Recipes: Sumac Roasted Strawberry & Rhubarb Bars

Ok - we’ve got a real goood one for you… This recipe brings a twist to the classic pairing of strawberry & rhubarb.. These bars turned out wonderfully chewy and crunchy at the base, with the juiciest fruity centre and a lush crisp topping. We’ve used the mighty sumac spice in the strawberry and rhubarb filling, which added an earthy, citrusy punch, and with the tartness coming from the rhubarb, this perfectly balanced the sweet & lemony flavour of the strawberries. This recipe is a healthier take on the typical crumble bars - we’ve used a combination of rolled oats, almond flour and chopped walnuts to get that wholesome nutty flavour, and added an egg replacer & vegan butter to ‘glue’ the mixture together making these Gluten Free & Vegan. This is one of those recipes that you’ll keep coming back to, and it’s perfect for any time of the day. A sweeeeet breakfast option, as well as a quick mid-afternoon pick me up… make a bigger batch and freeze to keep for those sweet tooth emergencies! Scroll for the recipe below..

Ingredients:

(for the filling)

1 cup chopped strawberries

1 cup chopped rhubarb

1 tsp lemon juice

1 1/2 tsp ground sumac

1 tsp agave nectar (you can use maple syrup)

1 tsp cornflour

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

(for the crumble)

2/3 cup rolled oats (make sure they are Gluten Free)

2/3 cup almond flour

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/3 cup coconut sugar (you can use dark brown as sub)

1 1/2 tbsp vegan butter (we used Flora)

1 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)

1/2 tsp sea salt

Instructions:

Preheat the oven 180c and line a medium brownie tin with baking paper.

Using a medium bowl, combine chopped strawberries, rhubarb, ground sumac, lemon juice, cornflour, agave nectar and vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl, combine almond flour, walnuts, oats, coconut sugar, ground cinnamon and salt. Using your hands, mix well and add the vegan butter and continue mixing until well incorporated.

Press 3/4 of the crumble mix into the base of the baking tin to form a crust. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool 5 minutes.

Using a wooden spatula, spread the strawberry & rhubarb filling over the baked crust, sprinkle the rest of the crumble, and decorate with some oat flakes. Bake for a further 20 minutes, or until the top is golden brown, the fruit is soft. Let cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.