Strawberry Blueberry Crunch

Fall is in the air here.  I can feel the nights starting to cool down, the leaves are starting to turn cranberry red and golden orange and I am craving cinnamon, nutmeg and warm baked goodies.

Baking season will soon be upon us and we have had fun trying out different desserts for the upcoming autumn season.  This was from The South Beach Diet and was the perfect cure for some warm yumminess!

Strawberry Blueberry Crunch

Courtesy of The South Beach Diet Taste of Summer Cookbook

1/4 cup whole almonds plus 2 Tablespoons sliced almonds

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

1 Tablespoon trans-fat-free margarine 

2 cups sliced strawberries

1 cup blueberries

1 Tablespoon granular sugar substitute

6 Tablespoons part-skim ricotta cheese 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a blender or spice grinder, grind whole almonds until finely ground.  In a small bowl, combine ground almonds, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Add margarine and stir to combine.

Lightly coat an 8" x 8" baking dish (I used a glass pie pan) with cooking spray. 

Place strawberries, blueberries, and sugar substitute in the dish; toss to combine.

Dot with ground nut mixture (it will not cover entire surface) and then sprinkle with sliced almonds.

Bake for 35 minutes, or until topping is golden and fruit is hot.  Divide fruit among 6 dessert bowls and top each serving with 1 Tablespoon of ricotta.

** Since I am not a fan of ricotta (unless it's buried in lasagna), I substituted it with low-fat vanilla frozen yogurt, in small portions.