Basic Gluten-Free Quinoa Flake Fruit Crisp (Gluten-free, Egg-free, Dairy-free)

OK, going gluten-free, soy-free, dairy-free and egg-free has been interesting for my health.  My skin has improved but I feel like I've lost a bit of energy since I cut out my main protein sources:  eggs and dairy.  With this diet change, I haven't lost weight!  I guess eating rice cakes in place of cheese and eggs has stalled my weight loss for this carb-sensitive gal.  For those who know me, I may look tiny, but I'm really good at hiding my saggy poochie mommy tummy.

I'm still trying to perfect my gluten-free vegan cupcakes but in the meantime, I wanted to throw something quick and yummy in the oven.  From this summer's bounty, I managed to freeze a bunch of rhubarb and summer berries.  

I turned to my Strawberry Rhubarb crisp recipe for inspiration.  I made it gluten-free and vegan (no animal products; dairy-free and egg-free).  I added chia seeds to the filling.  I used quinoa flakes instead of rolled oats.  I was able to find quinoa flakes in the bulk section of my local grocery store.  

This is a very flexible recipe!  Feel free to make changes depending on your palate, diet, or whatever ingredients you have on hand.  You can make it sweeter, use whole wheat flour, rolled oats and real butter.  This is a great starting point.  

For my 6 cups of fruit, I used 1 diced gala apple, 1 cup frozen blueberries, 1 cup frozen raspberries and 3 cups frozen rhubarb, thawed and drained.  Frozen rhubarb releases water too quickly for pies and crisps, thus making the filling watery and runny.  To counter this, thaw and drain the excess liquid from frozen rhubarb but do not squeeze it dry. 

Basic Gluten-Free Quinoa Flake Fruit Crisp

Filling:
1/3 cup sugar
3 Tbsp cornstarch or tapioca starch (I used 1 tbsp chia seeds + 2 Tbsp tapioca starch)
6 cups mixed fruit and berries (I used 1 diced gala apple, 1 cup frozen blueberries, 1 cup frozen raspberries and 3 cups frozen rhubarb, thawed & drained)
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Topping:
2/3 cup quinoa flakes (or gluten-free oats)
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup gluten-free baking mix* (or all-purpose/whole wheat flour, if tolerated)
2 Tbsp vegan margarine, melted (I used Earth Balance buttery spread)
dash of cinnamon

Mix first 4 ingredients for the fruit filling.  Pour and spread evenly in a 2.5qt/L dish.

Mix topping ingredients, spread evenly over the fruit base.

Bake at 350F for 45-55 minutes until bubbly.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

-  Adapted from  SparkRecipes: Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

*Gluten-Free Baking Mix

from  Simply Gluten-Free Perfect Pie Crust Recipe

Combine and whisk together:  

3/4 cup super fine white rice flour 

1/4 cup potato starch (not potato flour)

1/4 cup sweet rice flour

1/4 cup tapioca starch (use Asian tapioca to avoid an “off” taste to the tapioca)

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

Makes about 1 1/2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour mix

The tart raspberries and rhubarb made the crisp sooo addictive!  If you find this too tart, a little drizzle of maple syrup can sweeten things up if needed.  
  

Enjoy!