Rhubarb & Raspberry Nut Crisp

Taking advantage of the backyard bounty, this is healthy and deliciously tart and sweet crisp is a breeze to whip up. Oats and nuts lend their nutrition to make one scrumptious dessert, bursting with sweet and juicy raspberries and puckering rhubarb.

In my world... where there's rhubarb, there's crisp. My love for crisp knows no bounds. Using fresh rhubarb just plucked from the garden and berries that Todd and I picked last summer, there's certainly no better summertime dessert.

This recipe is a deviation from my standard crisp. It's a little healthier; with an all nut crumble and I use erythritol in place of regular sugar for Todd (it aggravates his RA). We had raspberries from my Grandparent's garden on hand in the freezer and though I'm stodgily a strawberry-rhubarb gal, they worked great. 

Perfect for dessert or the most divine breakfast, you really can't go wrong here. I hope you enjoy this scrummy little recipe as much as we did!

“If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need. ”

— Marcus Tullius Cicero

Rhubarb & Raspberry Nut Crisp

By Kathleen Henry @ Produce On Parade

Published 05/23/2016

Taking advantage of the backyard bounty, this is healthy and deliciously tart and sweet crisp is a breeze to whip up. Oats and nuts lend their nutrition to make one scrumptious dessert, bursting with sweet and juicy raspberries and puckering rhubarb.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups frozen raspberries
• 1 ½ cups fresh rhubarb (about 3 stalks), sliced
• 2 tbsp ground flaxseed, divided
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• splash of lemon juice
• ½ cup raw almonds
• ½ cup raw pecans
• 1 cup rolled oats
• ¼ cup room-temperature coconut oil
• 2 tbsp agave nectar
• 2 tbsp erythritol or vegan granulated sugar
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• pinch of kosher salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and coat a pie dish with a nonstick cooking spray.
2. Mix the raspberries, rhubarb, 1 tbsp ground flaxseed, vanilla, and lemon juice in the pie dish with your hands to combine; spread out into an even layer.
3. Process the almonds and pecans in a food process until a flour-like consistency. Pulse in the remaining ingredients until just combined. We don’t want the oats to be processed too much.
4. Spread the crumb mixture over the berry mixture and bake for about 30 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the juices are bubbling. Serve warm.

Yield: 4

Yum

Read all about how the folks behind the Impossible Food Beyond Burger create that perfect, vegan burger in this totally fascinating interview from Science Friday. 

Chocolate Avocado Cake

A lightly sweetened and deliciously fudgy cake that you won’t believe is actually pretty healthy! Scrumptious avocados star in creating this dense snack cake and creamy frosting. It’s a super easy and quick cake that’s perfect for breakfast, a snack, and/or dessert!

“Every experience, no matter how bad it seems, holds within it a blessing of some kind. The goal is to find it. ”

— Buddha

Most days I'm like, "Damn.. I'm pretty much the luckiest person ever. I'm so grateful for everything I have; a loving husband, supportive family, dream home, adorable furbabies, a general lack of needfulness, easy access to a variety of healthy foods, freedom from illness, etc." Then other days I'm like, "Dammit! I got wayyyyy too many avocados over here! How did this happen? I'm fairly certain I started with just two. Are they procreating? What the heck am I supposed to do with all these mofos?! Argh!" It's a good day when the majority of your stress revolves around fretting what to do with an aging, prolific agglomeration of gangster avocados.

It's also a good day when chocolate cake is involved. It's even better when almost half of said avocados are used in said cake! A win-win for everyone involved. 

I want to thank you all for the flood of heartfelt comments regarding my last post. You're all so incredibly kind. It's important to keep in mind that many people are going through the same thing you're going through. We can all lend support and love to one another in times of struggle and that's why I decided to share my stories with you all. I think it really helps. Thank you for virtual hugs and words of compassion and empathy, from the deepest chambers of my emo little heart. It means the world.

Okay so, when I was making this cake, we were having a crazy springlike day. It was so sunny and warm I had to keep all the doors open! Bailey and Anouk (our new furbaby) just hung out on the deck, basking in the Alaskan sun. Check out all their adorableness on my Facebook or Instagram pages. I also went for my first run in a month since breaking my foot! It was a good day, indeed. 

