I needed a gluten and dairy free dessert to bring to a pot luck and researched variations online. I came across one from the ever talented Minimalist Baker which seemed good so I combined it with a prior recipe I had for a peach and strawberry crisp. It is incredibly easy, incredibly tasty and perfectly set up to serve warm after a meal if desired. Bonus - extra crumb topping is delicious on so many things, including just eaten off a spoon. While tweaked and honed in on my preferences for the ultimate crisp, it is still very similar to the Minimalist Baker version to be sure to give credit where due!

BERRY CRISP

Adapted from Minimalist Baker
(gluten free, vegan)

Ingredients

Filling

2 Tablespoons maple syrup (a little more if your fruit is on the tart side)

1.5 Tablespoons corn starch or arrowroot powder (gluten free if keeping gluten free)

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

4 -6 cups mixed berries (I used blueberries and strawberries)

Topping

1 2/3 cup organic oats (gluten free if keeping gluten free)

1 cup of hazelnuts

1/2 cup coconut sugar (regular sugar would work fine as well)

2/3 teaspoon salt (I always use Celtic Sea Salt)

4 Tablespoons coconut oil (if not keeping vegan, you could swap for unsalted butter)

2 Tablespoons maple syrup

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. (or not of you are just preparing the dessert to be cooked later)

Prepare the topping:

Toast the hazelnuts in a dry pan for just a few minutes on low heat. Watch them carefully. Set aside.

In a food processor, combine 2/3 cup of oats and the 2/3 cup of hazelnuts and pulse until combined and relatively uniform. Add the sugar, salt, coconut oil and maple syrup. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the remaining 1 cup of oats and hazelnuts and pulse a few more time to combine but not pulverized the new oats and nuts. This way you get a few different textures in the topping, which adds a lot. If your coconut oil is very firm, you should warm it. If it is semi-soft, you can still work it.

Once well blended but still chunky (see photos) set aside. If preparing ahead of time and using later (and/or traveling with it) put the topping in a container. A large mason jar works well.

Prepare the filling:

Wash berries and dry berries. Lay them out on a clean towel to dry off a bit. If using strawberries, cut into smaller pieces. Place in a large mixing bowl and add lemon juice and maple syrup. Give a light toss. Then sprinkle with corn starch or arrowroot powder, which will help thicken the fruit juices into a luscious sauce. Place into a deep pie dish or 9x9 ceramic baking dish. Set aside until ready to bake. If not baking right away, cover with foil or a beeswax wrap.

Assemble and bake:

Decide when you are going to bake it, and be sure to preheat the oven so it is at 350°F when it is time to put the crips in the oven. I like to time it so it goes in just before we sit down for dinner so it comes out pipping hot around when we’re done with dinner. When ready to bake, sprinkle a thick layer of topping over the berries in the baking dish and bake for 35 - 45 minutes until a little golden brown on top and you can see the fruit juices bubbles at the edges. Let sit for about 10 minutes (longer is fine) out of the oven to cool slightly.

Enjoy … ideally with some good quality vanilla ice cream!

Notes:

Always buy organic if you can, especially important with strawberries as they are top of the dirty dozen list.
This makes a lot of topping. If you want a lot of the crisp, you will have it. Or you can enjoy the leftovers another time straight on ice-cream, in yogurt, on some roasted vegetables or right off a spoon. The topping really is super tasty on its own.

I attended a cooking class a couple weeks ago offered by Haven's Kitchen here in NYC with some friends. The title was, "Good Food that's Good For You" and it really delivered! I am always looking for ways to improve the nutritional value of my cooking without sacrificing flavor and figured this class would provide me with a few new recipes and tips plus its always fun to do an activity like this with friends sometimes instead of the usual dinner out.

The class and instructors, Mia and Ashton, were so inspiring. I left excited and invigorated. I couldn't wait to remake every single thing we made during the class and apply the tips and ideas my cooking in general. Here's a dip and veggie dish we made. I was honestly blown away by how tasty this dip was while being vegan and full of healthy fats. The herb harissa sprinkle on top took the dip to an entirely new level giving it even more depth. Another surprise was the ever so slightly blanched vegetables, they were still crisp yet were a little more delicate and enjoyable. The combo was perfect. I just made it yesterday to bring to a neighborhood gathering and it was really well liked by all and those who are staying away from dairy were particularly appreciative.

