“An apple day, keeps the doctor away”.

 

It’s that time of the year for a delicious apple pie. I decided to go off the beaten path with an inspired paleo crust and used my Halloween cookie cutters for a decorative theme for the season. The crust is made out of almond flour, olive oil and a little bit of sweetener. The crust has a nice rich almond flour and gives a nutritional boost. A great substitute for any gluten sensitivities. This crust style is super simple to prepare and whipped up quite quickly too.  Simple, healthier and delicious!

 

Did you know, one medium apple counts as 1 cup of fruit?! So just eating one you’ve already met your daily fruit quota. Apples contain a high level of immune boosting vitamin C. In a recent study, women who ate a cup of dried apples daily for a year lost some weight, lowered their cholesterol levels and reduced heart disease as well. The powerful antioxidant and pectin in apples is responsible for these amazing benefits. And lastly, for all you runners out there, reach for that apple before working out because it will boost exercise endurance. The antioxidant, quercetin, which aids endurance by making more oxygen available to the lungs. So…. go ahead and grab that apple! Nature’s fast food.

 

PIE CRUST:

3 cups almond flour

6 tbsp olive oil, or coconut oil

6 tbsp sweetener

INSTRUCTIONS:

Melt the butter. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar and almond flour. Pour the butter into the dry mixture and incorporate well. Once combined, form the dough into a ball.

Divide the dough in half. Wrap one in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for later use.

Place the ball of flour dough onto the bottom of a 9 inch pie plate. Press dough evenly with your fingers and out towards the sides. Start in the middle and work your way out. You may pinch or use a fork to detail the edges for a decorative look.

Place pie plate on a cookie sheet for easier transport. Bake for about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. In the mean time, prepare your pie filling.

 

APPLE PIE FILLING:

6 medium apples, peeled and sliced (about 1/4 inch or so)

2/3 cup sweetener, may use honey, brown or maple

1/4 cup flour

1/2 lemon wedge

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tbsp unsalted butter, or coconut oil

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a bowl, combine butter, sugars, lemon juice and spices together. Then, add the sliced apples until combined well. Spoon the mixture into a prepared crust. Roll out the remaining dough. Place the dough over the filling of the pie. Trim, seal and crimp the edges. Cut about 4-6 slits in the crust. Brush with the melted butter, or whatever you may prefer. Make sure crust is covered with foil.

Bake for 35 minutes. Then remove the foil from edges and bake for another 10-20 minutes, or until crust is browned and with a bubbly interior. Remove from the oven and let cool. Serve warm and garnish with vanilla ice cream and/or whipped cream. Enjoy!

 

NUTRITIONAL VALUE: Crust – Calories 100; Total Fat 10g; Sodium 3mg; Total Carbohydrates 3.9g; Dietary Fiber 2g; Protein 1.5g; calcium 2% and iron 2%. Pie filling – Calories 72; Cholesterol 3mg; Sodium 9mg; Total Carbohydrates 16.7g; Dietary Fiber 2.3g; Sugars 12g; vitamin A 2%, vitamin C 7% and iron 11%.

 

 

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