This cake uses three, count 'em three avocados! In addition, it also sports super healthy flaxseed, coconut oil, almond flour, cacao powder, and for an extra boost of antioxidant power I snuck in some chipotle chili powder into the frosting (optional). Sweet and spicy! This cake is just lightly sweetened, so I don't recommend skipping the frosting on this one. I've been eating a slice for breakfast everyday. Todd thinks it's a wee bit too healthy for him (he's not a reliable source when it comes to healthy desserts...). That means lots of cake for me... cake for daaaaaays. #noshame

Chocolate Avocado Cake

By Kathleen Henry @ Produce On Parade

A lightly sweetened and deliciously fudgy cake that you won’t believe is actually pretty healthy! Scrumptious avocados star in creating this dense snack cake and creamy frosting. It’s a super easy and quick cake that’s perfect for breakfast, a snack, and/or dessert! Cake adapted from Clean Green Eats by Candice Kumai.

Ingredients

• - CAKE -
• scant 1 cup raw almonds
• 1 ¾ cup gluten-free blend or all-purpose flour
• heaping ¾ cup cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¼ cup ground flaxseed
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp kosher salt
• meat from 1 large, ripe avocado
• heaping ½ cup vegan granulated sugar
• 1 ½ cups fresh water
• ⅓ cup melted, unrefined coconut oil
• splash of vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• - FROSTING -
• meat from 2 large, ripe avocados
• ½ cup cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¼ cup + 2 tbsp vegan powdered sugar
• ¼ cup agave nectar
• 1 - 1 ½ tsp chipotle chili powder (optional)
• splash of vanilla extract
• dash of kosher salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a blender or food processor, process the almonds until they become a flour (but not so much that you make almond butter). Pulse in the all-purpose flour, cacao powder, flaxseed, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Transfer to a medium mixing bowl and set aside.
2. Add the avocado and sugar to the empty food processor and process until smooth. Pulse in the water, oil, and vanilla. In a small bowl, combine the vinegar and baking soda then pulse into the wet mixture until well combined. Stir the wet mixture into the dry mixture until just combined. The batter should be quite thick.
3. Line the bottom of an 8” round cake pan with parchment paper and spray the sides with a nonstick cooking spray. Transfer the cake batter into the pan and smooth the surface with a spatula. Bake for about 20 minutes, until set. Remove the cake from the pan and allow to cool completely (at least 40 minutes) on a wire cooling rack.
4. While the cake cools, clean out the processor. Add all the frosting ingredients to the processor and blend until smooth. Frost the top and sides of the cooled cake with a spatula. Slice and serve. Store in the fridge.

Yield: 1 8" round cake

Read this story from Mother Jones on how the meat industry consumes over 4/5ths of all antibiotic use. Superbugs, anyone? It'd be funny how hypocritical we are if it wasn't so shockingly terrifying. 

Pew Charitable Trusts

Vegan Cardamom & Clove Creme Brulee

A crème brulee you can feel good about! Made cruelty-free with tofu, cashews, and comforting spices, this unique dessert is super easy, light on the sugar, and perfect for any special occasion.

Grandma D and I visiting after a dinner a couple years ago.

Life likes to throw curveballs.

One day everything is normal and you're worried about what to make for dinner and the fact that you really, really need to vacuum; the next, you suddenly find yourself in the CCU surrounding by family. You're watching your grandma fervently, hoping more than anything in the world that she'll wake up from her coma. She doesn't. You plead with the forces to be. You'll be a better person, you swear. You'll eat less sweets, walk the dogs longer, and volunteer at the food bank. You'll try be nicer and less introverted. You bargain. The doctors give her eight days. You get angry, your eyes are constantly swollen, and you hide at work and find little closets to sob in secret. On day six, the doctors tell you she has a 1-5% chance of waking up. When they remove her breathing tube and lower her morphine dose, against all odds... she breathes on her own. She can move her hands and as the week progresses she begins to open her eyes and even speak a little. I hold her hand and tell her I love her. She tells me, "That's good." The following week she passes a test showing she can swallow food and she goes home in a wheelchair. And life, somehow continues after a heart attack.

Grandma Nancy and I at the Alaska State Fair several years ago.

