I love the 4th of July for all that it stands for – freedom, celebration, gratitude, and food! To me nothing is more American than Apple Pie. Still, like many, I’m always trying to eat healthier and be more conscious of the foods I eat. My take on a healthier version of apple pie is… apple crisp.
The 4th of July is a special time for me. Being an immigrant to this country I feel an immense sense of pride about being American (I am a citizen now) and gratitude that I ended up in this great country.
Though I wasn’t alive or even an inkling in the minds of my parents back then, I’m grateful to the men and women who fought for this country and the freedoms they have preserved.
One of the things I love most about this holiday is the celebration – complete with parade, symphony concert featuring beautiful American music, and of course the food!
Although burgers may be uniquely American, for me it’s definitely about the apple pie! Being gluten free and more importantly, always being cognizant of my sugar intake, desserts present a certain challenge.
So, in trying to eat healthier and cut down on my sugar intake, I made a healthier apple dessert. I came up with two options actually. First, an apple crisp, made with Gala and Granny Smith apples, it’s both a little tart and a little sweet. Second, baked apples.
This is a basic recipe for apple crisp. You can dress it up as you like, as these things are often personal preference in the amount of sugar you use, the ingredients you add (like raisins, dates, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, or other dried fruit), and the amount of spice (though you should be careful not to over spice or it won’t taste good).
Here’s my take on apple crisp. I hope you enjoy it as well as your 4th of July!
Apple Crisp
Ingredients
- 4-5 medium apples
- 1 juice of 1 lemon
- ¾ cup rolled oats
- ⅓ cup brown rice flour
- ¼ cup coconut palm sugar + 1 packet stevia
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ginger
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 pinch ground cloves
- 4 Tbsp butter divided
- 1 pinch sea salt optional
- raisins dates, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Use one tablespoon of butter to grease baking dish. Set aside.
To make the crumble topping:
- In a medium bowl, combine oatmeal, flour, spices, and any optional ingredients.
- Cut in the butter or use your hands to combine thoroughly until well-blended and crumbly.
For the apples:
- Wash, peel, and slice apples. A food processor works well to slice apples to uniform size.
- Spread apples in baking dish evenly.
- Pour lemon over apples.
- Top with crumble and bake at 350° F for 45 minutes, until topping is browned and apples are tender.
