RHUBARB & STRAWBERRY CRUNCHY CRISP
Hail our friends that gift us with garden goods throughout the growing season. I am blessed with a handful of these dear souls and I cherish them. My first grab this year, Rhubarb! It is a fruit I truly enjoy, and fruit crisp brings me right back to childhood and my mom’s yummy apple betty made with brown sugar, cinnamon and buttery oat topping.
My version has all the appeal of my mom’s, yet I’ve reduced the sweetener, added in some flax seeds and replaced the butter with omega three rich walnut oil. Using organic rice flour is a fabulous way to get more crunch in the crisp yet feel free to use coconut or buckwheat flour. (Avoid white flour – think zero nutrients.) I am all for creating recipes that are delish as well as nutrient dense.
Given it isn’t strawberry season when I first made this, I opted for the organic frozen. If you are able to access local, organic strawberries, use these. Just avoid the oversized, pale and tasteless berries shipped across the country in off season. I use more rhubarb in this recipe than most and for good reason. It is so good for us and usually only enjoyed in the late spring, early summer so let’s take advantage of it. Read on for the benefits:
Rich in the antioxidant anthocyanins, this leggy fruit is anti-inflammatory, plays a role in cancer-prevention and has demonstrated protective effects on blood vessels and blood pressure. Rhubarb is also a great source of vitamin K1, which is important for blood clotting and bone health and delivers fiber, calcium and vitamin C. It's a wow!
Hail our friends that gift us with garden goods throughout the growing season. I am blessed with a handful of these dear souls and I cherish them. My first grab this year, Rhubarb! It is a fruit I truly enjoy, and fruit crisp brings me right back to childhood and my mom’s yummy apple betty made with brown sugar, cinnamon and buttery oat topping.
My version has all the appeal of my mom’s, yet I’ve reduced the sweetener, added in some flax seeds and replaced the butter with omega three rich walnut oil. Using organic rice flour is a fabulous way to get more crunch in the crisp yet feel free to use coconut or buckwheat flour. (Avoid white flour – think zero nutrients.) I am all for creating recipes that are delish as well as nutrient dense.
Given it isn’t strawberry season when I first made this, I opted for the organic frozen. If you are able to access local, organic strawberries, use these. Just avoid the oversized, pale and tasteless berries shipped across the country in off season. I use more rhubarb in this recipe than most and for good reason. It is so good for us and usually only enjoyed in the late spring, early summer so let’s take advantage of it. Read on for the benefits:
Rich in the antioxidant anthocyanins, this leggy fruit is anti-inflammatory, plays a role in cancer-prevention and has demonstrated protective effects on blood vessels and blood pressure. Rhubarb is also a great source of vitamin K1, which is important for blood clotting and bone health and delivers fiber, calcium and vitamin C. It's a wow!
- Dessert, breakfast, snack
- Vegan, gluten, nut free w/ options
- Prep time: 10 minutes, bake time approx. 35 minutes or until the top is crunchy and bronzed
- Makes one 9 x 9 inch baking dish
INGREDIENTS:
TOPPING:
1,1/2 cups organic rolled oats, choose gluten-free oats
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds, or slivered almonds
1/4 cup organic coconut or cane sugar
1/3 cup organic brown rice flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom, optional
1/ 2 tsp Maison Orphee sea salt
3-4 tbsp Maison Orphee walnut or coconut oil, warmed to melt if needed
FILLING:
4 cups rhubarb, chopped into ½ inch slices, stewed 5 minutes
3 cups frozen organic strawberries or fresh, in season strawberries
2-4 tbsp pure maple syrup, as desired
1 tsp ground flax seeds
1 tbsp lemon juice
DIRECTIONS
TERI’S TIPS:
TOPPING:
1,1/2 cups organic rolled oats, choose gluten-free oats
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds, or slivered almonds
1/4 cup organic coconut or cane sugar
1/3 cup organic brown rice flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom, optional
1/ 2 tsp Maison Orphee sea salt
3-4 tbsp Maison Orphee walnut or coconut oil, warmed to melt if needed
FILLING:
4 cups rhubarb, chopped into ½ inch slices, stewed 5 minutes
3 cups frozen organic strawberries or fresh, in season strawberries
2-4 tbsp pure maple syrup, as desired
1 tsp ground flax seeds
1 tbsp lemon juice
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Combine oats, seeds or nuts, sugar, flour, cinnamon, cardamom and sea salt in medium bowl. Pour in the walnut or coconut oil and stir.
- In an 8 cup glass or ceramic baking dish, combine the filling ingredients and mix well.
- Spread out and top with the oatmeal topping pressing down gently.
- Bake until topping is golden and the fruit is bubbling through, about 35 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
TERI’S TIPS:
- Recipes such as this have room to play. You can vary the grains, seeds or nuts, sweetener and fruits to accommodate what you have on hand.
- If you prefer minimizing the fats added to recipes, reduce to 1 tablespoon coconut oil and add a splash of non-dairy milk.
- This is perfect as is and just a touch more indulgent topped with a drizzle of Belsoy or whipped coconut crème, home-made or vanilla coconut ice cream.