Rhubarb, oh Rhubarb (don't shy away from this post, trust me it's a great recipe)

Rhubarb...a plant with a strange name.  I never knew if it was a vegetable or a fruit (it's a vegetable but eaten like a fruit) and I have never had it until now.  Rhubarb stalks are crisp (similar to celery) except they have a strong tart taste. Most use the plant's stalks in pies or other recipes that call for a tart flavor. In some places in the world, it's a common and affordable sweet for children...the stalks are dipped in sugar and eaten. 

Our CSA veggie crop included a bag of chopped up rhubarb and I wondered what I was going to do with it and whether I wanted to do anything with it. I had always heard of rhubarb pie or rhubarb/strawberry pie but instead decided to make a rhubarb/berry (blueberry, blackberry and cherry) crumble...and let me tell you it was absolutely delicious...and will certainly become one of my favorite fruit crumble/pies/cobblers recipes. I've also learned that rhubarb provides a tart/sour taste, which is a nice contrast to the sweet taste of the berries. So if you are brave and come across rhubarb...don't run away like I have done in the past, grab it up, embrace the strange named vegetable and make something sweet and sour with it.

Here's this super easy and yes, I'll say somewhat healthy dessert:

Rhubarb & Berry Oat Crumble (5-10 minutes of prep, 40-50 minutes of baking)

• 4 cups of chopped (1/2 inch or smaller) up rhubarb (only use the stems and NOT the leaves)
• 4 cups of additional frozen or fresh berries (I used 1 cup of organic frozen cherries, 1 cup of organic frozen blueberries and 2 cups of organic frozen blackberries)
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup of sweetener (sugar, honey, agave)
• 2-3 tbsp of corn starch
• 1 tsp of cinnamon (or more if you want)
• 1-1/2 cup of oats
• 3/4 cup of flour
• 4-6 tbsp Butter or Margarine (make sure it does not include hydrogenated oils) (softened)
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup of brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 425.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the rhubarb and berries, mix in the sugar, corn starch and cinnamon. Stir until well mixed. Pour into a 2.5 or 3 qt casserole dish. In a another bowl, mix the oats, flour, softened butter and brown sugar together (you may need to do this with your hands in order to work the butter/margin into the oat mixture). Sprinkle/spread the oat mixture on top of the rhubarb/berry mixture. Place in the oven uncovered and bake for 40-50 minutes until bubbling.

You can serve this warm, with or without ice cream or even eat it out of the dish a day later or two cold, like I did :-) Trust me, you will love this recipe!