Guys! We're back up and running. ICYMI, the site was down for a couple of day because we're working on a  transitioning the blog to a new name. You may've already seen the sneak peek on instagram, but if you haven't, we'll be soon be ditching the name Fettle Vegan and calling the blog Good Saint. More on that in my next post! If you're not already subscribed to our weekly newsletter, now might be a great time - so you don't miss a thing when we switch over! For now, I'm bringing you a sweet, seasonal treat: Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble. This crumble is the BEST. Is it yummy, it is sugar-free, and it is so simple it'll blow your mind. Oh, and did I mention gluten-free? And soy-free? It ticks those boxes too, babes. It's a baked good you can feel good about eating and will feel good about eating because it tastes damn delicious. I did good, guys. And I think you're gonna be really proud of me. 

I needed a sweet, simple dessert. I've been BUSY lately! With the site changes and the wedding - posts on THAT coming soon, too! - plus the honeymoon, and now my 200-hour yoga teacher training at CorePower, I've been exhausted lately and playing constant catch-up. I just don't have time for 15-ingredient layer cakes these days! Just 10 ingredient crumbles. 😉 I worked hard to keep the ingredients simple and whole, because I'm all about eating real, wholesome foods these days. Nothing processed, no preservatives, no extra sweeteners. It's summer - you don't need that shit. Whether you pick your own sweet strawberries (I MISS doing that in Maine every year!) or just buy 'em on sale at the grocery store, the secret here is really the rhubarb. It gives such a great tart balance to this easy dish. I highly recommend adding a dollop of coconut whip before serving - it's the perfect topping. Recipe linked below - so let's get cooking! 

INGREDIENTS:
Crumble
2 cups fresh rhubarb, sliced
4 heaping cups fresh strawberries, chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 cup almond flour
2 cups GF oats
1/4 cup monk fruit sweetener (or sweetener of your choice - sugar works if you're into it, and the ratio is 1:1!)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup softened coconut oil

Coco Whip
2- 15 oz. cans whole fat coconut milk
1-3 tablespoons non-dairy milk
1-3 tablespoons monk fruit sweetener (again, use your fave sweetener here if you prefer!)
1 teaspoon vanilla 

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch glass baking dish and set it aside. 

​In a large mixing bowl, toss your strawberries and rhubarb in the lemon juiced chia seeds until evenly coated. In a separate mixing bowl combine the almond flour, GF oats, flour, monk fruit sweetener, baking powder and salt. Add in the softened coconut oil and stir until crumbs begin to form. 

Pour the strawberry rhubarb mixture evenly into the greased glass baking dish. Top with the oat + almond flour crumble mixture, distributing evenly. Put the crumble into the oven and bake for 35-45 minutes, until crumble topping becomes golden and berry mixture bubbles. Remove from oven and let cool completely before serving. Or eat it straight from the pan while you watch the Bachelorette. I'm not here to judge! 

To prepare the coconut whip, simply scoop the firm solids from the cans of coconut milk into a large mixing bowl and toss in the sweetener, milk, and vanilla and whip with beaters until fluffy. Scoop onto your crumble and enjoy!

TIPS:
​Leftovers - both the crumble and the ship - stay well, wrapped separately, in the fridge for up to a week.

To reheat, cover with foil and reheat at 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes, or until warm in the middle.

I love all things strawberry rhubarb. Pie, scones, smoothies...you name it, I'll eat it! I've always loved the sweet + tart combo, and every spring I go into a baking frenzy, eating as much of the stuff as I can get my hands on. Last year we experimented with Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Bars and the year before that it was Strawberry Rhubarb Pie with a teff flour crust. This year, its a rustic galette filled with flavor and topped with sweet coconut whipped cream. The rosemary compliments the sweet strawberries and the sharp, fruity flavor of the rhubarb so well. It's my new favorite flavor combo! It's the perfect fancy dessert for sharing at gatherings, but is easy and yummy enough that you'll want to save it all for yourself. There's very little added sugar in this recipe, and it would be super easy all of it if you're looking for a sugar-free option. Grab your favorite cast iron pan and let's get bak(ed)ing!

