Ingredients:
Filling:
10 apples, peeled and sliced thinly
Squeeze of 1/4 of a lemon
3 large spoonfuls of coconut sugar
1 tablespoon of cornstarch
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Topping:
5 Tbsp of vegan butter
1/2 cup of pure maple syrup
1 1/2 cups of old fashioned oats
1/2 cup of flour (I use GF all purpose or whole wheat)
1/3 cup of chopped walnuts (or sub for sliced almonds)
1/2 tsp of cinnamon
optional serve with:
Instructions:
Pre-heat the oven to 350 F and lightly grease a rectangular (9x13) baking dish.
In a large bowl mix together your filling (or save dishes and mix it all in the baking dish). You want apples to fill to the top of the dish since they shrink in the oven so keep adding until they do.
In a large bowl mix the dry ingredients together for your topping first, then add in the butter and maple syrup mixing until everything is combined. Sprinkle topping evenly over apple filling.
Cover with lightly greased foil and bake for 25 min. Remove the foil then bake for another 25-35 minutes until the apples are tender.
Allow to slightly cool and serve with vanilla vegan yogurt for breakfast or vanilla vegan ice cream for dessert.
Many people have a hard time with breakfast, including myself. Our bodies are just waking up, we are usually trying to get ourselves (and others) ready for the day, so having to think about what to eat when we get downstairs can often be overwhelming (which is why many of us just end up skipping it).
On slow mornings, when no one is being rushed around to get ready for school, I find it easier to find that time for me, but those moments are usually few and far between.
That's why if I have a magic free afternoon, I love cooking either muffins or breakfast bakes like this so that us parents have an easy breakfast or healthy snack option.
This one specifically is a fun fall activity to have kids help with. Mine love seeing the creations we come up with after picking a whole bag of apples. How they get peeled, sliced, and covered in cinnamon sugar is like one giant science experiment to them.
And they are always so much more excited to eat any food item I give them if they have helped prepare it with me start to finish.
This apple crisp bake is great because you can eat it any time of day that you want.
When we made it I served it first to everyone for dessert Sunday night with ice cream, then I ate the rest out of the tray as breakfast and a snack throughout the week.
Because it is made with coconut sugar and maple syrup there is no refined sugar to spike blood sugar, and the fiber from the oats nuts and apples will leave you feeling full and satisfied.
Add some creamy dairy-free vanilla bean yogurt and it almost feels indulgent.
A lot of people think when the change their diet they have to watch their calories and let go of the good stuff. But strict dieting isn't sustainable or realistic. I have found that by eating plant based I can re-create my favorite dishes with different types of sugars, fiber filled oats or whole wheat, and lots of anti-inflammatory fruit- all while satisfying my cravings so that I can peacefully eat until I am full.
And as parents, keeping healthy options in the fridge leaves us less likely to shove an entire bag of pretzels in our mouth or a leftover frozen waffle when the hunger really hits.
Feeding ourselves with nourishing good food, always makes for better parents.
So enjoy this nostalgic fall dish and let it set you up for success this week when you are looking for a satisfying snack or breakfast for yourself or any other little people in your household.