With Halloween over and out, Thanksgiving is right around the corner! We are hosting it at our home this year, which I love doing, but that also means I’ve got to get my behind in gear – cleaning, decorating, and most importantly, recipe testing! In most previous years, it has been pretty easy – organic bird stuffed with herbs, soy creamer for the dairy substitute, and vegan butter. Then we went vegetarian – veggie loaf for us, bird for others, vegan gravy, and vegan dinner rolls. After going vegan, not much changed – we just had to skip anything with eggs. But this year, I’ve also discovered gluten and I aren’t such great friends. And honestly, it’s not so great for anyone. Gluten can be very acidic and hard to digest, which can mean it sits in your digestive tract for awhile and causes inflammation in the body. Too much inflammation and limited digestion can lead to illnesses. A little in moderation is ok, especially on a holiday, but for me, it gives me some nasty stomach pains, which would make the holiday much less enjoyable.
So I have been experimenting with some gluten-free recipes, or at least low gluten (sprouted grain bread does have gluten, but is easier to digest due to the live enzymes in it). So far the hardest arts seem to be the pies and the rolls.
I attempted a pie yesterday, and while it tastes great, it really is more of a crumble. The dough just didn’t hold up well, but the combination of flavors was quite yummy. I have a few more attempts to make before Thanksgiving, but for now, here is my Apple Crumble Pie recipe.
Apple Crumble Pie:
4 large red delicious apples, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp nutmeg
2 tsp cardamom
2 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp all spice or cloves
1 cups sorghum flour
1 1/2 cup almond meal
1 1/4 cup coconut oil
1-2 cups pecans, raw, chopped
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp honey (or maple syrup to keep strictly vegan)
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine 1 cup sorghum flour and 1 cup almond meal. Add in 1 cup of coconut oil and knead or stir until combined. The coconut oil should be slightly firm, not melted when added in. Mix until a dough starts to form. Roll into a ball. It will be slightly sticky. If it is super sticky and won’t roll into a ball, add more flour. Place back int he bowl, cover with plastic wrap, lid, or towel and place in the fridge until slightly hardened. *Note – I placed mine in overnight and it became a solid rock that I couldn’t use for about 6 hours, 30 minutes should do just fine.
Once the dough is slightly hardened and settled, spread it onto your pie pan. I just press mine in place after flattening it a little – rolling didn’t seem to work. If you have luck, roll it out and leave me a comment below!!
Press the dough all along the pie pan and then fill it in with apples. Top with nutmeg, honey (or maple syrup), cinnamon, and cardamom. Take the remaining coconut oil and place it around the apples to help keep everything moist.
Transfer to the oven and bake for about 45 minutes to an hour. You can test the apples to see if they have softened. After 45 minutes or so, add the pecans, maple syrup, and rest of the almond meal together in a bowl. Sprinkle of the top of the pie to form a “crust”. Place it back in the oven for an additional 15-20 minutes. Let it cool for a bit and then slice and eat! It will lose its pie shape, which is how it turns into a crumble. But it doesn;t lose the flavors! The pecans, maple syrup, spices, and apples go to gether just perfectly 🙂
What is your favorite holiday dessert? How do you try to make it healthier?
Stay tuned tomorrow for your Weekly Healthy Living Tip!
Peace and Love,
Jessi
