Homemade Apple Pie (with gluten free crust!)

For months Rob has been wanting us to make a homemade apple pie and we just never got around to it. Yesterday we gave in and made not only 1 but 2 apple pies! And... lets just say, it has been less than 24 hours and only 1 pie is left. Check them out:

As you can see, we did not use a top crust for the apple pie, instead we created a crumbling topping to cover it. Now, I am not going to lie to you--we bought the gluten free crust premade at Whole Foods (it came 2 to a pack) BUT every other part of this pie is homemade! See below how you too can make your own delicious apple pie! NOTE: Ingredient list below is for 1 pie


Ingredients:


1 Premade, gluten free pie crust
5 Peeled granny smith apples, diced into thin pieces
Cinnamon (Frontier Cinnamon Powder Certified Organic (3% Oil), 16 Ounce Bags (Pack of 2))
Nutmeg (Cole and Mason H277130 Classic Nutmeg Grinder)
Vanilla extract (Simply Organic Vanilla Extract Certified Organic, 4-Ounce Glass Bottles (Pack of 2))
1 Egg, beaten with 2 Tb of cold water and set aside
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1 Stick unsalted butter
3 Tb Flour
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup White Sugar
1/4 cup Water
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1/2 Stick of butter, partially melted
1 Cup of granola (we used vanilla almond from Whole Foods)
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Brown Sugar
White Sugar

Process:

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. First, take all of your diced apples and place them in a large bowl (you need to be able to mix them). Then, sprinkle about 1-2 tsp vanilla extract and some cinnamon and nutmeg over the apples; mix until it looks like the cinnamon and nutmeg have spread out/no clumps. Each apple should have a little bit of spice on it. Note: You should use more cinnamon than nutmeg. Once the apples are coated, set them aside.

Now, in a medium skillet melt the unsalted butter over medium heat. Once melted, add flour. Whisk until smooth. Then add in both sugars and water; turn heat to medium high and whisk until smooth. Once smooth, turn down to low and let it simmer for about 5 minutes; whisk occasionally.

While the mixture on the stove is cooking, lets make the topping for the pie. With a fork, mix the butter with the granola. Once combined, mix in both sugars, a small amount of cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg. Mix until well combined. This mixture should be crumbly.

Now lets assemble the pie! Take your apple mixture and pour them into the bottom of the pie. Then, take the stove mixture and pour over the apples. Finally, carefully spread the crumb mixture over the top of the entire pie-taking the time to cover the top and the sides. Once the top of the pie is coated bake the pie for about 40-50 minutes on 325. After 40-50 minutes, take the pie out and lightly brush the visible crust with the egg & water mixture. Once you are done with that, put the pie back in the oven at 350 degrees for about another 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, take out the pie and voila! Complete! Let the pie sit for at least 15 minutes before you serve it.

This picture was taken after I made my first helping! YUMMY!

Quinoa with Sautéed Apples and Almonds

Here we go...

This is the first dish I am going to share with you, I have to admit I am pretty excited!! I found this recipe online last week and have to say I'm addicted! Quinoa is fairly new to me and this specific dish has made me fall in love with this fiber-packed grain.

The Ingredients:

1 cup Quinoa

2-4 Tsp. Olive Oil

1-2 small chopped yellow onions (approx 3/4 cup)

2-3 diced carrots (approx 3/4 cup)

1-2 minced garlic cloves ( always use fresh garlic)

2 cups organic vegetable broth

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon ( a couple dashes is what I did)

1 finely diced, unpeeled granny smith apple

3 TB slivered almonds

1/8 tsp black pepper

Let's Make it Happen:

The recipe says to thoroughly rinse the quinoa twice before using it by placing the quinoa in a fine sieve, then place the sieve in a large bowl. Cover the quinoa with water. Using your hands, rub grains together for 30 seconds; rinse and repeat, drain well. I DID NOT DO THIS! Perhaps it was the type of quinoa I used: Ancient Harvest Organic Quinoa, Traditional, 12-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 12) , which comes already washed. 

Anyway...

Next, place about 1 tsp olive oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add onion and carrots, sauté for about 3-4 minutes. After 3-4 minutes add garlic to the pan. Sauté for an additional 2-4 minutes (until onion and carrots are tender or begin to brown). Stir in the vegetable broth ( Pacific Natural Foods Organic Low Sodium Vegetable Broth, 32 Ounce Units (Pack of 12)), quinoa, salt and cinnamon (Simply Organic Cinnamon Ground Certified Organic, 2.45 Ounce Containers (Pack of 3)); bring to a boil. Cover it, reduce the heat to low (or medium low, depending on your stove), and simmer for about 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove the mixture from heat; fluff with a fork; keep warm.

Then, heat approx 1 tsp olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add sliced apples to pan; sauté for approx 7 minutes or until apple begins to brown. Add apples, almonds and pepper to the quinoa mixture; toss to combine.

Make approximately 4 servings at about 258 calories per serving

NOW-- The recipe says to serve warm.. which when served warm it is delicious! So prepare to awaken your taste buds and dig in. However, if you have not scarfed down this entire mixture do not be alarmed... it tastes fabulous cold as well! What me and my roommate, Becca, do is make the recipe as listed above and portion it out into 4 servings (which is the amount it is intended to make). We each eat one serving with dinner (warm) and then bring the other serving to work the next day (and eat it cold). I make it sound like this is an every day occurrence...I am just saying what we did last week when I made it and what we will being doing tonight and tomorrow when I make it for dinner again in about 2 hours, YUMMY!




Now... What to cook with this as a meal is probably your next question? Last week when I made this delectable dish I cooked steak with it (at this moment I cannot remember what type of steak) and it made a great combo. The recipe suggests cooking it with chicken or pork however, tonight I am going to do a shrimp cocktail with it to keep it light. Delicious!