by Robin Munson

As the Joni Mitchell song says, "It's comin' on Christmas. . ."

We have all been inundated with happy holiday songs and visions of sugarplums - whatever they are - Hallmark movies depicting sweet little towns full of sweet little families with sweet little problems that can be resolved over sweet little cups of cocoa. But few of us - if any - will ever celebrate a holiday season that even comes close to the ideal. Nice fantasy, but like all societal fantasies, it comes with a heavy price. Read rest of article... 

Gluten Free Vegan Apple Crisp

(Courtesy of www.minimalistbaker.com)

Robin's note: The first time I made this Art fell in love! So I've made it quite a few times now and it's gotten the same reception every time! I like using Stevia baking blend for part of the sugar, but if you're unsure, just go for it as written. I'm sure you could do it with regular wheat flour and butter, too, if you like. Bonus: You don't have to make a pie crust! The hardest part is preparing the apples, but that's a kind of meditation for me. Enjoy!

Vegan gluten free apple crisp that has all of the warmth, spice and sweet flavor of traditional versions. It's also ridiculously simple to throw together.

Author: Minimalist Baker

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 4-5

Ingredients

   8 small-medium apples, peeled, cored and chopped (a variety of both sweet and tart - about 6 cups worth)

   dash lemon juice

   1/3 cup sugar

   1 Tbsp cornstarch

   heaping 1/2 tsp cinnamon

   pinch of salt

   TOPPING

   heaping 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

   1/4 cup gluten free flour blend

   1/2 cup gluten free old fashioned oats

   1/4 cup almond meal

   1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

   pinch salt

   1/3 cup (little more than 1/2 one stick) non-dairy butter melted, such as Earth Balance

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly grease a 9×9 baking dish.

Add apples to a large bowl or plastic bag and sprinkle with lemon juice.

Toss to coat with granulated sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt.

Transfer to baking dish and set aside.

Rinse and dry bowl and add brown sugar, flour, meal, oats, cinnamon and salt and stir. Add melted butter and mix until it resembles wet sand.

Sprinkle topping over the apples and bake until apples are soft and topping is golden brown (between 45 minutes to 1 hour).

Let rest 10-15 minutes before serving. Is great with vanilla ice cream - caramel sauce is also a lovely addition.

Notes

*There will be some liquid in the bottom of the pan, which you can either drain off or pour over the top of your ice cream.

Nutrition Information: Serving size: ~ 5 servings; per serving: Calories: 381 Fat: 10 g Saturated fat: 2 g Carbohydrates: 74 g Sugar: 53 g Fiber: 8.6 g Protein: 3.5 g.