GAPS apple raisin bake

Here in Casablanca we don’t have seasons in the American fashion. Basically it’s quite-warm -to-hot from about April to October, and from November to March it’s warm-to-cool. For the most part I’m pretty happy with this arrangement, but sometimes facebook’s rampant pumpkin spice-everything, jack o’lantern contest and fall foliage posts get me nostalgic for a season I never liked all that much.

To remedy my unanticipated melancholy, I made up this GAPS friendly recipe, which has been doing the trick lately! I’m my mother’s daughter, and don’t really measure anything when I cook, so these are approximations, feel free to get creative!

GAPS apple raisin bake

Topping:

·         1-1 ½ c mixed nuts (I use cashews, almonds and walnuts)

·         ½ c unsweetened shredded coconut

·         ¾ t salt, if all your nuts are unsalted (my almonds come salted so I skip this)

·         ½ c melted butter/ghee/coconut oil

·         ½ - ¾ c honey, to taste

·         whatever spices you like (I use cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg)

Put your nuts in the food processor and chop until about half are still in chunks but half resemble a coarse flour (note: this doesn’t take long). Dump in a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients, mix well.

Fruit:

·         4 apples, peeled, cored and cut into large chunks

·         ½ - ¾ c raisins (could skip if you wanted)

·         1 t cinnamon

·         1/3 c honey

·         ¼ c butter (cut into chunks)

Toss the apples and raisins with cinnamon, then spread around a small/medium glass baking dish with deep sides.  Add chunks of butter at intervals and drizzle the honey around.

Add the topping mixture, cover lightly with foil and bake at 350F for 25-35 minutes. Apples should be bubbly and soft when seen through the dish. Take off foil for last 5-10 minutes if you like a crustier top.

This makes enough for 4-6 people, so I make it for just the two of us because it’s delicious hot for dessert, then we have the leftovers cold for breakfast with some plain yogurt. Yum!

Of course I didn’t think to take a picture when it was whole, but pictured it what’s left after a dessert and a breakfast.

NOTE: For those of you unfamiliar with GAPS, here's a very basic rundown:

GAPS stands for Gut and Psychology Syndrome, and its diet involves eating NO grains (wheat, rice, corn etc), NO sugar (honey and fruit are OK) and nothing too starchy (quinoa, potatoes etc). It's very similar to Paleo diets, and was created by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride. I started on it July of 2012, and while I've adapted it to work for my lifestyle, I've been sticking to the basic elements of the diet and it has done wonders for me. I was having extremely serious problems with allergies and skin during my first 1.5 years in Casablanca, to the point that Othman and I decided we were moving back to the States. When I visited the States that summer my mom suggested trying out the diet as a last-ditch effort. Well it worked, and I'm not looking back. If you want more info about GAPS feel free to contact me. =]