RHUBARB COCONUT ICE CREAM (VEGAN)

I don't talk about it very often, but I'm lactose intolerant. For years I fooled my body into thinking otherwise by popping a dairy pill just before devouring a pizza, a soft serve cone or a big bowl of yogurt. On the cusp of turning 30 though, my body has decided that its done with the pills and now chooses to just reject dairy all together.

Sure I'm a bit bummed, but I'm taking this on as a new culinary challenge. Pizza toppings need to be more exciting to make up for the lack of cheese, breakfast can't just be yogurt and granola, and ice creams need to be coconut based. So here I am, almost exactly one year later, trying to replicate last years rhubarb ice cream goodness, but without the dairy.

If you've been around here long enough, you'll know that my love for rhubarb runs deep. We inherited a garden that's bursting with perennial rhubarb (winning!) and I couldn't be more excited. This week alone there's already been crisp, compote, this ice cream, and dreams of this cake. Its going to be a good couple of weeks. Happy end of Spring friends!

STRAWBERRY RHUBARB CRISP (GLUTEN FREE + DAIRY FREE)

We spent the weekend up at the cottage and it was absolute bliss. We were outside practically the whole time, hanging en famille, boating, drinking and playing cornhole with friends.

When the whole family is up at the cottage, meals can often be a little challenging. Everyone has their preferences, and everyone has their dietary restrictions -- no dairy, no gluten, no cinnamon, no tomatoes. Breakfast is easy, everyone kind of does their own thing, depending on what time you wake up. Lunch comes together as a giant salad with a side of protein (for those who want it). Then there's dinner - always barbecued and always delicious. Finally, dessert. Often just fruit and dark chocolate, but not this weekend. This weekend, I was on dessert duty. Using what I could find in the kitchen, I tweaked my go-to crisp recipe it into something dairy and gluten free. Not sure if it was the country air, the last of the season's rhubarb, or the fun of being all together as a family for the weekend, but the crisp turned out better then I could have imagined. Do your best to swoop up some of the last of the rhubarb before it disappears; if not, no stress, bookmark this recipe for next year!

GINGER RHUBARB ICE CREAM

Somehow I got caught up in the kerfuffle of Passover, work trips to Toronto, and hosting Mother's Day and Dad's birthday dinner, blinked, and it was already mid-May. I'm not entirely sure how that happened, but I'm rolling with it. We're doing our best to maximize our time outside and enjoy the sun. We've already downed our first patio caesar, fired up the barbecue, and have taken a few walks/bikes/runs along the canal.

In the spirit of "summer is coming," I decided to take the ice cream maker out of winter hibernation. Last weekend's festivities (and my first attempt at strawberry shortcake) left me with heavy cream in the fridge, so the timing just felt right. What started as a simple ginger ice cream, quickly morphed into something amazing when I spotted Ontario rhubarb at the store (I may or may not have squealed with excitement). The result was far more delicious then I could have ever imagined. If you don't have an ice cream maker, make this cream instead, but either way, do not miss out on this lip-smacking flavour bomb!

GLUTEN-FREE ROASTED RHUBARB + CORNMEAL MUFFINS

Growing up, rhubarb wasn't a thing around our house. Not to blame my parents or anything, but it was one of those things that we didn't eat because they didn't like it (fried eggs was on that list too, but more on that later). I grew up thinking that the only way to eat rhubarb was combined with strawberries in pie. False.

Last year I fell hard and fast for rhubarb. I doused countless morning yogurt bowls (and waffles) in compote, and scooped fluffy cream on everythaaang. This year, I went the roasting route, and my life will never be the same. Make sure to grab some rhubarb while you can, and get roasting!

