Chocolate Chip & Rhubarb Bread

When I was young, our 80-something-year-old next-door neighbor (Mrs. Patterson) used to bake with rhubarb ALL the time. In fact, she even had this little patch of the stuff growing in her backyard -- right in the spot where our basketball would inevitably land because neither my brother nor I could ever manage to shoot straight. I'm hoping to plant some of the vegetable in our own garden next spring . . . and though it's been years since Mrs. Patterson passed, she'll live on in my memory of her rhubarb obsession.

Yup -- this one's for her . . . and it's vegan!



Also note: Stephen, you know, the one who rarely "wastes" his calories on sweets, devoured this bread almost entirely by himself in just two days.

CHOCOLATE CHIP & RHUBARB BREAD
(Recipe yields one loaf)

What you'll need . . .

1/2 cup coconut milk

1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cups dark brown sugar

1/4 cup applesauce

1-1/4 cups wheat pastry flour

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup chopped rhubarb (I used frozen)

1/3 cup chocolate or carob chips

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Method . . .

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease one 9x5 inch loaf pan.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together coconut milk, lemon juice, and vanilla. Let stand for 10 minutes.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine dark brown sugar and applesauce until fluffy.
4. In another bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking soda -- then stir into sugar mixture alternately with the coconut milk mixture just until combined.
5. Fold in rhubarb and chocolate chips -- then add the cloves (I did this last because it was an afterthought . . . but you can feel free to mix it with the other dry ingredients). Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan.
6. Bake for approx. 40 minutes (until a toothpick inserted into center of a loaf comes out clean).
   
7. Of course, enjoy (and perhaps hide from your significant other or friends . . . as I wrote, mine was gone in a flash!)

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