

Dear Mom,
If we lived close by, I would make you this strawberry mango crisp for Mother’s Day brunch. It’s pretty, bubbly, and sweet, with many different layers. Just like you. There’s a nutty layer too – wink, wink. (Two teenage girls in the house can do that to a person!) When I think back to my teenage years, I feel guilty about how much I took our relationship for granted. I’m irritated by my former self who thought it was so ‘uncool’ to be seen with my mom at the mall. If I could get those years back, I would’ve proudly walked by your side and invited you more places with me. In my mind, parents were often obstacles to having more fun. I thought you were too cautious and worried about my safety and I couldn’t fully understand why you cared so much. Like that night I was really sick due to some poor choices and you sat beside my bed all night long, not sleeping a single wink, just to make sure that I would be ok. And then you grounded me like you should have. You knew that I wasn’t invincible like I thought I was.
After the teen years, I started to appreciate our relationship more with each passing year until one day it dawned on me that you are one of my best friends. You are one of the first people I share good news with or when I have a problem that needs sorting out. You have this magnetic smile that always makes me feel lucky to witness. I don’t have to worry that you’ll be bitter about my successes or secretly happy about my setbacks. Your love and support is as genuine as it gets.
This Mother’s Day has a new meaning in my life. I now understand why you were so afraid of losing me and why some days it was incredibly hard to let me go. The mother-daughter bond is a complicated one with many ups and downs, but it’s one that I can’t wait to navigate with my own daughter.
With love to you and all the mamas,
Angela
Featuring all new, protein-packed salads, hearty toppers, flavour boosters, and dressings you'll want to drink, my new cookbook will transform the way you think about salads. Oh, and be sure to flip to the back for a surprise dessert chapter!
Springtime Strawberry Lime Mango Crisp (Vegan + GF)
Yield
6-8 servings
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Fresh strawberries, buttery mango and tangy lime create a naturally sweet, gooey crisp with a crunchy almond-oat-coconut topping. I love making this crisp in the springtime when mangos and strawberries are at their peak. And when I say "crisp", I really like a crisp topping (which is what you'll find here). Serve it as a healthy weekend breakfast or alongside a brunch. I especially love it after it’s chilled in the fridge overnight – the syrup thickens and the leftovers are irresistible the next morning. To turn it into dessert, add a scoop of ice cream. This recipe is adapted from the Apple Crisp in The Oh She Glows Cookbook.
Ingredients
FOR THE FILLING:
- 2 pounds fresh strawberries, hulled and chopped (about 5.5 cups)
- 2 cups chopped fresh mango (about 3 mangoes)
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
- 3 tablespoons coconut sugar (or granulated sugar of choice)
- 1.5 tablespoons lime zest
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
FOR THE TOPPING:
- 1 cup rolled oats, use certified gluten-free if necessary
- 1 cup thinly sliced almonds
- 1/3 cup almond meal or almond flour
- 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup virgin coconut oil, melted
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly grease an 8-cup (2 litre) casserole dish.
- For the filling: Place the chopped strawberries and mango in a medium bowl and sprinkle the arrowroot powder on top. Toss until the fruit is coated.
- Stir in the sugar and zest. Drizzle on the lime juice and lightly toss to combine. Pour the fruit mixture into the prepared dish and spread out evenly.
- For the topping: In a medium bowl, stir together the oats, almonds, almond meal/flour, shredded coconut, cinnamon, salt. Pour on the maple syrup and melted coconut oil and stir until combined.
- Sprinkle the topping all over the fruit mixture in an even layer.
- Cover the dish with foil and poke a couple holes in the foil. Bake for 20 minutes, until the fruit is tender. Remove the foil and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes until the topping is golden and the filling is bubbling up around the sides.
- Serve with a scoop of non-dairy vanilla ice cream, coconut whipped cream, or simply on its own. Store in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
A couple quick updates:
– New Baby section on the blog
– I’m told that my Steven & Chris cooking segment is finally airing today. Fingers crossed!
Have a lovely weekend.








Lovely – in the UK we celebrated Mothers Day at the end of March. :-)
I love your recipes and am excited to try this one!! I write a nutrition and health blog nudemushroom.com. My post today I will be mentioning your recipe and your blog:) Thanks for being so inspiring!!
Congratulations!!!! Such a sweet post and a great way to reveal the sex of the baby. I was just wondering if you’ll be doing a post anytime soon about having a vegan pregnancy? What does your daily meal plan look like? As a fellow vegan planning on a family one day, this would be greatly appreciated. Congratulations again :)
Hi Vicky, I hope to touch on some of these topics in my baby section over the coming months. I have a post in the works on the vitamins coming fairly soon.
It’s a girl! Congratulations!, your letter touches all mamas hearts.
This looks flipping unreal!! Love the mangos in there!
Thanks for the congrats you guys!
Congratulations on the news of your baby girl! Such a lovely way to honor you mom, as well. I feel so similarly. Moms are very special people!
Also, this crisp looks AMAZING!
Aww a little girl!! Congratulations Angela! I’m so happy for you :) I’m also glad you added a baby section! And this strawberry lime mango crisp looks amazing. I’m definitely making it next week!
Congrats on your Angela on the news of your little girl! I must say, this letter to your mom brought tears to my eyes and it really hit home with me and my relationship with my mom. Thanks so much for sharing !
I’m glad it resonated with you TJ :)
What a beautiful letter, and how timely with the news that you will be mother to a daughter yourself. Congratulations! I have followed your blog for a long time & the genuineness you describe in your mother is how I imagine you as well. You & your husband will make great parents to this lucky baby :)
I absolutely love fruit crisps! That looks diving and perfect for a mother’s day brunch. Congrats on your sweet baby girl. What great news.
I love the open letter you wrote to your mother! It’s very touching and well-written. Nothing is more special than literature written from your own heart. I sort of teared up feeling all the love from it. Happy early Mother’s Day to you!
What a beautiful post – it totally made me tear up! You are such a talented writer & talented cook. Happy Mother’s Day. :)
When I read your letter, I wasn’t sure if you were referring to your “someday” daughter or giving everyone a subtle hint. :) Congrats on your baby girl and I can’t wait to make this crisp – your food photography always does this to me!
What a lovely tribute to your Mom! I am so into crisps and strawberries right now. Plus I have breakfast guests tomorrow so this will be perfect! I already made your doughnuts from the cookbook for road trip snacks. They are so freaking good!
Love the gender reveal. Congratulations!!!
Oh Angela, congratulations to you and Eric!!! Sweet baby girl :) I had this instinct that it would be a baby girl.
i could have written this exact post for my mom. so beautiful. and congrats on the little lady. i knew it ;)
Hi there, this recipe looks great! Wondering if there’s any way to make the crust crispy without the oil? I’m oil-free. Thanks!
To be honest, I haven’t tried it without the oil so not entirely sure. The real crispy part comes mostly from the sliced almonds though so you might be ok re-working it.
you could try some unsweetened applesauce…
This was incredibly good and my entire family (including those who don’t like cooked fruit desserts) loved it. Instead of oil, I stirred in a few long squirts of coconut cooking spray into the topping before spreading it on the fruit and it came out great – nobody missed the oil.
This made me tear up! Moms truly are the best. And that crisp looks delicious.