Aw, strawberry and rhubarb. In the food world, this is one of my favourite duos. They're seriously BFFs. Like Sunny and Cher, Jimmy and Justin, Tina and Amy - you get my drift.

 

I love the combination of sweet and tart. It's pretty much perfect - not to mention that it screams the sweetness of summer. Both of these guys are powerhouses in the way of health benefits, full of vitamin c, magnesium, potassium, folate and more. 

 

I've upgraded the crispy topping to add more flavour and serious nutritional punch while reducing the sugar so that the natural flavour of the fruit comes through. Oats, hemp hearts, almonds, cinnamon, whole wheat flour, brown sugar and grass fed butter, that's it. All real food, all the time!

 

This is a great make ahead dessert you can put together and have ready in the freezer anytime. It'll take a bit longer but it even works well baking from frozen so if you have a last minute visit or craving, no problem!

 

 

• 4 cups strawberries, cleaned and quartered
• 3 cups rhubarb, chopped to 2 inch pieces
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• juice of half a lemon
• 1 tbsp lemon or orange zest
• 2 tbsp cornstarch

• 1 cup old-fashioned oats

• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

• 1/2 cup almonds or walnuts, chopped 

• 1/4 cup hemp hearts (optional)

• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar

• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

• 1/4 tsp. salt

• 1/2 cup grass fed butter, chilled and cut into pieces

Preheat the oven to 375F. 

 

Put the strawberries, rhubarb, lemon juice and zest in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and cornstarch; sprinkle over the fruit and toss to coat. 

 

Transfer the fruit to a baking dish or 9-inch cast iron skillet, shaking all the excess sugar overtop. In the same bowl or in the bowl of a food processor mix the oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter, fork or your fingers (or pulse in the food processor) until the mixture is well blended and crumbly. Scatter over the fruit, squeezing to create larger clumps as you go.

 

Bake for 45 minutes or until the fruit is soft and bubbling, and the topping is pale golden and crunchy. Serve warm, with vanilla ice cream, greek yogurt or coconut-banana ice cream.

Serves 6-8.