Strawberry Chia Rhubarb Crisp + The Tale of the Green Mixing Bowl

You can thank my Grandma Edith, and her green mixing bowl for this delicious Strawberry Chia Rhubarb Crisp!

Inspired by this month’s Recipe ReDux theme, Treasured Cookware, I used my beloved green Bauer Pottery vintage mixing bowl that I inherited from my Grandma Edith to mix together two springtime treasures, strawberries and rhubarb, with pure maple syrup and chia seeds, then did a little more mixing to top the fruity mixture off with my favorite gluten-free crisp topping.

Treasured Cookware~Share a story of classic cookware, and a healthy recipe to go with it.  Some of us will be celebrating Mother’s Day next month, but it’s more than once a year that many of us cook with a pan, a wooden spoon or another piece of cookware passed on to use from the kitchens of our favorite relatives.  Let’s see what you can cook up with your treasured kitchen tool!

Of course I am going to share my Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp with you very soon, but first let’s chat a little bit about the woman I was named after, because she was truly quite an amazing woman, and someone that REALLY enjoyed a good dessert!

Grandma Edith…

• Every morning began with buttered toast and coffee with milk, followed by a cup of cranberry juice mid-day, a banana and apple cider vinegar mixed with honey every afternoon, and evenings were ended with a well-balanced meal. She was very proud of her slender figure, and ate “just enough” to maintain her weight.  Unless there was dessert.
• She worked 2 jobs for a long time after her husband, my Grandpa VJ, died, and was still working as the President of Precision Wire Products at the age of 93 when she passed away.
• Family was EVERYTHING to her, and to this day, her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren try to celebrate holidays together when ever we can.  We even celebrated her 100th birthday together, even though she was only at the party in spirit.  My cousin had just started dating her current husband at the time, and he mentioned to her that he was excited to meet her grandmother, only to realize that Grandma Edith wouldn’t actually be blowing out the candles at her birthday party.
• She lived smack dab in the middle of the LA Riots of 1992. She also had a sign on her house that said “This house has been robbed 3 times.  There is nothing left to take.” Clearly she wasn’t scared of anything or anyone.
• I don’t recall every hearing her complain.  Not once.  Not about anything.
• She took me and my cousins to see Romper Room when we were little.  Because I had come all the way from San Diego for the taping of the show, I was invited up on stage to throw the bouncy ball around.  My cousins, who lived in LA, were not invited up on the stage.  They were very jealous.
• She had a fabulous mind {perhaps due to her healthy diet???}, and I swear she was more mentally “with it” at the age of 93, then I was in my 30’s.
• Did I mention she liked loved dessert???  Her strict diet would go out the door anytime there was a holiday or special occasion to celebrate.  Buffets were the best, and she would always have one of every piece of pie and type of dessert on Thanksgiving.  Extra whipped cream too please!

And now for the recipe Grandma Edith would have loved…

Strawberry Chia Rhubarb Crisp

Spring is the season for this healthy and delicious strawberry rhubarb crisp that everyone will love!

4 from 3 votes

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Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

Fruit Mixture

• 2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
• 2 cups sliced fresh rhubarb
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• Juice of 1/2 orange {I used a blood orange}
• 4 tablespoons chia seeds

Crisp Topping

• 1/4 cup melted butter {or you can use melted virgin coconut oil for a vegan version}
• 1/4 cup brown sugar or coconut sugar
• 1/2 cup oats {certified gluten-free for those on a gluten-free diet}
• 1/4 cup tapioca starch
• 1/4 cup sorghum or brown rice flour

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.
• Combine fruit, maple syrup, and chia seeds in a large mixing bowl and mix until well combined. Spoon fruit mixture in to 4 ramekins or oven safe glass bowls.
• Combine butter, sugar, oats, and flours in a mixing bowl, and stir until well combined. Spoon crisp topping mixture, equally divided, on top of fruit, and bake for 25 minutes, or until fruit is cooked through, and crisp topping is light golden brown.
• Remove from oven and let cool for about 30 minutes before serving.

EA Stewart, RD | Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, Gluten Free, Low FODMAP, Vegan

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Nutrition Notes…

• Gluten-free, vegetarian, low FODMAP, and vegan option if you use virgin coconut oil in place of the butter.  Grandma Edith loved butter, so this is what I made it with.  Me too 🙂
• Each bowl contains 1 serving of fruit, plus is rich in fiber and, vitamins C and K, lutein {for your peepers}, and antioxidants.
• Did you know that cooked rhubarb supplies a good dose of the antioxidant lycopene, but raw rhubarb has none?

What is your most treasured cookware? Have you ever made a rhubarb crisp before?  What’s your favorite dessert to splurge on???