My whole week has been thrown off with the fact that the 4th of July landed on a Wednesday. It was nice to have a break, but waking up early on the 5th of July after hearing fireworks exploding WELL into the wee hours of the morning did NOT make me a happy camper. I was Grumpy McGee.

The only thing that made it worth it was that leftovers of this amazing strawberry rhubarb coconut crisp were waiting for me at home. You’d never know that this was grain free, gluten free, and dairy free. This is perfect for those with gluten sensitivities or if you are simply trying to avoid grains and dairy. Or if you like food. Like ME! You’re welcome, America.

The crust is a mixture of almond meal, coconut oil, walnuts, maple syrup, and shredded coconut. Basically, it is a delicious coconut cookie crumbled on top of tangy sweet filling.

I ran out of almond meal in the middle of making this recipe. I decided to make my own by whirling almonds in a food processor for only 30 seconds to 1 minute (don’t over process your almonds or you will end up with almond butter…..which is cool and yummy but not what we are looking for in this recipe). Make sure your almonds are UNSALTED. I accidentally used salted almonds and then did not reduce the salt in the recipe, making the topping a bit too salty…even for me.

Happy birthday America…thank you for giving me a reason to make such a delicious and easy dessert.

Paleo Strawberry Rhubarb Coconut Crisp

Filling Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups diced rhubarb
• 2 to 3 cups strawberries, cored and quartered
• 1 tablespoon of maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• 1/2 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons of arrowroot

Topping Ingredients

• 1 cup of almond meal/flour
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray an 8″ x 8″ baking dish with nonstick spray or oil with coconut oil. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine filling ingredients. Place filling ingredients into 8″ x 8″ baking dish. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, combine almond meal, salt, baking powder, melted coconut oil, and maple syrup. Mix in walnuts and shredded unsweetened coconut. Mixture will look like wet badder.
4. Sprinkle or crumble topping over fruit filling.
5. Bake at 350F for 35 to 40 minutes or until top is golden brown and filling is bubbling.
6. Allow to cool for 5 minutes and then dig in.