Food Kuel Category Expert: Janet Neustedter
When the weather turns – oh so slightly and subtly…..
Where I live, in Arizona, the fall season teases my taste buds to start thinking fall flavors. Usually by late September I am using pumpkin to bake with and you can be sure an apple pie cobbler is on the way!
My Mother Baked An Apple Pie:
There are many apples that are in the markets these days, and it is fun to pick out one of each that you have not tried and crunch into it. Compare it with other apples and find ones that you like the best. When my mother baked an apple pie it was always with Granny Smith apples.
I found as I developed my apple pies and cobblers that the Granny Smith are too tart for my liking, and not juicy enough. For years I would do half Granny and half other red apples I picked. Now my pies are all either Gala or Fuji, and the Honeycrisp apple is amazing with flavor.
As a thickener, I moved off corn powder years ago. I have found that tapioca starch, or tapioca flour, does a wonderful job of thickening all my fruit concoctions. For apples I use 2 tablespoons, and in other juicier baked goods such as peach or strawberry, I use 3 tablespoons of tapioca starch and am never let down. Pies slice nicely and I do not have a cup of juice.
My Secret Ingredient:
My other secret ingredient is white or dark balsamic vinegar. I use 2 tablespoons in the fruit mixture. The fruit then macerates in the balsamic and sugar, with the spices that are also in while I make the crust. It adds a depth of flavor that is outstanding.
I also always am conscious of the addition of sugar and try to keep the sugars low. There are many sugar alternatives on the market, and I have tried many of them! My favorite is the MonkFruit sugar, which is zero calories and bakes just like the white processed sugar (stay away from that)!
Here is my fall Apple Pie Recipe that you can eat guilt-free. Enjoy!
Apple Pie Low Glycemic Recipe:
Ingredients:
- Zest and juice from one orange
- 6 cups of apples peeled and cut up (I tend to like the red apples, fuji or one you like, or a mixture half red and half green. The green apples are dryer and tarter.)
- 1 Tbsp cinnamon
- ½ cup zero calorie monkfruit sweetener
- 1 Tbsp white balsamic vinegar (brings out the sweetness in the fruit)
- ½ c nut flour blend (Found at Sprouts, or a flour of your choice)
- 1 stick grass-fed butter
- ½ cup zero calorie sweetener
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp allspice
- ½ tsp ginger
- Dash of cloves
- 2 cups walnuts chopped
Instructions:
- Set the oven to 350 degrees
- Spray a pie plate with avocado, coconut or olive oil (no vegetable, soy or canola oil)
- In a bowl combine the cut apples, orange juice and zest, cinnamon, monkfruit sugar and balsamic vinegar and toss to combine. Set aside.
- In a standing chopper add the flour, butter, monkfruit sugar and cinnamon. Pulse to combine. *Nuts are optional. Add the nuts and pulse to combine.
- Pour the apples into the prepared pie plate, and gently pour and then spread the topping to cover the fruit.
- Put the pie plate onto a cookie sheet to catch any drippings, and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, until top is browned and pie is bubbly.
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About the Author:
Janet is a restaurant trained chef, who has always had a healthy cooking interest. After being exposed to the term Functional Medicine, Janet became energized with the connection of food being medicine and food potentially being harmful (in the case of allergies). That connection inspired her to become certified in Functional Medicine Health Coaching. Functional Medicine is about identifying and addressing the root cause of diseases. Food is often a part of that link. People with stomach “issues” may just need a simple adjustment in the food they eat to have less pain. People trying to lose weight can do it without 100 burpees or running marathons. As a certified Functional Medicine coach, she helps clients identify what foods can help meet specific health goals. You can learn more about Janet on her site – Here4You.
