I wanted to make a dessert for my family, but a healthy one. I wanted no added sweeteners, healthy or not, and no grains or starches, healthy or not. I had a bunch of apples in my fridge, and my first thought was apple pie, but again, no grains. So I thought to just serve apple pie filling without the crust, and figured I'd use chia seeds as a thickener instead of the usual flour or starch, and let this apple pie filling be sweetened just from their own juices.I experimented and this recipe came out so great I had to share it with you.
This recipe is vegan, sugar free, GAPS legal, Paleo/Primal diet friendly, allergy friendly, and much else. Feel free to use this to fill your standard pie crust or in any other recipe that calls for pie filling. Or just eat it plain- it's great all ways!
Homemade Apple Pie Filling Recipe- Sugar Free, Starch Free, Vegan, GAPS Legal
Ingredients:14 sweet apples (red delicious, golden delicious, gala, pink lady, etc... not granny smith, macintosh, etc... or other sour varieties)
2 cups water
1 pinch salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons ground chia seeds
1 teaspoon-1 tablespoon lemon juice, as needed
Instructions:
1. Chop up your apples. You can peel them first if you want, but I didn't bother.
2. Add your water, salt, and cinnamon to your apples.
3. Cover the pot and bring to a boil, then simmer for a while, until the apples are fully soft, and the liquid is concentrated and sweet.
4. Gently mash up a small portion of the apples to thicken the batch. Add your ground chia seeds and mix well, trying to ensure there are no clumps. Heat for 2-3 minutes more, stirring constantly, until it thickens.
5. If needed, add a drop of lemon juice. If your apples are slightly tarter, feel free to leave this out.
6. Enjoy hot or cold, plain or with toppings...
What type of healthy desserts do you like making? Are you a fan of apple pie? Apple pie filling? Ever try to make either one of those without any added sweeteners? How did that go for you? Does this look like a recipe you'd try?
Linking up to Hearth and Soul Blog Hop, Fat Tuesday, Mostly Homemade Monday, Tasty Tuesday, Allergy Free Wednesday and Real Food Wednesday
Tags
allergy friendly
dairy free
egg free
frugal recipes
frugal strategies
GAPS
gluten free
grain free
made from scratch
nut free
paleo/primal
recipes
refined sugar free
sugar free
vegan
vegetarian
This sounds awesome, like a normal recipe. I am celiac with a lactose allergy, and a brand new legume allergy. :( I am also cutting back on sugar, so I will definitely try it.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you like it! Good luck in finding foods that work with your food restrictions!
DeleteSounds great. I am interested to try this without grinding the chia seeds.
ReplyDeleteFeel free to try it that way also- (when I was googling to see if I was the first one who thought of apple pie filling with chia seeds) I saw a recipe for apple chia pie with unground chia seeds... :-D Enjoy!
DeleteJust a thought: You might want to relabel this "Apple compote" or something, because that's what it is--a compote. I make something similar to add to oatmeal and/or spread on pancakes, if I'm in the mood for a luxurious breakfast (and if kidlet isn't chewing on the cat out of hunger in the morning). A dash of allspice will bring out a whole new level of flavor.
ReplyDeleteIn my part of the world, a compote is liquidy- this one isn't, since most of the water in it is boiled away, and the little that is left is thickened with the chia seeds. :-D I'll try it out with some nutmeg!
DeleteSounds awesome! No crust necessary! :)
ReplyDelete