INGREDIENTS
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (you could try subbing AP GF flour here too-but I haven't tried it.)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold vegan butter
1/3-1/2 cup ice cold water

2 cups fresh strawberries, halved 
2 cups rhubarb stalks, thinly sliced (remove ALL leaves- they are poisonous)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon ground chia (OR 2 tablespoons corn starch)

3-4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
vegan butter or coconut oil, for brushing

1 can full fat coconut milk, refrigerated overnight
2-4 tablespoons maple syrup (or sweetener of choice)
1-2 teaspoons vanilla 

DIRECTIONS
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt. Take cold butter straight from the fridge, cut it into 1 inch cubes, them promptly add it to the flour mixture. Using a fork or dough blender with blades, cut the butter into the flour until mixture is crumbly and sticks together when you squeeze it. Pour in 1/3 cup ice cold water (a little more, if you need it), then use your hands to knead the mixture together until a sticky dough forms. It's okay if there are still some crumbs- it'll make for a nice, flaky crust. Place dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper and stick in the fridge while you prep the berries + cream. 

In a large mixing bowl, mix together strawberries, rhubarb, lemon juice, maple syrup and ground chia seeds or corn starch. Set aside.

On a large, lightly floured surface, roll out your chilled dough to about 1/4 inch thickness, making sure it's large and round enough to generously fit over your pan. (We used a 9-inch cast-iron skillet. You could also use a glass or tin pie pan, or do it on a baking sheet- though cooking times will vary.) Place dough over pan, lightly pressing dough into the base of the pan and letting the edges of the dough hang over the sides. Use a fork to poke hols around the base of the crust to prevent bubbling. Fill with the fruit mixture, spreading evenly. Bring the excess dough toward the center of the galette, folding over itself where it overlaps. Extra dough should cover about 1-3 inches or so of the fruit. It certainly doesn't need to look perfect, it's actually a little prettier when its rustic and hand-made looking! Top galette with 3-4 sprigs of fresh rosemary, then brush top of galette lightly with melted butter or oil. Bake at 325 degrees for about 45 minutes, until crust is golden brown and fruit is beginning to bubble.

While the galette cooks, gently open the can of refrigerated coconut milk and use a spoon to remove the thick white layer of coconut from the top half of the can, leaving the clearish liquid left at the bottom. Put the thick white cream into a mixing bowl with the maple syrup and vanilla. Mix with hand beaters until mixture is smooth, creamy, and whipped up. Refrigerate until the galette is finished. (Leftovers can be refrigerated for several days, re-fluffing with beaters as necessary.)

When the galette is finished, remove from the oven and let cool completely, then top with a garnish of coconut whipped cream and sprig of fresh rosemary. Leftovers can be refrigerated up to a week. Enjoy! 

Strawberry season is my favorite season. You may have noticed I'm a bit of a fan with recipes like our Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream, Strawberry Rhubarb Pie, Strawberries & Cream Chia Pudding, and our recent Strawberry Lemon Crisp. Yup, we're a litttttle obsessed over here. Nothing screams summer like fresh, ripe, red strawberries...and just about nothing tastes as sweet, so we love to eat 'em up as much as possible while they're in season. The combination of strawberry with rhubarb balances out the sweet with a slight tartness. The crunchy oat crumble topping is the perfect contrast to the soft, carmelized fruit, and it tastes great fresh out of the oven or after being refrigerated a day or two. This recipe makes an 8x8 tray of thick bars, but use a wider, thinner pan like a 9x13 if you want more, thinner bars. Keep it gluten-free if that's your thing, or use what you have on hand. Either way, plan on sharing- you'll gain major brownie (strawberry?) points for it.

Ingredients:
2 cups (GF certified) oats
2 cups gluten-free flour (whole wheat works here, too!)
1/2 cup organic sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
pinch of xantham gum, optional
2/3 cup coconut oil, softened

2 cups strawberries, hulled and quartered
2 cups rhubarb, chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons organic sugar
1 tablespoon corn starch

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl combine oats, flour, sugar, salt & xantham gum. Add in coconut oil and stir until crumbs begin to form. Set aside.
In a separate mixing bowl, toss your strawberries and rhubarb in the lemon juice, sugar, and corn starch until evenly coated. Grease an 8x8 (or 9x13, for slightly thinner bars) glass baking dish, then pour a a little over 1/2 of the oat crumble mixture into the bottom of the dish. Press gently into the sides. Top with the berry mixture, spreading evenly. Finally, pour the rest of the crumble mixture on top, distributing evenly. Put crumble into the oven and bake for 35-45 minutes, until crumble topping becomes golden and berry mixture bubbles. Remove from oven and let cool completely before cutting into squares. To help squares stay firm, refrigerate until ready to cut. If you like it warm and fresh out of the oven, say to heck with the squares and have a pile of crumble goodness. We're not here to judge. Makes 9-12 squares depending on size, saves well in the fridge for up to a week. Enjoy!

