What is rhubarb? Rhubarb is a vegetable with edible stalks and poisonous leaves. They look similar to a celery in appearance, but red in color. It’s composed of 95% water, which makes it super low-calorie. It’s often used in pies and jams, combined with other fruits.
4 reasons to eat rhubarb:
- Good source of calcium, which helps keep your bones in check.
- Good source of lutein, a compound that fights free radicals from entering your skin and eyes, the only organs exposed to the environment.
- Good source of vitamin K, which helps in blood clotting when you have an open injury.
- Good source of antioxidants, which helps the body fight free radicals and build a stronger immune system. Rhubarb is rich in one antioxidant in particular, lycopene, which is only prevalent in cooked rhubarb.
Here’s my version of a strawberry rhubarb pie:
Ingredients:
- 1.5 cups whole wheat flour
- ¼ cup rolled oats
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 1 stick butter
- 1 egg
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- Honey
- Canola oil
- 16 oz container of strawberries, fresh
- 3 stalks of rhubarb
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
- Make the dough: In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients—flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and ¼ tsp cinnamon. Mix well.
- Using a small bowl, microwave the stick of butter until fully melted. Add the remaining wet ingredients into the bowl—egg, vanilla extract and 2-4 tbs of honey depending on your sweetness preference. Mix well.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the large bowl and mix well. Then, use your hands to knead the dough.
- Spread canola oil on a baking tray. Take small pieces of dough at a time and rub it between your palms to create crumbles. When all the dough is crumbled, place the tray into the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
- Now it’s time to make the filling! Wash the rhubarb and strawberries well. De-stem and slice the strawberries. Remove the ends from the rhubarb stalk and cut the rest into 1 inch chunks.
- Pour canola oil into a large frying pan and when heated, cook the rhubarb on medium heat. Once the rhubarb chunks begin to soften, add the strawberries and lower the heat. Drizzle honey and add ¼ tsp cinnamon. Once the rhubarb chunks are soft, separate each chunk using a fork to reveal its strings.
- Remove from heat and place in the fridge in a separate bowl.
- Now you’ve got the crumbs and the filling ready, so you’re ready to assemble! Fill your reusable jar with alternating layers of crumbs and filling. (Start and end with crumbs.) It’s best to assemble your dessert right before you’re ready to serve to avoid the crumbs from getting gushy.
