I’m jumping the gun a little bit with this recipe. Even though spring remains elusive to us here in Toronto, I was simply too excited for spring and summer produce to hold off on making something with berries and lots of them. While there’s nothing quite like a peak-of-the-season berry, frozen berries stand in nicely in this recipe.
No, let me re-phrase that: they stand in amazingly, beautifully and deliciously!
Finally, my impatience has paid off.
One bite of this dish and I was transported into berry heaven. Every bite was like a revelation. And I know that’s a big word. But oh man.
Baking the berries gave them a rich sweetness that just can’t be matched and the grain-free topping gives a delicious crunch and nuttiness that pairs beautifully. I decided to make a spiced cashew cream to top it and it’s not too sweet but super creamy and just the perfect pairing.
Nutritionally speaking, this crisp is also pretty bomb. Tons of healthy fats and fibre from the nuts, it’s low glycemic thanks to the berries and packed with antioxidants. I even soaked the nuts I used beforehand to make them more digestible (releases phytic acid). This is definitely a breakfast you can feel good about starting your day with. Or a dessert to end the day ;)
I’ve been getting into grain-free baking a lot more recently, I’ll explain why in a future post. While making raw dishes is usually the easiest way to go grain-free (at least for the inexperienced like myself), I wanted to challenge myself with some baking. And anyway, a warm berry crisp when it feels like 0 degrees sounds so much more appealing no?
I used berries here, but feel free to switch up the fruit! I’ll bet peaches and strawberries or even mango would be amazing as we head into summer!
Grain-Free Berry Crisp with Spiced Cashew Cream (Vegan, Gluten-free, Sugar-Free, Paleo, SCD)
Ingredients (6 servings)
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, soaked
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans, soaked
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, softened
- 1/2 cup hazelnut flour
- 1/4 cup coconut flakes
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 1/2 cups blueberries, frozen
- 1 1/2 cups raspberries, frozen
Spiced Cashew Cream
- 1/2 cup cashews, soaked
- 4 cloves
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ginger
- 2 all spice pods
- 2 tsp honey
- 5 tbsp water
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
Instructions
Soak your walnuts and pecans overnight or for a few hours. Drain and rinse when ready to proceed with recipe.
Preheat oven to 375 and grease an 8×8 square baking pan with coconut oil.
Combine all crisp ingredients except the berries in a bowl. Add the berries to the bottom of your prepared pan and spread them out evenly. Next put the crisp mixture on top, carefully spreading it out so it's even on top of the berries.
Bake for 45 minutes, until the crisp topping is a little crunchy. Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving. Serve with spiced cashew cream. This recipe freezes great too!
To make the cashew cream: soak your cashews overnight and in the morning drain and rinse them. Add them to the blender with the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth. Store in the fridge.
This recipe is being shared on Allergy-Free Wednesdays!
And one more thing!
If you could all head over to Ethical Ocean and vote for my Raw Chocolate-Coated Key Lime Pie, in the Eat What’s Good Vegan Recipe Contest, that would be amazing!. You can vote everyday so even if you voted once I would sure appreciate a second (or third, or tenth!). Thanks!