If you follow my instagram (@amberstpeter), you probably already know that my boyfreind, Alex, works at a farm. For those of you who don't, He works at Sheepcot General at Uncas Farms in Whitefield, Maine. Its a fully working, organic farm and small store with an attached cafe. They offer tons of great, Maine-made products and yummy snacks, plus fresh from the farm produce and meats. Alex is in charge of the kitchen, making fresh soups, loaves of bread, and made-to-order sammies in the cafe. They offer two vegan friendly sandwiches, green salads, and the soup of the day is vegan about 5 days of the week. Its awesome and I spend way too much time there scamming the free wi-fi. You should check it out if you're in town.

Anyway, being as awesome as they are, Uncas Farms offered the only organic u-pick strawberry fields in the whole state of Maine this year. Quite an accomplishment! And the strawberries were damn good. So different from the California strawberries we had become accustomed to, these smaller, much sweeter little berries are almost too sweet not to enjoy all on their own. They're the best. And since I know a guy, I got to pick just about as many as I could devour, plus 8 more quarts.
And I made pie.

Sweet, tangy strawberry rhubarb pie. 
My Dads garden includes a large patch of rhubarb, and I think we did the plants a favor thinning 'em out for the pie. They were a little crowded in there.
We sliced the tops off the strawberries, rinsed them, and put our processed berries into a large bowl. We ate far too many before the job was complete, and afterward fed the strawberry tops to the piggies, who ate them ravenously but graciously.
We kept the crust gluten-free because its easier on my tummy, meaning I can eat far larger portions (because I want to, okay?) and because I know my readers have allergies and sensitivities too. That being said, if you have a wheat-based crust you're great at making, use that and enjoy it.
We have been partial to experimenting with teff flour lately, and love the fine grain texture it has. We always love almond flour, and the earthy taste they provide plus the almond's touch of fatty sweetness made the two a lovely pair.

For the Crust:
Ingredients:
2 cups teff flour
1 cup almond flour
1 1/4 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoons salt
8 tablespoons (1/2 cup) vegan shortening or coconut oil
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 tablespoons cold water

Instructions:
Sift together teff and almond flours in a large mixing bowl.
Add in baking powder and salt, and mix well. Slice the 8 tablespoons into 1 tablespoon chunks and using two knives or a fork, cut the cold butter (or not-melted coconut oil) into the dry mixture until small crumbs form. Once the mixture is uniform, stir in the maple syrup and vanilla. Add the water slowly, mixing with your hands until a dough forms, about 20-30 seconds. Roll the newly formed dough into a ball, cover in floured parchment paper, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. 
After the dough has been through the refrigeration process, remove from the parchment paper. On a clean surface sprinkled with flour (I used more teff flour), roll out the dough slightly with a rolling pin or your hands. Press about half of the dough into the bottom of the pie plate, being sure to cover the edges of the plate as well. 
To make a star shaped (or any cookie cutter shape you have) design, roll out the remaining dough and using a cookie cutter, cut enough shapes to cover at least most of the top of the pie. Alternatively, you can also roll out the remaining crust and just place a flat, round pie crust on top. We cut enough shapes to use the rest of the dough, and aimed for them to be about 1/8-1/4 inch thick.
Set cookie cutter shapes aside, and move onto the filling.

For the Filling:
Ingredients:
3 cups strawberries, tops removed and berries halved
2 cups rhubarb, leaves removed and stalks chopped
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons maple syrup

Instructions:
Wash and slice strawberries into halves or quarters. Set aside in a large mixing bowl.
Remove the leaves from the rhubarb, if it has leaves. Usually when store-bought, they are already gone. The leaves are poisonous to eat- so don't! Wash the stalks and chop them into about 1/2 inch chunks. Add them to the mixing bowl.
Pour in the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg and give it a good stir, so all the fruit gets coated. Add in the corn starch, stir again.
Add the maple syrup and stir one last time, to make sure everything has been evenly coated. 
Pour the fruit mixture into the prepared crust. Top with a layer of cookie cutter shaped crust, like we did, or simply roll out the remaining crust and gently put it on top.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes, until crust is golden at the edges and the filling is bubbly. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving or you'll have some sloppy pie.
Refrigerate, covered, for up to a week.
Enjoy!