Always Apples

Regardless of the season, the one item of produce that always seems to line the grocery store shelves and fill the farmers markets is the enduring apple. Traditionally bought en masse around the Fall (at least here when they really start to shine locally), you can still buy Granny Smiths, Galas, and the Delicious varieties imported from all over the world that taste the same whether it was March or September. I remember as a kid bringing a shiny one to my teacher almost every day after a stint of apple picking with my family (coming home with 5 bulging bags!), and my mom still makes the world’s best apple pie. In the “off season”, our family picks up our standard Galas, Pink Ladies, and more recently Red Princes to enjoy during the week along with our seasonal picks. Thankfully, apples store well too – since we chronically have the habit of over-buying!

I was trying to use up a few slightly sad looking fruits in the fridge before our weekly shopping run, and knew that I also hadn’t made any goodies for my classmates lately, so I scouted around my baking cupboard for what else I could use. That turned into a bit of a pantry “dump” for me – long overdue – and yielded more appley stuff  than I ever realized I owned! I also peeked into my freezer, and would up elbow-deep in icy things looking for the part-can of coconut cream I froze after making my dad’s curry. Soon I had the makings of a real gem: a no-fat-added, wheat- and nut-free, vegan sweet treat that I regretted not making more of – it disappeared so quickly that I had a few students hounding me the rest of the day!

Apple Insanity Bread

Serves 10

¾ cup oat flour

1 cup spelt flour

½ cup Kamut flakes

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tbsp cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

3 pkg instant apple cider powder

¼ tsp salt

3 tbsp flaxseed meal + 1/3 c hot apple-herb tea

½ cup raw sugar

1 cup full-fat coconut milk

1 tsp vanilla

½ oz dried apples, diced

1 medium apple, unpeeled and grated

1 medium apple, unpeeled and finely chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a loaf pan.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, Kamut flakes, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt.
3. In a large bowl, beat together the flaxseed mixture, sugar, coconut milk and vanilla.
4. Add the dry ingredients all at once and stir just to moisten.
5. Add all the apples and fold in until just incorporated. 
6. Bake for 1 hour on the lowest rack of the oven - or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
7. Cool in the pan about 10 minutes, then turn out of the pan onto the rack and cool completely.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 211.1

Total Fat: 6.5 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 12.7 mg
Total Carbs: 41.5 g

Dietary Fiber: 3.6 g

Protein: 3.6 g