I like watching food shows on TV, but all the Thanksgiving-themed ones this week made me start to crave fall foods like pumpkin, stew with lots of root vegetables, and apples. I don’t eat a lot of pies, but I really enjoy a good Dutch apple crumble pie. Since I don’t like making the crust and it seems like it would add extra calories, I made this one without a crust. In other words, an apple crisp that is vegan. Here’s how to make it.
I didn’t expect this to taste as good as it did. My experiment with a butter substitute turned out to taste pretty close to butter, and it was also much healthier. It doesn’t make sense, but what a nice surprise!
I like my apple desserts to have a lot of spices, so I added cinnamon, cardamom, and a lot of fresh, minced ginger. It has a real kick from the ginger, and the warming effect can feel like heartburn. But it will warm you up inside, which may be good if it is cool or cold outside. (This fall, it’s pretty hot and sticky here.)
You can cut back on the ginger or leave it out if you’d rather. Some people also find cardamom too strong. If so, only add half the amount called for in the recipe, taste it, and then decide if you want to add the other half.
As for sweetening, the amount of sugar you use will depend on how tart or sweet your apples are and how sweet you like your crisp. Again, start with less sugar, taste it, and add more if you want. If it tastes too sweet, you can add about 1–3 teaspoons of lemon or lime juice to round out the flavor.
Apple Crisp without Any Animal Products
For the center:
5 to 6 large, peeled and chopped apples
half to one cup of sugar
3 spoonfuls of cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
2 tablespoons of peeled and minced fresh ginger juice from a lemon or lime, if you want to.
For the sauce:
2 cups oats
1 cup pecans
Half a cup of brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup of flour made from wheat
1/2 cup canola oil
2 Tablespoons water
Mix the ingredients for the filling together very well. Taste and adjust sweetness/tartness level.
Apples don’t need to be peeled. Boron, a mineral that is important for strong bones, is found in apple peels. Why risk getting osteoporosis by throwing that away? If you can, buy organic apples and wash them well.
Put half the oats and half the pecans into a blender for the topping. Blend until ground. Put all of this in a bowl. Do the same thing with the rest of the oats and pecans.
Add the flour, salt, and brown sugar. Blend well.
Add the canola oil and stir. Stir the oil in a well to mix it in. Maybe you should just use your hands. Sprinkle in 2 tablespoons of water, or enough so that a handful of the mixture will stick together when you squeeze it.
Fill a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with the filling. There will be some liquid that has gotten out. Add that, too.
Sprinkle the topping over the filling in an even way. Press down to make a layer that looks like a crust.
Bake at 350 degrees F for about 40 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned, some of the edges of the filling are bubbling, and the apples are soft.
Let it cool down until it’s warm. Be thankful for what you eat!
I hope you’ll try this vegan apple crisp recipe while apples are in season. You can eat it without feeling guilty because it doesn’t have any saturated or hydrogenated fat, but it still tastes rich and buttery.
