Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp: So Delicious, So Wholesome

Would it be bad modeling if I just ate strawberry rhubarb crisp for dinner tonight?  

A friend kindly shared some strawberry starts with me two years ago, and this year, for the first time, my hardy little plants have simultaneously produced enough strawberries to make my favorite dessert.  

I know part of the allure of this dessert is the anticipation of waiting for spring when good strawberries and fresh rhubarb are available.  If I could have it every week it probably wouldn't delight me so much, but as it stands--I'm delighted!  Bonus:  the kids like this crisp as well.

This crisp's topping is whole grain with nuts which makes it feel substantial.  It is only lightly sweetened so the fruit gets to be the star of the show.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Topping:

1 cup rolled oats

½ cup whole wheat pastry flour

½ teaspoon salt

¼ cup coconut oil, melted

¼ cup maple syrup

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Fruit Filling:

1 pint strawberries (washed, stem removed, sliced)

1 stalk rhubarb (diced)

1 Tablespoon tapioca

1 Tablespoon orange juice

2-4 Tablespoons unrefined cane sugar (or brown sugar)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly oil a pie pan or 8x8 baking dish.

Topping:  Combine the oats, flour, and salt and mix well.  Add the melted coconut oil and maples syrup, mixing well.  Add the chopped walnuts and then set aside.

Fruit Filling:  In a separate bowl, toss together the strawberries and rhubarb with the tapioca, orange juice, and sugar.  The better the quality and ripeness of the fruit, the less sugar the crisp requires.  (Made with conventionally grown store-bought strawberries, ¼ cup sugar is nice; made with freshly picked home-grown strawberries 2-3 tablespoons is plenty.)

Spread the fruit filling on the bottom of the greased pie pan.  Top with the oatmeal topping mixture, spreading it evenly over the fruit.  Cover (I use aluminum foil) and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove the cover and bake 10 minutes more to brown the topping.  

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