Fresh Blueberry-Pineapple Crumble at The Blissful Chef

Happy Monday!  Hope you all had a fabulous weekend.  Mine was filled with some surprise excitement followed by a lovely visit to the Toronto Vegetarian Food Festival, where I watched an amazing demo for Raw “Blizzards” put on by Lisa and Nicole.  What I wouldn’t give to have the energy of those two!  (And the ice cream was pretty heavenly as well).

Well, summer here in Toronto may be “unofficially” over (don’t wear white after Labor Day, and all that), but you’d never know it by the weather over the weekend. Summer produce is still going strong, too.  We’ve had blueberries in abundance and even a fresh pineapple a week or so ago!

I made this fabulous Blueberry-Pineapple Crumble originally for a guest blog post over at Christy’s The Blissful Chef.  If you’re not yet familiar with Christy, check out her wonderful cookbook filled with simple, delicious and environmentally-friendly meals,  Blissful Bites: Vegan Meals that Nourish Mind, Body and Planet. The book offers over 150 recipes that are based on macrobiotic principles and that everyone can enjoy.  I reviewed Christy’s e-cookbook here and reviewed Blissful Bites here.

In honor of a never-ending summer, here’s that recipe for you to make–warm weather or not.

Fresh Blueberry-Pineapple Crumble

The pairing of blueberries and pineapple may sound unusual, but this marriage creates the most intensely flavored, juice and delectable fruit combo you can imagine. Pineapple is surprisingly suited to baking (think grilled for summer), and the grain-free crumble topping is a perfect complement. Topped with a little ice cream, this dish is summertime heaven all year round.

For the filling:

1-1/2 cups (360 ml) washed fresh or frozen blueberries

1 heaping cup (260 ml) diced fresh or frozen pineapple

Zest of one organic lemon

1 Tbsp (15 ml) fresh lemon juice

1 Tbsp (15 ml) Ricki’s All-Purpose Gluten Free Flour mix (or any mix that measures one-for-one for regular all-purpose flour)

1/4 cup (60 ml) water (reduce to 2 Tbsp/30 ml  if using frozen fruit) mixed with 10-20 drops of plain or vanilla stevia liquid, to your taste

For the Crumble Topping:

2 Tbsp (30 ml) coconut sugar, xylitol or other low glycemic dry sweetener

1/4 cup (60 ml) water

1 Tbsp (15 ml) pure vanilla extract

30-40 drops plain or vanilla liquid stevia, to your taste

1 cup (240 ml) gluten-free whole rolled oats (not quick or instant)

1/2 cup Ricki’s All-Purpose Gluten Free flour mix (or any gluten-free mix that measures one-for-one with regular all-purpose flour)

2 tsp (10 ml) cinnamon

1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) ground ginger

Pinch fine sea salt

1/3 cup (80 ml) unrefined coconut oil, preferably organic

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a small casserole dish or 8 x 8 inch pan with parchment, or spray with nonstick spray.

Make the filling: In a medium bowl, toss together the blueberries, pineapple, lemon zest, lemon juice and water mixed with stevia. Pour into the prepared casserole dish.

Make the topping: In a small bowl or glass measuring cup, mix together the coconut sugar, water, vanilla and stevia; stir to begin dissolving the sugar. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, cinnamon, ginger and salt until everything is well distributed. Add the coconut oil in spoonfuls scattered over the top and then pinch with your fingers until the mixture comes together in a crumbly dough (you fingers will get full of oil at first, but it will eventually come together). Drizzle with the wet mixture and toss with a fork until well mixed. It should be moist, but still crumbly.

Top the fruit mixture with the crumble topping, pressing the top down very gently (it should look bumpy, not flat). Place the casserole dish on a cookie sheet (to catch any spills) and bake for 50 minutes to an hour, rotating the dish about halfway through, until the top is browned and the fruit is soft when pierced with a sharp knife. Allow to cool 10-20 minutes before serving.

This is also good at room temperature. Store, covered, in the refrigerator up to 4 days. May be frozen.