This is the first spring in seven years that I don't have a child or two home with me to keep things interesting. I've always found that the kids keep me busy in the most efficient of ways. I was kind of a lazy twenty-something and so, for me, the experience of mothering has whipped me right into shape. Although initially a steep learning curve, my multi-tasking skill have advanced significantly, as well as my ability to squeeze as many projects possible into the absolute smallest amount of time.

I've tried to keep that productive momentum going now that the kids are both in school and I've got a bit more time for myself. This blog and the workshops that I love so much are good examples of that; and now that spring is springing, working in the yard and tending to our gardens have been added to the list, with much enthusiasm. 

My mind is forever wandering to the tomatoes, strawberries, raspberries, garlic, cucumbers and anything else our fine, front yard, ramshackle farm will offer this year.

The kids and husband will be taking a significant part in this wonderful project and I'll be sharing much of our growing adventure here on the blog. You, of course, shall feel free to comment and offer your advice, as I am a novice at growing food and I know that many of you could open your own fruit & veg stand with your abundant harvests!

Now, what does all of this have to do with an Apple Berry Crisp?

It's inspired by a thing or two (or three):

1. The season, of course! As spring approaches, so do my cravings for all things fruity.
2. A workshop series I recently completed with the Nutrition and Garden Educator at Project Share. It was called "Winter Wellness" and we lead a slew of healthy cooking workshops. Among them was a very informative garden prep workshop. I made this crisp for everyone to enjoy (and to help get us into the springtime and gardening mood). It went over very well and I was so pleased because it's gluten free and low in sugar,which can sometimes elicit polite comments like "oh, this is good for being healthy" rather than genuine appreciation. 
3. This workshop series, it's participants and the wonderful woman who runs them has sparked and renewed my passion and love for gardening and has inspired my tiny efforts in urban farming to grow bigger. Hoorah! Lucky me. 

So on with the recipe.

Pictured above are the ingredients we'll need for the 'crisp' part of this crisp. Brown rice flour, organic quick oats, raw walnuts, maple syrup, coconut oil, sea salt, vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon.

Place the flour, oats and walnuts into the processor and pulse until somewhat combined and the nuts have broken down. Add the coconut oil bit by bit and pulse away after each addition. It's OK if there are big chunks remaining at this point. We're going to add the maple syrup and that will finish the job. Click on the images above for a larger view.

Excellent. The maple syrup has been added and pulsed in and the dough is looking great.

Add the vanilla and spices and give it one more quick pulse.

Pop the dough into a medium sized bowl and allow it to chill in the fridge while you make the fruity part of this lovely crisp.

Three cups of mixed berries. Frozen will do just fine here and don't bother defrosting them. Five cups of peeled and chopped apples, lemon juice, a pinch of brown rice flour, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. I was out of stock for this recipe, but a bit of fresh ginger squeezed in with a garlic press makes a beautiful addition here. If you've got some ginger, either finely grate it or press it in!

Mix the apples and berries together in a large bowl. Stir in the lemon juice, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and flour. The salt is important here, as it will not only act to bring out the flavours, tartness and even sweetness of the fruit, but it will help to draw out the liquid, which is key in recipes like this. We want the juices from all those berries and apples to seep out and make a lovely sauce, which will be thickened up by the brown rice flour.

Stir to coat all of the lovely fruit with the flour & spices.

Pour the fruit mixture into a greased (I used coconut oil) 9x13 baking dish.

There's no added sugar in the fruit filling. It is completely unnecessary. A lot of traditional fruit crisp recipes call for an obscene amount of sugar, both in the crisp topping and in the filling. This crisp tastes delicious and is perfectly sweet. The use of coconut oil, walnuts and brown rice flour makes it a dish that can be enjoyed for breakfast, an energizing snack or a delicious dessert.

At this point, you can get your topping from the fridge. It will have firmed up a bit and should feel quite cooperative. Soft, but happily willing to be pulled apart into chunks to cover the fruit.

Dollop it on to the fruit to roughly cover.

Bake uncovered for about thirty minutes, until the topping is nicely browned and the juices are bubbling away.

Allow the crisp to cool a bit before digging in, as the juice will thicken as it cools.

Apple-Berry Crisp (vegan, gluten free)

Crisp Topping

• 1 1/4 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup raw walnuts
• 1 cup coconut oil (regular butter will work fine)
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp cinnamon

1. Pulse the brown rice flour, oats & walnuts until combined and nuts have been broken down.
2. Gradually pulse in the coconut oil until somewhat crumbly.
3. Add the maple syrup and pulse until combined.
4. Add remaining ingredients, pulse quickly and refrigerate.

Filling

• 5 cups apples, peeled and thinly sliced or diced (about 4 large or 5 - 6 small)
• 3 cups mixed berries
• Juice from one lemon
• 1/4 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• Pinch of nutmeg
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• Juice from 1 inch piece of ginger (optional)

1. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, stir to combine.
2. Place the fruit filling in a greased 9x13 inch baking dish.
3. Crumble the chilled topping evenly over the fruit, pressing gently when finished.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 45 minutes, until the top is nicely brown & crisp and the juice is bubbling away. 

Enjoy!