coming over here from the Secret Recipe Club that knows me well is shocked that this is my pick for the month and it’s not dessert! Here’s the deal—I made three recipes from my blog assignment this month and chose the one I liked the most to feature here first. I liked all three recipes from Isabelle’s blog, Crumb. I am so happy that I took the time to make these Red Lentil Patties with Spicy Tomato Jam. I had them in mind the whole month and just kept not getting it done.
In the meantime, after spending Mother’s Day weekend with my parents in Idaho, I brought home a bunch of rhubarb from their garden.
Mom and I were having loads of fun trying to take a selfie before I left. Some of them were pretty funny.
My parents just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on May 16th! Anyway, their yard and garden is beautiful and they have 3-4 big rhubarb plants. I got to bring home a bunch.
How cool is this pvc pipe planter? They made holes all along the top, filled them with dirt and planted things like lettuce and herbs. They’ve done that all along fencing in their yard. No weeding!
I could post more pictures, but I’ll spare you too many more. I just wish I could be like my parents and have a yard and garden like they do!
Back to the rhubarb—I scoured Isabelle’s blog for any rhubarb recipes and found this Rhubarb Walnut Loaf. I decided that it wouldn’t be too difficult to make gluten free and made it.
Here’s how I changed it to be gluten free and with a few other changes.
Gluten Free Rhubarb Walnut Loaf, by Katrina, Baking and Boys!
2/3 cup organic brown cane sugar
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 large egg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup canned coconut milk
zest of 1 lemon
1 1/2 cups diced rhubarb
2 1/2 cups gluten free flour (I used Premium Gold ancient grains blend with xanthan gum)
2 tablespoons ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup organic brown cane sugar
juice of a lemon
1 tablespoon toasted unsweetened coconut.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together the brown sugar and coconut oil. Add the egg and mix well. Stir in the vanilla and coconut milk. Zest and juice the lemon. Stir the zest into the wet mixture. Save the lemon juice for the glaze.
Whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir just until combined. Fold in the rhubarb and nuts. Pour the batter into a 9x5 loaf pan that his brushed with coconut oil. Bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Whisk together the 1/4 cup of brown sugar and lemon juice and bring to a simmer in a small saucepan until the sugar is dissolved. Pour the glaze over the loaf as soon as it comes out of the oven. Sprinkle with coconut. Cool on a wire rack.
Stay tuned for the red lentil patties and tomato jam, I’ll get to it soon. It might be the first time in my blog’s history that I didn’t blog for a whole month. I need to make up for lost time. A bit more of the month went by and I still kept thinking about the lentil patties with homemade “catsup”. I looked through Isabelle’s blog again, just for the heck of it and found these Cherry Walnut Oatmeal Breakfast Bars and felt like making them. I made a few changes, using gluten free oats, brown rice flour, cranberries, sunflower seeds, almond milk, etc. If you want my version of the recipe, let me know. They were a good snack throughout the last week.
Gluten Free Cranberry Walnut Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
I didn’t think I was going to get the lentil patties made. I knew if I made them they would only be something I would eat and no one else around here, but a couple days ago, I just decided to get it done last Thursday, the boys’ last full day of school. I started with the Spicy Tomato Jam. Super easy and very tasty!
Spicy Tomato Jam, by Katrina, Baking and Boys!, adapted from Isabelle at Crumb Blog
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 small shallot, finely minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon dry ground mustard
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
14 ounce can of whole tomatoes, drained and chopped
1/4 cup organic brown cane sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
Saute the shallot and ginger in olive oil for a couple minutes. Add the garlic and mustard and saute until fragrant. Chop the tomatoes, or pulse them in a food processor. Add all the remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and cook uncovered for about an hour, stirring occasionally, until it has thickened like jam. Let the jam cool, then spoon into a jar and refrigerate until ready to use.
This really has great flavor and a nice, perfect kick. You can add a little more or less red pepper to your taste. Isabelle used red pepper flakes. I prefer the ground kind. This tomato jam would be good on so many things. After the jam was done, I made the patties. I had bought some garam masala, which I had never used before, just to make these. I’m glad I did!
Since I was the only one eating these, I made just a few of them and have done so a couple times with the patty mixture in the refrigerator ready to make more. I think I’ll fry off the rest of them, which I’ve done in coconut oil, and freeze them. I made them gluten free by using rice flour instead of all purpose flour.
Red Lentil Patties, by Katrina, Baking and Boys!, adapted from Isabelle at Crumb Blog
1 1/2 cups red lentils
3 cups water
1 small shallot, finely minced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 teaspoons garam masala
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 large eggs
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
coconut oil, for frying
In a large saucepan, bring the lentils and water to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until lentils are soft, 15-20 minutes. Drain lentils well. In a skillet, saute the shallot in olive oil for a few minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, and garam masala. Cook and stir a few more minutes. Remove from heat. In a large bowl, combine the lentils, sauteed ingredients, eggs, flour, salt, pepper and cilantro. Form into balls (or use a cookie scoop). Lay them in a skillet that is heated with a couple tablespoons of coconut oil and flatten them to about 1/4 inch thick. Fry the patties for about 5 minutes per side or until golden brown and crisp.
Serve them warm or at room temperature with the spicy tomato jam.
These really were quite simple to make and I’m so glad I found the time to do so! You know, a couple years ago, I got the pleasure of filling in for a missing Secret Recipe Club assignment and made some delicious marbled choco banana muffins and granola from Isabelle’s blog. What I wouldn’t give for one of those muffins now! I also just realized and had thought I had been assigned Isabelle’s blog before, but knew I’d filled in once, so I didn’t question it until now—I have also already had an actual assignment for Crumb and I made a couple more things--Warm Raspberry Chocolate Pudding Cake and Sweet Potato Falafel! I knew something seemed off, but didn’t question it. Oh well, I am super glad I got to find more yummy things on Isabelle’s blog! We need to have a talk with “the powers that be” who make these assignments. ; )
