Strawberry Rhubarb "Crisp"

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Nothing reminds me more of summer than strawberry rhubarb. There is a distinct tartness that makes you crave one more bite. The reason why I say “crisp” is because typically a crisp or cobbler have butter, sugar and flour mix together to create the texture. But I want to make this more guilt free! So it certainly won’t be as crunchy but is certainly better for you!

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Ingredients:

Filling

• 1 Cup of Rhubarb, chopped (This is about 2 stalks for me)

• 1 Cup of Strawberries, chopped

• 2 Tbsp of White Sugar

• 1 Tsp of Vanilla

Topping

• 1 Cup of Rolled Oats

• 1 Cup of Nuts (Chopped Pecans and Sliced Almonds work great)

• 1/3 Cup Brown or Palm Sugar

• 1/2 Tsp Salt

• 1/2 Tsp Cinnamon

• 1/4 Coconut Oil, Melted

Optional for the Topping:

• 1/4 tsp Nutmeg or Cardamom

• 1/3 Cup of Coconut Flakes (for the crunch!)

Required Equipment:

• Pyrex with flat bottom or deep dish for baking

What’s Next:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix all the filling ingredients (strawberry, rhubarb, vanilla and sugar) together and spread across the bottom of the baking dish in one layer

2. Mix the rest of the topping ingredients together (oats, nuts, sugar, salt, spices and coconut oil). Sprinkle evenly across the fruits in the baking dish

3. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until the filling is bubbly and the topping is golden brown!

4. Serve warm with ice cream is highly recommended!

Easier-than-you-think Granola

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For some reason for years I’ve always bought granola from the store. Thinking it’s not worth my time to figure out how to make this myself while hating the amount of sugar is in these commercial products.

Then I came across this easy recipe and you can tailor it to your liking

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Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Rolled Oats

• 2 Cups of Nuts (I do Pistachios, Almond Slices, Pecan and Cashew)

• 1/3 Cup Coconut Flakes

• 1/3 Cup Cranberries unsweetened

• 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil

• 1/2 Tbsp Honey (Can scale this up if you like it sweeter)

*Don’t sweat it if you don’t have all the nuts mentioned above. Variety will give you different texture and flavors, but as long as you don’t mind, any type of nuts will do!

**This will make a loose granola ; if you like granola with larger crunch that stick together, I think adding more honey will be what you need to bind them together

What’s Next:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with foil or silicon baking mat

2. Melt the coconut oil in a small heatproof bowl gently in the microwave, 7-10 seconds at a time. Then add the honey into the coconut oil, mix well. They might look a little separated, but it’s fine

3. Sprinkle the oats, nuts, coconut flakes and cranberries onto the baking sheet. Drizzle the coconut oil honey mixture onto the oats and nuts. Mix them gently to coat them as much as possible. If your oats look dull, then add a bit more coconut oil ; if it looks too shiny then add a bit more nuts or oats to avoid the granola tasting greasy. The nuts will release more oil during baking.

4. Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes, depending on the mixture of your nuts, this time will vary (i.e. Pecan tend to burn a lot easier). I find coconut flakes to be a good indicator, when the edges of the coconut flakes are brown, it’s ready!

Coconut Flour Banana Bread

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After a couple attempts at using coconut flour, I was never gonna be convinced that coconut flour would make moist delicate desserts.

But then… I was wrong.

This was the moist-est softest banana bread I’ve ever had!

I love coconut, so this may not be accurate, but I do not think the coconut flavor overpowers anything

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Ingredients:

• 4-5 medium size very ripe Bananas, mashed

• 2 Eggs

• 1/2 cup Nut Butter (Peanut butter, Almond Butter, Tahini)

• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

• 2 tsp Baking Powder

• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda

• 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon

• A pinch of salt

• 1/2 cup Coconut Flour

• Butter or cooking spray to coat the pan

Optional Variations:

• Matcha! (for swirled banana bread?!)

• Nuts - Walnut, Pistachios…etc.

What’s Next:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, lightly coat a loaf pan with butter or spray and line the bottom and side of the loaf pan with some parchment paper

2. Add eggs to the mashed bananas and whisk well until combined

3. Add nut butter, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt until combined

4. Add coconut flour and mix well

5. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and place in the oven

6. Bake for ~50 minutes, use a cake tester or tooth pick to check the middle of the cake. If the tester or toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done! (Unlike cakes made with flour, this one will barely rise. After you take the cake out, the middle of the cake WILL feel so soft and jiggly, but don’t worry, it’s done cooking)

7. Wait for the pan to cool down for 15 minutes. Then remove to let cool on rack completely and cut into slices. Enjoy!