Strawberry-Blueberry Crisp (Vegan Style)

Sometimes, you just want something sweet.

Oh man, you know how it is.

Let’s say you’ve got a Costco-sized package of strawberries, of which – due to unforeseen circumstances – you’ve eaten a grand total of FOUR berries. You see those berries sitting there, peeking folornly from behind a week worth of leftovers, hoping that someone, anyone, will be kind enough to consume them before they get all mushy and weird, like that janky berry crammed in the bottom corner.

And then, finally, their day comes when you’ve had enough. You crave something sweet. And not like the “berries are ature’s candy” type of sweetness. Shut up, hippy. I’m talking that sugar on berries on berries, which I then poured more sugar on top of, type of sweet.

So you scour the kitchen, searching for something with which to pair them, until relief comes in the awkwardly un-storable tubular shape of a carton of oats.

Then it clicks. You’ll make a crisp. Or a cobbler. The difference between the two remains less than clear. But it doesn’t matter. (Seriously, please don’t point out the difference to me. I literally could not care less.)

Your goal in mind, you dig out the remaining missing ingredients (listed below, of course), preheat teh oven, and get to work.

It’s the work of an hour (give or take time to sip on your beverage of choice) until you’re finally staring down your once-lonely berries in their new, more delicious form, and in the spare seconds before you dig greedily though the crisp crust and into the bubbling berries you take a moment – just a moment – to thank the sugar gods for such a simple and satisfying treat.

Or you can have your significant other make this for you. Then all you have to do is wait around until it’s finished and reap the rewards either way.

Filling Ingredients:

• 4 cups sliced strawberries
• 2 cups blueberries
• 1/4 cup blue agave syrup
• 1/2 cup white sugar

Crust Ingredients:

• 1 cup organic rolled oats
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup chopped pepitas (toasted pumpkin seeds)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (I use 1/4 cup light, 1/4 cup dark)
• 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg

Directions:

First, a reminder: Fresh, local and organic ingredients are going to make better tasting food, which is better (healthier, tastier, etc.) for you and your family. Unless otherwise listed, all of the ingredients that I use in my recipes tend to hail from at least one of these three camps.

To begin, preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and grease or spray down a 9×9 baking dish.

In a large bowl, combine the sliced strawberries, the whole blueberries, the white sugar and the agave syrup, and toss them all together until they’re well-combined. Pour the mixture into the baking dish.

In another large bowl (or in the same one that you just used, rinsed out and then dried), combine all of the ingredients for the crust, and mix them together, thoroughly. I won’t say it will be an even consistency – the oats and pepitas will remain chunky – but the color will level out to a nice, roasty brown.

Pour the crust mixture over the berries, and even it all out.

Place the prepared crisp in the preheated, 350 degree oven, and bake the sucker for 45 minutes. The crust will by a beautiful brown, and the fruit mixture will be nice and bubbly.

Serve it up with some ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream, and enjoy!