It's about six years ago and my grandma slowly begins to change. She's forgetful. She thinks Todd is my younger brother, Ryan, and not my husband. She thinks I'm her younger sister who lives in the states. I sit beside her and try to talk to her, but she doesn't talk much anymore. Her journal is solely comprised of row upon never-ending row of the date and time. Every couple minutes she writes down the time. As the year passes she becomes slightly aggressive; it's shocking and wholly unlike her. Her tastes change. She always had a penchant for bitter things but now wants ice cream constantly and to go for a drive to pick some up, but as soon as we go down the driveway she wants to go back home. She says funny things that make us laugh despite the pain and sorrow we feel. On Thanksgiving three years ago she lays in a bed in a family member's home; she can't be out of the house long or around many people. It's too overwhelming. I lie with her in the dark and tell her that I love her. As I read her a story book, she tells me she loves me too. I record it on my phone. The following year she is moved into a small nursing home. I visit, but she doesn't talk. She just rolls towards the wall by her bed and goes to sleep. I stop visiting as much as I should. It wracks me with a guilt so fierce I can hardly stand it. I pass by the home everyday on my way to and from work and imagine her lying in bed, sleeping, and I tell myself I don't want to disturb her peace... but really I just don't want to cry in front of her. And life, somehow continues after stage six of Alzheimer's. 

Two awful stories, both completely different yet somehow the same. And equally as painful. Both have shown me how truly precious life is. How immediately it can be snatched from you or how long and agonizing it can be to lose yourself. There's so much I want to tell them both. Tell the ones you love what you need to now.

That was tough. Life is tough. So now, a much happier note! As you may know if you follow me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter... we got a new family member! His name is Anouk (ann-ook) and he's a seven month old rescue pup from the small, chilly village of Kalstag, Alaska. He was found following children home and sleeping under their porch. He didn't get a lot of love as a homeless little fella, but now he has all the love in the world from Todd and I and his ever-patient big brother, Bailey (Bob). Just look at that face! (see more at the bottom of the post)

My Valentine's wish for you is to be surrounded by your family. New members and old members, and all those in-between. Regarding your life partner or spouse; someone very wise once told me that the most common mistake to make in love and also the easiest one is to take that person's love for granted. It's something I always remember and keep tucked away in the back of my mind. 

I also hope you enjoy some delicious, fancy treat. Like this creme brulee! I hope you'll love it as much as we do. 

Vegan Cardamom & Clove Creme Brulee

By Kathleen Henry @ Produce On Parade

A crème brulee you can feel good about! Made cruelty-free with tofu, cashews, and comforting spices, this unique dessert is super easy, light on the sugar, and perfect for any special occasion.

Ingredients

• 1 lb firm silken tofu (the kind in an aseptic box)
• 1/2 cup erythritol (or vegan granulated sugar)
• 1/4 cup vegan granulated sugar + more for sprinkling
• ¼ cup cold water
• 2 tbsp raw cashews
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp table salt
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 1/8 tsp ground cardamom

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray 4-6 ramekins with a nonstick cooking spray and place in a large casserole dish. Fill the casserole dish with water until it reaches halfway up the outside of the ramekins. Set aside.
2. Place all the ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend until completely smooth. Pour into the ramekins. Bake for about 45 minutes until the custard doesn’t jiggle when given a little shake, and the tofu begins to pull away from the sides of the ramekins.
3. Remove the ramekins from the water and carefully place on a wire baking sheet in the fridge to cool for about 45 minutes. Once cooled, sprinkle the top of each custard with a thin and even layer of vegan granulated sugar. Broil for about 3 minutes until the sugar darkens slightly and crystallizes; keep a very close eye on the sugar so it doesn’t burn.
4. Serve immediately. If stored in the fridge, the crunchy sugar top will soften.

Yield: 4-6

Tags: dessert, creme brulee, vegan, vegetarian, clove, cardamom, tofu

And... just one more photo to end on a happy note! Anouk say's, "Have a happy Valentine's Day everyone!" And that he loves you, of course.

In case you haven't cried yet... just in time for V-Day, this is the saddest/sweetest music video ever, featuring the cutest old man and his kite. #passmeallthetissuesnowplease