New Year, New Dessert: Vegan Blueberry-Pear Crisp

January 9, 2020

This raw, vegan blueberry-pear crisp is a healthy treat to ring in 2020

By Kirsten Johnson

Whether or not your belt is a bit tight post-holidays, everyone can use a healthy — yet-delicious — treat as we ring in the new year. This raw, vegan blueberry-pear “crisp,” which can even double as breakfast, will satisfy your sweet tooth.

The best part about this healthy fruit crisp is that it is quick and easy, with only a handful of ingredients and zero baking time. A raw, vegan diet is said to be good for heart health, along with bringing other benefits, as cooking can destroy certain nutrients in food.

Swap out either of the fruits for your favorite berry or soft fruit. Eat as is, straight out of the refrigerator, or heat it in the oven or food dehydrator over low heat — not above 118 degrees if you follow a raw vegan diet.

Make a big batch of the “crisp” topping and store any leftovers in the freezer for up to 3 months. Make the filling fresh and layer the nut topping with fruit filling in individual serving glasses or in one bigger dish.

Ingredients:

2 c. raw walnuts

½ c. unsweetened coconut flakes

¼ tsp. cinnamon

¼ tsp. nutmeg

¼ tsp. salt

½ c. raisins, golden preferred

8 dates pitted (unsoaked)

2 c. diced pears (approximately 2), variety of your choice

2 c. blueberries

¾ c. pitted dates, soaked in water for 30 minutes

1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Place walnuts, coconut, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a food processor and pulse a few times. Add raisins and unsoaked dates and process until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. (Too much and it will turn into some form of walnut butter!)

Remove and put in a bowl. You can store this in a sealed container in the refrigerator for a few weeks or the freezer for a few months. It’s great on yogurt or oatmeal as well.

Next, you want four cups of fruit. You will be pureeing half of it. When I’m in a bit of a hurry, I do all blueberries because there’s no chopping! But two pears are chopped pretty quickly. Put half of the blueberries and half of the pears into the food processor with the lemon juice and soaked dates. Discard the water the dates were soaking in. Puree the mixture, then combine with the diced pears and blueberries.

This recipe can fit in an 8 x 8 glass dish. A half-batch fits perfectly in a loaf pan. Or you can put into individual containers as pictured. Do a layer of the nut mixture, pressing down to form more of a crust. Spoon the fruit mixture on, then put a layer of crumb topping on. It’s that easy! Store it covered in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.