Sorry that I’ve not been able to post new recipes for the last several months. Early in July, I fell and severely injured my left leg and was bedridden for almost six weeks. Then, earlier this month my doctor discovered several basal cell carcinomas; one on my right arm and the other on my nose. So I’m in the midst of dealing with that.

One way I’ve often dealt with cheering myself up is with food which is probably one of the reasons I now suffer from so many allergies and sensitivities. Today, I put together a crumble using pears along with what I think is it’s perfect pairing – blackberries. Easy to do, don’t even need a mixer; just a couple of bowls and a mixing spoon. And oh so delicious and much healthier than, oh say, pie or cake.

First, place a piece of parchment paper in the bottom of an 8″ baking pan (square works best). Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium mixing bowl combine:

• 3-4 slightly unripe pears, peeled then sliced or diced
• 1/2 pint blackberries
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose gluten-free flour
• 1 teaspoon spice – cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, etc., whichever you like best
• Dash of sea salt (about 1/8 teaspoon)

Mix to combine. In the second medium size bowl combine:

• 1 cup gluten-free rolled oats (preferably organic)
• 1/4 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup date sugar (or coconut)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup avocado oil (or melted vegan butter if you can use it)

Stir to combine until all the dry mixture is moistened. Spread about half the oat mixture in the bottom of the prepared pan. Add the fruit mixture, spreading evenly in the pan and then finally distribute the remainder of the oat mixture evenly over the top of the fruit. Bake for about an hour depending on the ripeness of the fruit. Serve hot or warm with either a non-dairy frozen ice “cream” or I like it with just a bit of oat milk. Makes 6-8 servings.