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Vegan, Gluten Free, Healthy
These aren’t normally terms you expect to hear before seeing “apple crisp,” are they? Well today is your lucky day! Because this apple crisp is all of the above, and dare I say it, actually pretty darn good for you. First of all, this recipe takes advantage of the apples’ natural sweetness, requiring no sugary fillers. It uses the power of your broiler for that perfect crispy finish. And it sneaks in a blend of super seeds your taste testers won’t even notice, but that adds SO many health benefits
Now it’s time for me to address what I know you are thinking now that I have said all of that. Is it actually any good? I guess you will just have to find our yourself! But in my humble opinion, it is freaking delicious. I could have sat there and ate the whole pan in one sitting (which I almost did one night after dinner along with my fiance – who I will blame the majority of it on of course).
Apple PIE Crisp
What makes this crisp more pie-like than others? I channeled my inner chubby child (you should see pictures of me when I was younger) and realized why those McDonalds or Hostess apple pies always seem so much yummier than others. It’s because of that sweet, gooey, cinnamon-y filling inside. The one that drizzles out of the center when you take a bite. Oh my goodness my mouth is watering.
Whereas a lot of other apple pies just take sliced apples and cook them. Yes, more natural. But less gooey and less delicious! So I found a way to get the best of both worlds.
My Favorite “Flour”
Ever since I read this trick I have never looked back. I never used to (and I guess I still don’t really!) have flour sitting around my house. I know it’s not really good for me, so I don’t want to use it in recipes, so why buy it? And it seems like you can only buy HUGE bags. But like any recipe I ever make requires what, a cup, maybe? So I tried to just avoid it for a long time but then new recipes kept popping up that I really wanted to try but they needed flour! So I made my own gluten free oat flour (I always recommend Bob’s Red Mill). Learn how to here.
The Trick is in the Filling
So if you have seen my crock pot apple sauce recipe, I basically followed this to make the filling of this crisp, with a couple important tweaks.
I took seven organic honey crisp apples (feel free to use a variety of apples in order to get a range of flavors – I used all honey crisp because that is what comes home when you leave the grocery shopping in the hands of a boy 🙂 ). First I peeled and chopped them. Then I stuck them in the crock pot with the additional filling ingredients below and left them cooking on high for about an hour.
That is the first change from my apple sauce, which I let cook longer. The second switch up – I didn’t blend as much. After adding a couple more dashes of cinnamon to the cooked apples (because, why not!?) I used my Kitchenaid immersion blender to create a “chunky applesauce” consistency as I am going to call it. This blended some of the apples into that saucy consistency that would give me the gooey texture I was going for, while leaving the good chunks of apple to keep it feeling fresh (because if it is all gooey people will think it is just from a canned sugary jam). And it turned out perfectly!
A Trick of the Trade
One last sneaky little health benefit I squeezed into this recipe was adding some of my Nutiva Superseed Blend. I add this to just about any recipe I can get it into. Why? It adds SUCH great health benefits – and it doesn’t affect the taste or consistency of the dishes I add it to!
What is it? It is a blend three major powerhouse seeds used in healthy lifestyles today – flax, chia, and hemp. It contains incredible amounts of omega-3s, protein, fiber, and lauric acid PLUS a little sweet hint from the coconut blended in. All without really being noticed! I sprinkle this into any yogurt I eat, smoothie I make, and have started adding a little bit into most of my baked goods or an extra kick of nutrition. Get yourself some today!
Apple Pie Crisp
Ingredients:
Filling:
- 7 organic apples (I used honey crisp, it might be best to use a variety to get different flavors/levels of sweetness)
- 1 tsp, plus a couple dashes, cinnamon
- 1/3 – 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- 4 dashes salt
- Topping:
- 1 cup gluten free rolled oats
- 1/2 of GF rolled oat “flour” (learn to make yours here!)
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp organic agave nectar
- 1/2 cup chopped pecan/almond combo
- 1/2 – 1 tsp Nutiva Superseed Blend
- 2-4 dashes of cinnamon
Instructions:
- Filling:
- Combine filling ingredients above in your crock pot, cook on high for one hour.
- Add a couple more dashes of cinnamon.
- Using a handheld immersion blender, slightly blend apples into a “chunky applesauce” consistency.
- Fill greased baking dish with filling.
- Topping:
- Make your oat “flour” by putting GF rolled oats into a food processor until blended finely. THEN measure out 1/2 cup.
- Combine all topping ingredients in a large bowl together, mix until combined.
- Pour topping evenly over filling.
- Cook:
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Cook for about 30 minutes, until oats start to get brown.
- Broil for 5-10 minutes watching CLOSELY to get topping as crisp as possible without burning!
Perfect for any dinner party, your Thanksgiving Day dinner, Christmas dinner, it is a dessert that will create the perfect ending to any perfect day that you are sharing surrounded by your closest family friends.
Happy Belly, Happy Heart
