Rhubarb Breakfast Cobbler

This guy scared the poo out of me the other day at the grocery store."What do you do with that?" He asked a little too loud and quite literally inches away from me.I was picking out deep red stalks of rhubarb and carefully examining each one.He was a produce dude at Whole Foods. Before I could answer he continued, "I have people come up to me all the time asking, what do you do with that? And I have no idea what to tell them!""You bake it!" I said uncomfortably but enthusiastically back. "Rhubarb is tart and full of water - kind of like a strawberry or raspberry. I usually bake it with other fruit because it does tend to be quite tangy. I'm going to make a cake and a cobbler out of it. But it's delicious roasted with a little sugar and vanilla bean and then dished onto yogurt or ice cream."He said, "Oh, okay." Then he paused, "Sorry for scaring you, I just have so many people ask me what to do with that stuff and I never know what to say."I joked back, "That's why we have a little thing called, Google." I thought about telling him about this space (aka my food blog) but I didn't. Didn't really seem like the type that would be interested in it, you know? Plus I seem to have a face that welcomes weirdos.I mean that with love.But really, John has noticed it too, just the other day we went out to eat and this large bald guy behind us in line would not stop talking to me. I didn't get a creep vibe from him, just a lonely I'm weird vibe, so we chatted with him for a little bit, but then John took over the conversation for me (totally saving me) I ended up leaving the line to go save a spot for us to sit. Is it sad I breathed a sigh of relief?We live in a world now where it's hard to determine what's nice and what's stupid. I feel like my LA roots come into play wherever I go. I lock everything, don't really say hello or make much small talk, I keep my purse close, hardly go anywhere alone at night, etc etc. I hate to admit it but a lot of the time I think being nice is being stupid.But here in Utah, people let their kids walk home from school unsupervised I'm still like, "Where is your grownup?!!" I think I'll always be more cautious than most, but whatever. If you knew my grandmother and mother and the stories they'd tell me to scare me safe you'd understand.ANYWAY, rhubarb. (Check out some fun nourishing facts on rhubarb below).Rhubarb is my favorite when it's really soft and syrupy. Plus, I'm always looking for an excuse to eat dessert for breakfast and this cobbler delivers on all fronts. The filling is still tangy, soft, and thickens up as it cools, making it a beautiful accompaniment to the textured top. The top is filled with oats, walnuts, flax seeds and almonds - all provide some healthy good fats and fiber while still maintaining their crunch, even amongst the gorgeous pooling red, syrupy liquid. The top is buttery without feeling heavy and hearty without feeling like you're chewing for days.I imagine this would be a fantastic, unexpected yet welcomed brunch dish, either pre-scooped into little bowls or served family style. I love it with thick unsweetened, full-fat yogurt and maple-sweetened whipped cream. Yes, both. It's so good.John's recommends it warm with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream for breakfast, which he just had Saturday morning. Ice cream or not, it's still indulgent but wholesome and dang delicious.Love you friends. xo

Gluten-Free Rhubarb Breakfast Cobbler

This is fantastic warm or cold, with chilled full fat yogurt.

FOR THE FILLING:

• 6-7 cups / 687g rhubarb ( freshly cut into ½ in pieces (about 8-10 stalks))

• 2 ½ cups / 355g strawberries ( freshly cut into quarters or halves)

• 3 cups / 350g raspberries ( fresh or frozen)

• 3 tablespoons tapioca flour or organic cornstarch

• ¾ cup / 150g sugar

FOR THE TOPPING:

• ½ cup / 115g unsalted butter

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil or butter

• ½ cups / 100g muscovado sugar

• ½ cup / 65g walnuts ( chopped)

• 2 ⅔ cups / 215g rolled whole oats

• ½ cup / 75g brown rice flour

• 3 tablespoons flax seeds ( whole)

• ½ teaspoon salt ( kosher)

• 3 tablespoons almond meal / almond flour

1. Preheat oven to 375° F / 190° C Butter a 9 x 13” baking dish. Set aside. ps. Greasing the dish is optional, so no biggie if you forget to do this. I always forget! 

2. Toss all cut fruit in a large bowl with the sugar and tapioca starch until all the fruit looks evenly coated.

3. Whisk all dry ingredients together in a large bowl: oats, brown rice flour, almond meal, flax seeds, walnuts and salt. Set aside.

4. In an electric mixer with the paddle attachment beat butter, coconut oil and muscovado sugar together until creamy and fluffy - about 5-8 minutes.

5. Add your dry ingredients to the fluffy butter mixture, mixing until just incorporated. Mixture should look clumpy but not dry.

6. Pour filling into baking dish and liberally sprinkle the topping on top.

7. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until filling bubbles and rhubarb looks soft. tip: I had to cover the top of my cobbler about 40 minutes into the baking time so my filling would continue cooking, but my top wouldn’t get any browner. 

8. Wait at least 10 minutes before serving. Keep in mind the cobbler filling thickens as it cools so if you serve it straight away, you’ll get a still glorious, but slightly runny filling. Keeps for about 1 week in the fridge, really tightly wrapped.

I threw this recipe together based on what I had on hand. So, don't stress 

too

 much about the measurements of the fruit here - my cup measurements are a bit of a guess, so I suggest weighing things out if you want the exact results I got. But! Good news is, cobbler is very, very forgiving... which is probably why it's one of my most favorite things to eat and make. Bottom line, don't stress too much about it.

WHY IS THIS GOOD FOR ME?

rhubarb - is actually a vegetable, even though I treat it like a fruit!Rhubarb contains vitamin K, calcium and some vitamin C (but not a ton). Vitamin K has actually been known to protect against Alzheimers and used as a tool to help our blood clot (therefore it may help reduce your risk of having a stroke).  Look for deep red stalks as they contain more beta-carotene, which is code for higher antioxidants.