Strawberry Rhubarb Pink Jello

Ah Jello 🥰. I do not know about you but it brings me back to memories of my childhood. Jello was a special treat in our household, but in Germany, it usually comes from a small pack, some liquid added (I presume it is water – but I honestly have no idea), and then it used to have a bright either green color or dark red. It turned your tongue whatever color you ate for the rest of the day. I know enough about food now to know this possibly was not the healthiest (yet, we obviously loved it as children). But not this recipe! This recipe is made from real food ingredients and has a gorgeous pink hue. Enter: The Strawberry Rhubarb Pink Jello.

Gosh, I played with the consistency of this recipe for so long. To make it jello-like, without being rock hard. To create a jello-like consistency and NOT it just staying liquid in the fridge… I think it is safe to say that we have had a lot of these babies over time, but I am so pleased with the final result and how these have turned out in the end. This is your perfect recipe for your next summer party, BBQ, get-together, a fancy Friday night… who really cares about the occasion when there is a chance for dessrt to be on the table?! 😂

Why is this Strawberry Rhubarb Pink Jello good for you?

Strawberries

I am conscious that I have only recently raved about Strawberries in my Strawberry Banana Muffins recipe, but I mean – by god they are in season now here in Continental Europe and they are just so, so delicious! Strawberries are stock full of Vitamin C. This Vitamin also doubles as an antioxidant in our body, which means it helps combat free radicals and oxidative cell damage in our system. Vitamin C plays a key role in ensuring your immune system is functioning optimally and helps to keep us healthy. It also plays a key role in our skin health as it aids in producing collagen, which provides “structure” to your skin. As children, we have collagen in abundance, but we lose it with age (which is the reason why we develop wrinkles).

Rhubarb

Rhubarb is such an underrated vegetable (yup – not a fruit. But oftentimes confused). It can add so much flavor, notes of sweetness, as well as tartness when cooked and prepped properly. The dried stalks of rhubarb have been used in Chinese medicine for centuries. Rhubarb is a good source of Vitamin K1, which is important for your bone metabolism and blood clotting. It is also a great source of fiber and antioxidants. However, Rhubarb does contain something called “calcium oxalate”. Consumption of too much calcium oxalate can lead to the formation of crystals in various organs in the body and is oftentimes associated with the building of kidney stones. The calcium oxalate content rises in rhubarb the later the harvesting season (which is from April till June). Bottom line – if you do have kidney stones or struggle with any kidney dysfunction – rhubarb may be a vegetable you want to skip.

Agar Agar

You are probably wondering what in the world that is 🤔. That is how I felt before I learned more about it and fell in love with it. Agar Agar is basically your vegan answer to gelatine. This product is developed from dried and ground red algae and is a semi-white powder. It is sold in rather small quantities – because a little goes a long way with this one. This powder is a rich source of Calcium, Iron, and fiber. But remember that Agar Agar is only used in very small quantities so the benefits of these minerals are limited. You can use Agar Agar as a direct alternative to gelatine. It took me a while to “master” this product but we are starting with a really easy recipe here. Your jellos will be liquid when putting into the fridge, but they will firm up – do not worry 😉.

A note on Rhubarb Juice, which you need for this recipe

Be mindful of the sugar content in the rhubarb juice you are using. Good health food stores tend to carry rhubarb juice that is made without industrialized sugar. Alternatively, you can make your own rhubarb juice in your juicer at home, but you would need to increase the coconut sugar amount slightly – I have done this before and used 6 tablespoons instead of three. At the same time, if you find your rhubarb juice is already quite sweet – you may want to reduce the coconut sugar amount. I tend to go with 3 tablespoons then.

How can I adjust this recipe to my dietary requirements?

This recipe is both vegetarian and vegan. All the ingredients are paleo conform, but this may be too much sugar for you in the diet. If you omit the vanilla sauce, this recipe is also nut-free.

And there you have it for this week 🤗. I hope you enjoy this insanely delicious Strawberry Rhubarb Pink Jello for your next summer party (or BBQ 😂) dessert. Let me know how you find the recipe and how you got on with the agar agar – either in the comments below or over on Instagram.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pink Jello

5 from 1 vote

Recipe by Ann Robejsek Course: DessertCuisine: German, veganDifficulty: Medium

Servings

3 – 4

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Fridge Time

3

hours

This Strawberry Rhubarb Pink Jello recipe is such a delicious, healthy summer dessert. The Jello is made with real fruit and super easy to make. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• For the Strawberry Rhubarb Pink Jello

• 1 cup rhubarb (about 1 + ½ stalks)

• 1 cup strawberries (about 150 gr.)

• 320 – 350 ml rhubarb juice (check sugar content – or make your own in the juicer – see blog post for more tips on this one)

• 3 – 4 tbsp coconut sugar

• 1 tsp agar agar

• ½ tsp vanilla powder

• For the Vanilla Sauce

• ½ cup cashews, soaked for 4 – 6 hours

• 1/3 cup + ¼ cup of water

• 1 tsp vanilla powder

• 2 tbsp maple syrup (or honey)

How to

• Start by washing both the strawberries and the rhubarb. Chop the rhubarb into small bites. De-stem the strawberries and chop into small, bite-sized pieces.
• In a small pan, heat the rhubarb juice together with the coconut sugar onto medium heat (if the sugar content in your rhubarb juice is high – take a bit less of the coconut sugar). Add the rhubarb and stir for ca. 3 – 5 minutes whilst cooking. You want the rhubarb tender, but not falling in on itself (if possible). At this stage also add the agar agar. Let simmer for another 2 -3 minutes
• When the rhubarb is done, take off the heat and stir in the strawberries and vanilla. The strawberries will fall in on themselves fairly easily – so only add after taking off the heat
• Fill into 3 -4 serving dishes and put into the fridge for 3 hours minimum to firm up
• Shortly before serving the Pink Grütze make the vanilla sauce. Simply put all the ingredients into a small blender and blend until a bit frothy. Serve on top of the Pink Grütze. Enjoy!!!