mothers + spring + rhubarb
like flowers
ache
for spring
my heart
craves
my mother
more than
anything
-rupi kaur
For us, May is the long awaited arrival of Spring. May is the return of our beloved farmers markets. May is Mother’s Day.
Mother’s Day, a day meant to honor motherhood, can feel wildly different for everyone. Celebration, tenderness, togetherness, longing, grief, pain. As a mother now myself, and a women whose lost her own mother, I certainly feel them all. As this day approaches, I can’t help but recall the memories I have celebrating Mother’s Day with my mom. An early morning trip to the local nursery for flats of perennials, potting soil and supplies. We’d spend the day outside in the yard - clearing the last of the fall and winter debris to make way for the new life that spring and her beloved garden would bring. From those early days of spring, through the heat of the summer and well into fall, she would spend hours digging, planting, pruning, watering, getting her hands dirty to make things beautiful. This is how I remember her.
The same joy that came with each changing season for my mom in her garden, comes to me now too - in the kitchen. Anticipating and embracing each seasons bounty; tulips and rhubarb in the spring, hydrangeas and peaches in the summer, mums and squash in the fall…for me, it’s what connects us.
So, this months recipe is in honor of my mama, a celebration of the season, it's bright and comforting, just like her. Baking this would be the perfect way to show a mom in your life some delicious love.
A nod to the changing season and bounty of spring, this comforting baked oatmeal is such an easy
no-fuss breakfast. Add a dollop of freshly whipped cream and you’ve got something truly spectacular.
2 cups Rolled Oats
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 cup Rhubarb, chopped
1 cup Strawberries, quartered
Zest of 1 Orange
1.5 cups Milk of your choice (we used coconut milk)
1/2 cup Orange Juice
1/3 cup Maple Syrup
1 Egg
2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Grease a 8x8 baking dish with coconut oil or butter
Combine oats, baking powder and salt
In a separate bowl combine milk, orange juice, orange zest, maple syrup, egg, and vanilla. Whisk to combine
Spread rhubarb and 1/2 cup of strawberries on the bottom of the baking dish. Cover with oat mixture. Gently pour milk mixture over the oats. Place the remaining strawberries evenly on top.
Bake for 35-45 minutes until lightly browned.
Enjoy warm.
*optional: add dollop of freshly whipped cream to each serving
