A few weekends ago, I went to visit a dear friend in Toronto. In the morning, she asked if I wanted to pick rhubarb from her garden to use in our breakfast, pointing out a recipe she had found.

A few weekends ago, I went to visit a dear friend in Toronto. In the morning, she asked if I wanted to pick rhubarb from her garden to use in our breakfast, pointing out a recipe she had found. It was a gorgeously fragrant strawberry rhubarb crisp, loaded with fruit and a buttery, almond-studded topping. We tinkered a little to remove the dairy and refined sugars, and made a really lovely morning of the crisp, fresh papaya and grapefruit, and a project photoshoot. It was delightful.

I was thinking about that crisp and how we added ginger to our version. I had picked up local strawberries and rhubarb from my farmer’s market on the weekend, and was debating whether to revisit that breakfast crisp or to make a pie.  A few hours later, my husband came home with a rhubarb pie his mother had made for him and that decided it! I made what amounted to a cross between baked oatmeal and a crisp, with a jammy not-too-sweet fruit layer, a couple inches of hearty nutty oats that are reminiscent of baked oatmeal, and a crunchy crisp topping. It was delicious with coffee for breakfast on a holiday morning. I hope you enjoy it too!

A few recipe notes: this version made for a nice breakfast, as it is not really very sweet at all and leans toward hearty with a lot of oats. If you would like to go a more traditional crisp route, decrease the oat topping in half, which should leave you with a crunchy topping without the “baked oatmeal” middle layer. If you prefer a sweeter dish, or are planning to have this for dessert, add 2 tablespoons of either coconut sugar or more maple syrup.

Strawberry rhubarb baked oatmeal crisp with rosewater & ginger (gluten free, vegan, sugar free, nut free)

serves 2-4

For berry layer:

• 1 inch fresh ginger, minced
• 3 thin stalks rhubarb, chopped
• 3 heaping cups strawberries, sliced
• 1 1/2 tbsp arrowroot starch
• 4 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tsp rosewater

Preheat oven to 400 F.

In an oven-safe baking dish, combine above ingredients and stir until everything is coated with starch and maple syrup. Set aside.

For oatmeal layer and topping:

• 2 c gluten free rolled oats
• 2 tbsp arrowroot starch
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 3 tbsp hemp hearts
• 1/4 tsp himalayan pink salt (or sea salt)
• 2 tbsp ground flaxseeds
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/4 c plus 2 tbsp coconut oil (place in freezer for 5 minutes to harden)

Add oats, arrowroot starch, ground cardamom, hemp hearts, salt and ground flaxseeds to a medium-sized mixing bowl and stir to combine. Add maple syrup and coconut oil, and using either clean hands or a large spoon, mix well so that the maple syrup and oil are evenly mixed through and small clumps of oat mixture form (the hardened coconut oil helps, as it behaves similar to butter).

Pour oat mixture over berry mixture. Put dish in preheated oven and bake for 35-40 minutes. Your kitchen will fill with the most amazing scent towards the end! Allow to sit for a few minutes before serving.