Healthy No Sugar Apple Chips

Wow! It has been an incredibly long time since I have posted to this blog and I am greatly sorry for not posting more regularly, especially with so many great recipes that I have found successful for my family in this long hiatus. I must admit that I have started a second blog related to my other love, teaching art to elementary children. My other blog, Artteacher101.blogspot.com, has kept me very busy this year and made me a slacker at this blog, but my goal this spring is to post regularly on this site (weekly if possible) any new, successful, healthy, recipes that my family enjoys! So, here is one that I have been making for years and my kids love it; Apple Chips! This simple recipe can be stored for up to six months and worked great for the incredibly large apple harvest from my parent's farm.

The very first step is to peel and core the apples. My kids love to eat the shavings like a natural fruit by the foot, less sugar than any you can buy in the store and no pesticides to worry about!

An apple corer works best on firm apples. Apples that are overly ripe and soft will just fall apart in the apple corer. My kids love to help with this step and of course, eat the skins as they work the machine (the original fruit by the foot).

After the apples are cored and skinned, I cut them in half and the apple easily separates into slices.

Once sliced and separated, I place the apples on the dehydrator's shelves in a single layer and sprinkle with cinnamon for extra flavor. No sugar needed! The natural juices of the apple make the apple chips plenty sweet when all complete.

I mostly use a dehydrator to make the chips. It's a hand me down from my mother. To be honest, I don't even know if they make this one anymore. Sometimes, in addition to the dehydrator, I have so many apples that I place the apples in a single layer on a cookie sheet with parchment paper (to prevent the chips from sticking to the cookie sheet) and set the oven to a low temp (250 degrees Fahrenheit) to dry out the slices. This usually takes a couple of hours depending on how juicy the apples. Sometimes using the oven is quicker and more efficient. When using the dehydrator, it can take up to two days almost to dry out the apples.

 

We love this sweet treat without any unnecessary sugar.  Have you and your family ever tried homemade apple chips? Let me know what you think.

Whole Wheat Sugar Free Apple Cake

I love the fall weather and especially the crispness and sweetness of the apples. I recently purchased 20 lbs of organic Fuji apples from Azure Standard, a provider of quality bulk and natural foods. I think half is already gone. My favorite clean eating recipe for apples is apple cake and my kids love it, too! What I love most about this recipe is no sugar is needed. The apples' own sweetness makes this recipe a delightful dessert.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 stick (8tbsps) unsalted butter, softened and cooled
• ½ cup apple sauce unsweetened
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup and 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3-4 large apples, cored, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray an 8- to 9-inch pan with olive oil.  Using an electric mixer or hand whisk, mix the butter, apple sauce, eggs, and vanilla until well combined.

Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. Add them to the moist mixture. Mix again until the batter is smooth. Fold in the apple cubes.

 Pour the batter in the prepared pan. Bake until the cake is set and slightly browned, about 35 minutes. Serve with homemade ice cream or store bought works just as well.

Whole Wheat Apple Cake Sugar Free

8 servings

1 stick (8tbsps) unsalted butter, softened and cooled
½ cup homemade pear sauce unsweetened
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup and 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
3 large apples, cored, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (You could use fresh, but I used the frozen apples from last fall. I thought it was necessary to get them used up before the apples really developed freezer burn.)


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray an 8- to 9-inch pan with olive oil.

Using an electric mixer or hand whisk, mix the butter, pear sauce, eggs, and vanilla until well combined.

Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. Add them to the moist mixture. Mix again until the batter is smooth.

Fold in the apple cubes.

Pour the batter in the prepared pan. Bake until the cake is set and slightly browned, about 35 minutes. Serve with homemade ice cream or store bought works just as well.

Apple-Pear-Cranberry Crisp

I was looking for something sweet to eat without the refined sugar to elevate my blood sugar, and still get a serving of fresh fruit. My sweet tooth took me to one of my favorite healthy vegan cooks - Christina. Its easy to make and the topping only has a little bit of flour. I think I will have to experiment to see if I can make this recipe gluten free, too, not just healthy!

The Topping:
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/8 tsp sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
1 teaspoon allspice
1/4 cup light olive oil
1/2 cup brown rice syrup (found one brand at the co-op)
1/4-1/2 cup skim milk (the original recipe calls for Eden rice and soy blend or vanilla rice or soy milk) The original recipe also calls for 1/2 cup coarsely minced pecans, but I did not have any on hand so decided to just leave them out.

The Filling:
3-4 apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1-2 pears peeled and sliced (the recipe did not call for this, but I had some on hand that needed to be eaten)
3/4 cup unsweetened dried cranberries
1 TBSP light olive oil
2 TBSP corn flour (the original recipe called for arrowroot flour, but alas I had none on hand)
2 TBSP brown rice syrup

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 deg and lightly oil a standard square baking dish. Combine the dry ingredients with the spices. Mix in oil and rice syrup to make a soft dough. Slowly mix in skim milk until a thick batter forms. Fold in the pecans if you have them available.

Mix apples, pears, and cranberries with olive oil to coat. Stir in corn flour and brown rice syrup and spread in baking dish. Spoon topping on top, over the surface of fruit. Bake until fruit is bubbling and topping is golden and firm, about 30 minutes. I plan on serving this warm with a dollop of frozen yogurt or heavy whipping cream whipped into peaks. Makes about 8 servings suggests the recipe, but whatever. I think my family of four will have no problem eating up this entire dessert in one sitting.

Ok...After actually enjoying/eating this desert, I retract my previous statement. It is a very filling desert and easily makes eight servings.

Whipped Topping:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 TBSP vanilla flavoring
Whip until peaks form. Serve on top of dessert.