CORNMEAL WAFFLES WITH RHUBARB COMPOTE AND CACAO NIBS

You're probably wondering why I'm posting a rhubarb recipe when I just finished saying Spring was on it's way out... Well, rhubarb was totally late to the party this year, and can still be found at markets throughout Toronto. I made this rhubarb compote to top my birthday breakfast waffles a few weeks back, and have made it so many times since, that I knew it needed a spot on the site. The perfect tart to sweet ratio makes this compote ideal for topping waffles, plain yogurt, fruit salads, you name it! Combine it with lightly toasted cornmeal waffles, a little crunch from the cacao nibs, and you have yourself a winning weekend breakfast!

PS. thanks to the gaggle for my beauty new place mats.

CORNMEAL WAFFLES WITH RHUBARB COMPOTE AND CACAO NIBS // serves 4

Ingredients:

waffles //
1/2 cup white flour
1/2 cup corn meal
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 T white vinegar*
1 cup (minus 1 T) milk of your choice*
1 egg
2 T honey
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 T unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

compote //
2 cups rhubarb, chopped
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

*note: or 1 cup buttermilk, if you have it.

What to do:

Start by making the compote. Combine the water, sugar and vanilla in a saucepan on medium-heat. Allow the sugar to dissolve completely, then add the rhubarb.

Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook, uncovered, for about 10 minutes - stirring occasionally to break up the larger pieces. After 10 minutes, assess the amount of liquid in the pot. If desired thickness is achieved, remove from the heat, if not, leave it to simmer for a little longer.

Turn on your waffle iron and allow it to heat up while you make the batter.

Add 1 T white vinegar to a measuring cup; then fill with milk to the 1 cup line. Allow to sit and curdle (skip this step if using buttermilk).

In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and stir to combine.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg, then add the buttermilk, honey, vanilla and room temperature, melted butter; whisk to combine.

Transfer the wet ingredients into the dry and using a wooden spoon, stir just until combined.

Scoop 1/2 cup batter onto the hot waffle iron. Shut the lid and let bake until browned and crisp (~5-7 minutes depending on your iron). Continue the same way until you've made 4 or have used up all the batter. Be careful not to stack the waffles as you make them or they will get soggy.

Serve warm, with a heaping scoop of rhubarb and a sprinkle of cacao nibs.

MANGO + BLACKERRY FRUIT SALAD WITH A RHUBARB AND GINGER CREAM

This week has been all about rhubarb. We spent this past weekend in Southwest Ontario and discovered Macklin's, a great place to stock up all on all your seasonal produce. I hadn't had much luck finding rhubarb in town, so decided to stock up when I saw in. An abundance of rhubarb meant a week of rhubarb themed recipes. I made these muffins, replacing roasted strawberries with roasted rhubarb; I made compote to top this weekend's birthday breakfast waffles; I may try to squeeze this in with the last 4 stalks that remain, and I was super inspired by this unique mango kale salad. Mangos are everywhere right now, so I decided to follow suite, but with a light fruit salad.

MANGO + BLACKBERRY FRUIT SALAD WITH A RHUBARB AND GINGER CREAM // serves several

Ingredients:

4 mangoes (I used ataulfo, just-ripe)
1 carton blackberries
1-2 sprigs mint, chopped

rhubarb and ginger cream //
1 1/2 T coconut oil
1 cup chopped rhubarb
1/2 inch num of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
juice from 1 lime
1 tsp maple syrup
1 T olive oil

What to do:

Peel and slice mangoes. Slice along the pit to maximize usable fruit. Transfer to a bowl.

Heat 1/2 T coconut oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add the rhubarb and sautée until the fruit begins to soften and break up.

While the rhubarb is cooking, combine the remaining 1 T of coconut oil with all the remaining cream ingredients into the body of a blender or bullet. Once the rhubarb is ready, let cool for 1 minute before adding to the blender. Blend until smooth and creamy. The heat from the rhubarb will help the cream thicken.

There are a few ways to compile this salad. You can choose to toss all the fruit and cream together in a bowl before serving, or serve undressed, with a scoop of cream*. Either way, it will taste delicious.

Enjoy!

*note: If storing for later, I would recommend dressing only when you choose to eat it. If bringing to a backyard bbq, toss beforehand.