Chances are you walk right past rhubarb — celery’s pink-lookalike — at the grocery store, wondering what exactly it is. This red stalk vegetable is known for its tart taste, so you’ll often find it paired with sweet fruits, such as strawberries and blueberries, in pies, cobblers, and cakes — and in this delicious crumble recipe.
The misunderstood vegetable is low in calories and high in vitamins C and K, calcium, potassium, and fiber. Just be sure to ditch rhubarb’s green leafy tops — they contain toxins that are harmful to the body and should be removed during preparation.
The berries in this recipe are packed with antioxidants, as well as fiber and vitamin C, which helps skin glow, heals blemishes, and protects against wrinkles and sunspots. The oats in the dish will help keep you from eating the whole dessert in one sitting. That’s because oats have been shown to increase appetite-control hormones and contain fiber, which keeps your belly full and happy and promotes regularity. Oats are also full of minerals, including magnesium, selenium, manganese, and zinc.
To save time, you can assemble all of the ingredients the day before and bake the day of. Want to make this recipe gluten-free? Just substitute gluten-free flour for whole wheat flour.
Blueberry, Rhubarb, Strawberry and Oatmeal Crumble Recipe
Makes 12 servings – serving size: 1 piece
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 orange, zest and juice
4 cups blueberries, rinsed
1 ½ cups rhubarb, rinsed, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced
1 cup strawberries, rinsed and quartered
1 tablespoon agave nectar
¼ cup canola oil
3 ounces unsweetened almond milk
1 tablespoon, 2 teaspoons agave nectar
2 cups quick oats
¼ cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, combine and mix well the chia seeds, zest, orange juice, berries, rhubarb and 1 tablespoon agave nectar. Pour the mixture into a glass 9”x13” baking pan. In the same bowl, combine and whisk together canola oil, almond milk, and 2 tablespoons agave nectar. In a large mixing bowl, combine remaining five dry ingredients and whisk together to thoroughly mix. Add the combined wet mixture to the dry and mix well to make crumb topping. Sprinkle on top of fruit mixture. Bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 25 minutes, cover and bake 10 more minutes. Remove, let set for 15 minutes, and serve.
Elizabeth DeJulius, nutrition assistant at the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute, contributed to this article.
