Rhubarb Crisp

This week at the Farmer's Market it was hard to ignore the giant stalks of rhubarb everywhere.  If you've never seen it before or aren't sure what it looks like, it resembles bright pink celery.  Many people that I've talked to have discovered it growing in their backyard and we actually just planted some along the side of our house so that we can have it all summer long.  I myself am new to rhubarb, just recently experimenting with it in a dessert.  I'm a huge fan now!  It's great for pies or jams because it's got a great flavor that's sweet, but tart all at once.  It's like a mix between a strawberry and a cranberry, neither of which you would expect from the looks of it.  My recipe that I'm sharing this week is a Rhubarb Crisp which is a really simple summer recipe that's great on it's own or you can serve it over ice cream or Greek yogurt.  It only takes about 10 minutes of prep time so it's perfect for this time of year when even the weekend days are jam packed with activities.  I found this recipe in a great local cookbook called Simple, Fresh, and Healthy: A Collection of Seasonal Recipes by Linda Hafner and made a few alterations.  Follow the link below for more info on this great cookbook!
Simple, Fresh & Healthy: A Collection of Seasonal Recipes

Rhubarb Crisp

Ingredients
For the filling:
1 bundle of fresh Rhubarb (about 8 stalks)
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

For the topping:
2/3 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and coat a pie pan or glass pie dish with cooking spray.

Cut the leaves and very end of each rhubarb stalk off and then chop the stalks into half inch pieces.

Combine all of the filling ingredients in a large bowl and let sit for about 15 minutes.

Next, combine all of the topping ingredients in a separate bowl and stir until all of the brown sugar lumps have broken up and are evenly spread throughout the oats.

Add fruit mixture to the pie dish first and then cover with the topping.  Place in the oven for about 40 minutes. or until the top starts to brown and the mixture is bubbling.

Dish out on it's own or serve it over vanilla greek yogurt or a small scoop of ice cream.  Enjoy!