Real Food Friday Feast - Apple Crumble

My favourite thing about winter is that the organic apples come into season and they are stocked just about everywhere, including Pick n Pay and Woolies. Apples are the number one fruit on the Dirty Dozen list and that means you MUST eat them organic. Of all the fruits, they retain the most chemicals from pesticides so if you eat conventional apples you're getting a world of trouble with every bite.

We all know the saying, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away."It's a true story actually! Here are some of the health benefits of apples:

• While an apple doesn't replace a toothbrush, or oil pulling, the biting and chewing action does stimulate saliva which lowers the level of bacteria that cause tooth decay. It's not quite as a big a deal as dentists and our moms made it out to be but every little bit helps;)
• A study performed on mice shows that apples could keep Alzheimer’s away and fight the effects of aging on the brain.
• Eating apples provides a certain amount of protection against developing Parkinson’s Disease.
• Many scientists agree that eating apples, which are rich in flavonol, helps reduce your risk of developing pancreatic cancer by up to 23%. Researchers have identified several compounds in apple peel that have potent anti-growth activities against cancer cells in the liver, colon and breast. Studies show that apples can reduce the number and size of mammary tumours in rats which bodes well for humans.
• Women who eat at least one apple a day are 28% less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who don’t.
• There is a lot of research linking high soluble fibre intake with a slower buildup of plaque in your arteries. The phenolic compound found in apple skins also prevents the plaque from solidifying on your artery walls. Heart attacks are usually caused by the plaque narrowing the arteries that supply the heart with nutrients.
• Gallstones form when there’s too much cholesterol in your bile for it to stay in liquid form, so it solidifies into stones. A diet high in fibre (of which apples have plenty) helps you control your weight and cholesterol levels.
• Fibre found in apples is a big help for digestive issues like IBS and other stomach problems.
• Where possible, try to go for red apples. They contain an antioxidant called quercetin which helps boost your immune system, especially when you're stressed. Quercetin also aids exercise endurance by making oxygen more available to the lungs.
• Apples are good source of vitamin C which is a powerful antioxidant.

There you have it! A good reason to eat apples. Raw or cooked, they are all yummy goodness! There are few things tastier than apple and cinnamon combined and, cinnamon is also exceptionally good for you. In fact, it's a really tasty, healthy, quick dessert snack if you feel like something sweet. Simply cut up an apple, sprinkle with cinnamon and pop it in the microwave for a minute and then eat. I'm not a big fan of microwaves so, if you have the time, steam or bake them. But if it's a quick snack you're after, it's delicious!

But on to the reason for today's post, Apple Crumble. This is one of my favourite desserts and I can never eat it because it's always full of wheat and other nasty stuff, especially if you buy a pre-made one from a grocery store. Of course, I had to hunt down my own recipe and try it! There are lots of tasty spices in this one which are also very good for you.

Apple Crumble

Topping

3/4 cup coconut flour or 1 cup chickpea flour

2 cups pecan nuts

4 Tbs butter

Filling

10-12 medium sized apples (this will also depend on the size of your bowl and how much you want to make. Use any apples but Granny Smith as they are very bitter)

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup raw honey or 2 Tbs organic, unrefined sugar (Woolies sells this)

Method for filling

• Turn oven on to 180ºC
• Peel and core the apples
• Place chunks in a food processor and mix up to create smaller pieces or simply chop them by hand (some recipes leave the apples whole. I must say I much prefer the smaller pieces but that's down to personal preference!)
• Add the lemon juice, nutmeg, cinnamon and honey to the apples and mix
• Scoop apple mixture into a baking dish

Method for Topping

• In a separate bowl, add the flour
• Break up the pecan nuts either with a knife, or a pestle and mortar (my choice was the latter) and add to flour 
• Add melted butter
• Mix it up and use a fork to make small crumbs
• Flake topping mixture over the apple mixture covering it thoroughly
• Cover with a lid or foil and bake for 50 mins
• Turn oven to grill, remove foil and crisp the topping for about 5 minutes (keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn)
• Serve warm!

I initially made this with about 8 apples and it wasn't really enough so I'd go with 10 or 12 if I were you, unless your apples are huge. I also used 1 cup of pecan nuts initially but my topping was a little sparse so I've made it 2 cups of pecan nuts because I like it to cover all the apples really well. Of course, you could avoid this problem by using a smaller dish. It's entirely up to you!

I reckon this is a great winter dessert because it's best eaten warm and spices do a great job of warming you up so now is the perfect time to try it. It only took me 20 minutes to prepare everything.The peeling takes the longest so, if you can, employ some little hands to help;) It'll keep them busy and it'll be rewarding for them when the dessert is done!

Have a wonderful weekend filled with all sorts of real, organic goodness;)