Gluten-Free Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp-Crumble

Cheer yourself up with this beautiful strawberry rhubarb crisp.

During these dark and surreal times, we need all the beauty we can get. And Spring herself is cooperating (aside from the snow squalls and wind storms, that is). There are cherry blossoms snowing pink. House finches and morning doves singing. Magnolias unfolding their velvet petals. Trees budding pale lacy greens and soft sun-yellows. And love. There is a lot of that going around, too. If you seek it out- it's literally all around us. Everywhere you look. On Instagram and social media folks around the world are lifting spirits sharing their dance moves, voices, and sweet, kind gestures of appreciation, faith, creativity, and camaraderie.

So in spite of the awful, horrible, no good, very bad virus, the human spirit remains strong. And Spring has launched her magic to remind us that the world still holds such beauty.

In light of our shared collective predicament, I thought you might be craving something different this week- something less typical than my Banana Nut Bread or Coconut Almond Raspberry Jam Bars (though, thank Goddess for those tried and true mainstays!). Something like a comforting, old school crisp and crumble dessert- the easiest of baked fresh fruit sweets. Lovely for a springtime picnic on your back porch steps, or a virtual weekend get-together on FaceTime.

I decided to play around with an alternative topping to the classic pairing of tart rhubarb and sweet ripe strawberries. And I grabbed a secret ingredient from my baking pantry.

Can you guess what it is?

The secret ingredient in this old fashioned crumble dessert is an ingredient your grandmother probably never heard of.

Quinoa flakes. Gluten-free quinoa cereal flakes add a distinct, toasty and delicate flavor to this fruit crumble's topping. The texture is light and lovely.

We thought it was spectacular.

And as a bonus?

This gluten-free dessert is xanthan gum free, by the way.

If you have only oats- or oatmeal cereal flakes- you can use those, too, Darling. Crisps are born for improvisation.

Stay safe, stay strong, and bake up something delicious.

Karina
xox


READ MORE: GET THE RECIPE »