Apple Pie A La … Gluten-, Dairy-, and Sugar-free!
Here’s the recipe:
Apple Pie - Gluten- Dairy- and Sugar-free
“The no nap required kind!
The Filling:
Apples, spices, and a little fat in the form of organic vegetable palm oil. You can substitute grass-fed butter or ghee or leave the fat out entirely.
You can also eat the filling without the crust. In this case, I would omit the fat.
Variation: you can add pears and do 1/2 apples, 1/2 pears or any combo you wish!
6 apples (I mix Honey Crisp and Granny Smith), peeled.
1 lemon
2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon each of ginger, nutmeg, cloves, even pumpkin spice! (I go liberal with these!)
2 tablespoons vegetable palm oil or butter or ghee (optional)
1/2 cap chopped pecans
After peeling apples and cutting into slices or cubes, coat with fresh lemon juice.
Add the rest of the ingredients (fat is optional!)
Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Check on consistency. Adjust time as per your preference of crunchy apples or soft. Add time as needed.
Cool a bit and serve as is or refrigerate.
Add to pie crust if you want the full on pie!
The Crust:
3 cups blanched almond flour
1/3 cup arrowroot flour
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 egg whites
3 tablespoons organic palm oil
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Combine all ingredients and form a dough with your hands.
Place dough in a 8” or 9” pie plate. Push with your hands to spread the dough out to the sides and up the edge. A small glass can be used as a rolling pin!
Bake crust for 15-20 minutes, until it starts to turn a golden brown. Remove from oven. Let cool.
You can refrigerate and cook the next day or fill the cooled crust with the cooled filling. Once combined, heat at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.
Let cool for a few minutes and then enjoy! The pie will stay in the refrigerator for a few days. You can also slice it and freeze it in parchment paper.
Warning: I have eaten slices frozen. I kid you not!
For most of my life, I’ve loved dessert, especially if it includes chocolate. And, even when it doesn’t!
A few years ago, my daughter and I ate Mother’s Day brunch at a fun restaurant and then strolled around the small beach town.
We passed a donut shop and my first reaction was wow, that is a lot of sugar in air! Even standing outside, I could smell the sweetness. I told my daughter there was no way I was going to eat a donut.
Famous last words because 20 minutes later we entered the bakery and each ordered a donut. My selection, which was not my usual chocolate pick, was a jelly donut with a granulated sugar coating,
We sat outside and I must say I enjoyed every bite of the pillowy soft, sweet, lightly crisp, brimming with jelly donut. I did consider eating half and taking the rest home but in the moment I was having too much fun indulging in these treats with my daughter.
30 minutes later it hit. I started feeling very tired, thirsty, and my head hurt. We shopped for awhile and a little later, I was really struggling. The energy drained out of me and I felt foggy in the brain. All I wanted to do was go home and sleep.
Luckily, my daughter had just gotten her learner’s permit so she was able to drive us home.
Since that day, I haven’t had another donut. Just seeing an image of one makes me feel light-headed and slightly nauseous.
Sugar has many detrimental effects on the body:
It oftentimes leads to type 2 diabetes.
It depletes and displaces essential nutrients such as protein, vitamins and minerals.
It causes malnourishment
It alters mood and energy levels.
It causes inflammation.
It is addictive - stimulates the pleasure center of the brain, begging us to consume more
It leads to organ dysfunction and hormone disruption
It decreases the body’s immunity
It causes weight gain
Undulating blood sugar is associated with chronic disease processes including aging acceleration, arthritis, cognitive function decline, cancer, depression, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, immune disruption, migraines, obesity, and more. . .
The one thing centenarians have in common is balanced blood sugar! This is good proof that balancing blood sugar and not spiking frequently is one of the tickets to Aging Vibrantly and Gracefully.
Vibrant Aging truly begins at home. I still bake and indulge in dessert on occasion and I chose ingredients that do not cause big spikes in blood sugar. Of course, it depends on the what and when - what other foods you are eating around it and when you eat.
Food is meant to be enjoyed and with some knowledge and creativity, you can enjoy dessert, too, and minimize its adverse health effects.
Drop a heart in the comments and let me know if you want to learn more about how to cook and bake with ingredients that support your health and metabolism.
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