Gingerbread Cake

Cake:
1 1/4 cup gluten free flour
1 1/4 tsp ground ginger
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp xanthan gum
6 Tbs vegan butter, room temperature
3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup water

Glaze:
1/3 cup rum
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup granulated sugar

1)  Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease a loaf pan.
2)  In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, spices, salt, baking soda, baking powder and xanthan gum. Set aside.
3)  In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy.
4)  Add the egg and beat well, while scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl. Stir in the molasses.
5)  Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the water, starting and ending with flour. Mix just until smooth.
6)  Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top.
7)  Bake the cake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a food thermometer gives an internal reading of 210F.
8)  Set aside to cool, turning it out onto a cooling rack once it is cool enough to handle (roughly ten minutes).
9)  Once the cake if fully cooled, prepare the glaze. In a small saucepan, combine all the glaze ingredients.
10)  Stir constantly over low heat, until the ingredients are well blended and the glaze is no longer gritty. Brush onto the cake.

Review:  I've joked with my niblings that I'd start making cake for the winter holidays instead of pie, but didn't do so until this year (it's been years of joking). The recipe originally called for a bundt pan. I really don't need that much cake, and the reviews indicated it was difficult to remove from a bundt pan. I halved the recipe and used a loaf pan. It looks so very dense, so a smaller size was definitely a good idea!

Adapted from:
https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/gingerbread-bundt-cake-recipe

Zhoug & Lentils

1 8oz pkg zhoug sauce
1 17.6oz pkg steamed lentils
2 cups quick-cook basmati rice

1) In a medium sauce pan, combine 4 cups of water, rice and lentils. Cover and bring to a boil. Once it's boiling, stir to loosen the lentils. Once the water is fully absorbed (12-15 minutes), remove from heat.
2) Mix in zhoug sauce thoroughly. Serve warm.

Review: I love Trader Joe's for so, so many reasons. However, it leads to many impulse purchases in which I have no plan. Zhoug sauce definitely was one of these purchase. I looooove cilantro and jalapeño, so to find a sauce made from both seemed like destiny. I had no idea what to do with it, though, and in the middle of the store was no time to figure it out. I tossed it in the cart and spent 20 minutes on google trying to figure out what to make for dinner. I found a recipe that was pasta based, but that felt weird. So, I swapped pasta for rice and made my own recipe. Luckily, I had an impulse buy from a previous trip to Trader Joe's in the fridge - steamed lentils. This was a fast meal, but ever so delicious. It's very flavorful and reminiscent of the green condiment I love at Indian restaurants. There's a bit of heat from the jalapeño, but not overwhelming. I know Trader Joe's will likely not carry this much longer (much like the kale cashew cheese pesto I saw only once, but was the most divine pesto ever), but it was well worth trying at least once. I'll definitely make this again if I find it in the store after the holidays.