Spiced Pear & Fig Crumble

One of my favorite dried fruits to cook with is in this recipe-Figs...Next to dates (the most addicting dried fruit evvverrr), figs rank quite high on my list.  They are naturally sweet and are a great little addition to baked goods, salads, etc. Figs are high in potassium, fiber and calcium as well!  With the addition of figs & pears to spice up a standard crisp recipe, and the subtraction of WAY too much butter and sugar that normal recipes call for, here is what I came up with!
*If you find it's too dry while baking, simply pour more apple juice over the top-It works great and won't mess a thing up!

For some added variety, I used three different types of pears (asian, bosc and anjou)...

   Spice Pear & Fig Crumble

INGREDIENTS:

1 apple, in thin slices (of choice)

3 pears, in thin slices (varied kinds)

3/4 cup apple juice or cider

1 tsp vanilla extract

¼ c brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cloves

¾ c white rice flour

½ cup oats

10 dried figs, sliced in small rounds (any type will work)

1/8 cup canola oil-drizzled on top

1 T margarine, chopped in small slivers

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a 8x8 square baking dish w/ cooking spray. 

Mix 1/2 c of the apple juice, vanilla, apples and pears together in medium bowl.  In another medium bowl, mix the next 7 ingredients (dry ing+ figs) together.  Place pear & apple mixture into baking dish and spread evenly.  Next, sprinkle dry ingredient mixture over top, covering all the fruit.  Drizzle the remaining apple juice over the top of the dry mixture.  Then, evenly drizzle the canola oil over the top of the crumble.  Place the thin slices of margarine on top of the crumble. (Will melt in oven) Sprinkle walnuts on top.  Place in oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until fruit is tender to your liking.

Remove from oven and serve with a spoonful of vanilla yogurt, or low fat ice cream.....And don't forget a cup of joe on the side :-)

Once again, you can't mess up this recipe-add more liquid, spice, or whatever you'd like!

Gluten Free & Dairy Free

Enjoy!