Bryanna Clark Grogan’s Vegan Feast Kitchen/ 23rd Century Table

Apple and Cranberry Oat Crisp

This has been a great year for apples and pears, and those of us with friends who are generous with their bounty are busy trying to use it up in ways that will insure that it does not get lost at the bottom of the freezer! (By the way, sometimes people are downright desperate to get rid of extra fruit this year. Don’t forget your local Food Banks, food salvage, gleaning and reclamation programs, church programs, and other social agencies that feed people.)

Having already made applesauce and apple butter, and also pear sauce (make it the same way as applesauce— smooth or chunky but with some ginger —it’s good!), I was searching for some low-fat ways to use up the rest of this bounty that keeps coming my way (I’m not complaining!). I didn’t want to make pies this year because we’re trying to keep off the weight we lost earlier in the year. (But, if you want to make pie, there are a couple of yummy pies on the recipe list below.) So, #1, I made pear chutney, because we love chutney and it keeps well, plus I had everything I needed in the house already.

I’ve been asked, “What do you serve chutney with if you don’t eat meat or cheese?”. Well, curries and other Indian dishes, of course; veggie “sausages” and seitan; smoked tofu (this is a terrific combination!) or tofu cream cheese on crackers—and that’s just for starters!

And, #2, I had some cranberry sauce leftover from Canadian Thanksgiving, and I decided to mix that with an impressive amount of apples to make a very large and low-fat apple crisp, some of which could be frozen for a future desserts. Both of these recipes were hits and now I’d like to share them with you.

Just wanted to share a couple of old favorite seasonal vegan dessert recipes with you!



Printable Copy of Both Recipes

BRYANNA'S APPLE "ROLY POLY" (Fat-Free)
Serves 4  (Can be GF and SF)
This is an old-fashioned dessert that deserves to be resurrected. I've been making it for years and years! It's easy, delicious and comforting, AND the pastry contains no fat! The dessert "poaches" in the syrup, so the pastry stays tender even without fat.

Syrup:
1 cup hot water
3/4 cup brown sugar
OR use:
1 cup maple syrup PLUS 1/4 cup water

Pastry:
1 cup whole wheat PASTRY flour OR Gluten-Free Flour Mix
(do not substitute ordinary whole wheat flour or the product will be tough)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup nondairy milk
2 small apples, cored and chopped
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a small saucepan, bring the hot water and brown sugar (or the maple syrup and water) to a boil. Boil gently, uncovered, for 5 minutes:

Pour the syrup into a 9 x 9" or 7 x 11" baking pan .

In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the milk and mix briefly. If it's too dry to handle, add more milk, just a few drops at a time.

Roll the dough out on lightly-floured baking parchment into a 1/4"-thick rectangle, about 7 x11", covering the top with another piece of cooking parchment. Spread the chopped apples over the dough, to within 1/2" of the edge of the dough.

Roll the filled dough up like a jelly roll along one of the long edges. This dough may be a little hard to handle and look a bit messy, but it doesn't really matter after it's baked.

Brush the overlapping edge with water and seal it well to the rolled dough. Cut the roll into 12/ 1/2" slices with a sharp serrated (bread) knife. Place the slices in the syrup, cut-side-down, using a small spatula or pie server. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve warm with Soyatoo whipped topping (pictured-- or you can use Soyatoo Topping Cream or Mimicreme Healthy Top (nut-based), which come in aseptic cartons & you can whip them yourself), or Soyatoo Rice Whip,  or your favorite vanilla nondairy "ice cream".

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 296.5 calories; 2% calories from fat; 1.0g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 146.5mg sodium; 471.2mg potassium; 71.3g carbohydrates; 5.5g fiber; 45.6g sugar; 5.0g protein.



BRYANNA'S APPLE-POLENTA-PECAN CRISP
Serves 8 (Can be GF and SF)
This unusual crisp is a delicious variation on the traditional. (Confession: I said "polenta" in the title just because it sounds more exotic-- it's actually just plain ol' cornmeal along with some powdery corn flour.)

1 1/2 lbs. organic apples, cored and cut into thin slices (I don't peel them)
1/4 cup light unbleached organic sugar
1 Tbs. unbleached white flour OR rice flour or Gluten-Free Flour Mix
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (regular or pastry) OR Gluten-free flour mix
1/2 cup corn flour (finely milled yellow cornmeal-- see note below)
1/2 cup pecan halves
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup cold vegan buttery spread (such as my homemade palm-oil-free vegan "Buttah")
your favorite vanilla non-dairy "ice cream" to top it off

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

NOTE: Corn Flour is very finely-ground yellow cornmeal-- ground almost to a powder. You can do this in small amounts in a dry, clean electric coffee/spice grinder. Or you can purchase it (sometimes organic) at a health food store or South Asian market. Bob's Red Mill is one brand you can find in HF stores.

Toss the apple slices with the 1 Tbs. flour, granulated sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla. Spread in a 9x13" baking dish. In a food processor, pulse the whole wheat flour, corn flour, cornmeal, pecans, brown sugar, and cinnamon until well-mixed and the pecans are chopped. Add the Earth Balance, cut into pieces, and pulse until crumbly. Spread the topping over the apples. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the apples are tender and the topping is browned.

Serve hot with your favorite vegan vanilla "ice cream" on top.

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 288.6 calories; 32% calories from fat; 10.7g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 68.9mg sodium; 237.2mg potassium; 48.3g carbohydrates; 5.1g fiber; 28.8g sugar; 2.9g protein; 7.5 points.

Cooking Tips
You could add a few fresh or dried cranberries to the filling, if you like.



Enjoy!