If you can get rainbow carrots they will add beauty to you platter, but regular ones are just as good

Firmer vegetables are blanched quickly in salted water and cooled immediately in a salted ice bath

Store the dip in a mason jar and in the fridge until you are ready to serve.

Vegetables and Vegan Coconut Tahini Dip

(very slightly adapted from Haven's Kitchen)

6 cups of your favorite vegetables for dipping
Combo ideas:
1 head of broccoli, 2 bunches rainbow carrots, 1 - 2 cucumbers, a few radishes
1 cups haricot vert, 1 cups Brussels sprouts, 2 bunches broccoli rabe (~8 stalks)
1 cup full fat coconut yogurt
1/4 cup tahini
2 tbsp lemon juice (have extra on hand)
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp fine sea salt (the original recipe calls for 1 tsp but I found it too salty) + more for blanching and ice bath
Harissa spice

Fill a large pot with water and a pinch of sea salt, and bring to a high simmer. While the water is heating, wash and trim your vegetables. When the water is about to boil, add the firmer vegetables to water, starting with the densest vegetables first as they will take the longest to cook. Prepare an ice bath, by filling a large both with cold water, some ice and a pinch of salt, for the vegetables to plunge into when they come out of the boiling water to stop the cooking and preserve their color. As soon as you take the veggies out of the pot plunk them straight into the ice bath.

Haven's kitchen gave the example of: add Brussels sprouts and cover, add broccoli rabe after a minute and then the haricot vert about am minute after that. Once the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes after adding the haricot vert, drain and run under cool water or put in an ice bath to stop cooking.

I prefer to cook the vegetables separately so, for instance, you don't get little broccoli bits on the other veggies. I found carrots and broccoli only took about 4 mins tops. I might even go with 2 - 3 mins next time. I would leave cucumbers and radishes raw.

Lay the vegetables out to dry off while you make the dip. You could lay some clean kitchen towels on the counter to do so or put a towel or paper towels on a baking sheet and then lay your vegetables on that and set aside.

To make the dip: Combine coconut yogurt with tahini, 1 tbsp of lemon juice, 1 tbsp of olive oil (reserving remaining lemon and olive oil for garnish) and sea salt, mixing until fully combined. You can mix all of this in a bowl with a whisk but it is much easier in a food processor. Taste the dip and adjust based on what you think it needs. I added a bit more tahini, lemon and a splash of olive oil. It is very flexible. Over the weekend, i doubled the recipe and my coconut yogurt came in 5.2 oz containers. I didn't want to have just a little yogurt left so I put all four containers in which is a bit more than the recipe called for... which is probably why I had to add a little more tahini, lemon and oil in the end.

Serving

Option A (per Haven's Kitchen): To serve, spread coconut tahini dressing generously on the bottom of a plate. Top with cooked vegetables and dress with remaining olive oil and lemon juice. Finish with Maldon sea salt and harissa spice, and serve.
Option B: Arrange vegetables on a large platter (a wood cutting board would look amazing!) with a bowl for the dip. I squeezed a little lemon juice on the vegetables but left off the olive oil in the original Haven's kitchen recipe as I didn't want guests to get oil on their fingers when they picked up the veggies. Fill the bowl with some dip and top with a couple shakes of harissa spice. I found the dip salty enough so I left out the final sprinkle of Maldon sea salt Haven's Kitchen recommended. I like to include a spoon so people can put some dip on their plates with their choice of vegetables allowing unabashed double dipping.

Sourcing

Coconut Yogurt - As with anything, you want to find one with as few added extra ingredients as possible. I wanted to use Anita's coconut yogurt, a local Brooklyn brand, as it has the cleanest ingredients list I have seen. But I couldn't find any in time so I went with CoYo's Natural Coconut Yogurt that I picked up from Whole Foods, which is a good alternative.
Tahini - Seed + Mill makes the most amazing tahini! If you can get some, you won't be disappointed. The quality of your dishes really can only be as good as the quality of the ingredients!! They have a store located in Chelsea Market in Manhattan and you can buy through their website to have it shipped to you.
Harissa - The Herb Harrisa Spice from New York Shuk is used here. It's the perfect complement. Worth buying online if you can't get it in a local store. I picked some up at Hudson & Charles in the West Village, one of our favorite local butchers.

Recipes

BERRY CRISP (gluten-free, vegan)