Apple Crisp: hot out of the oven!

Here it is fresh out of the oven.  It's a little burned because my oven is weird, and I'm pretty sure it is over sweetened.  Oh well... that's what take two is for!

Apple Crisp: Experiment Number One

So I chose a recipe. Well, to be honest I chose it a couple of weeks ago, but I haven't had much time to sit down and post anything until now. I have loved apple crisp ever since I was small, but it was a treat, a recipe that my grandmother only made when my Uncle was coming to town, because it was his favorite. And even though I knew that I could cook it on my own, there is just something about the magic of a grandmother's cooking that makes everything taste better somehow. So for the longest time I hadn't had one of my favorite desserts, because... I figured that if I tried to make it, somehow it wouldn't taste as good. But I gathered up my courage, and my ingredients. The original recipe calls for: 6 apples - peeled, cored, and sliced 2 tablespoons white sugar 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 cup brown sugar 3/4 cup old-fashioned oats 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 cup cold butter. Because of my dietary restrictions, I knew that I would have to make some changes. So I gathered up this.

White Sugar

Cinnamon

Dark Brown Sugar

Gluten Free Flour (I used Bob's Red Mill - it's pretty basic, and available everywhere.) 

Quick cooking oats (I didn't have any old fashioned) 

Soy Free Earth Balance 

Regular old Macintosh apples 

After I chopped and tossed and squished (seriously, making the topping with my hands was much more fun than using a fork!), I ended up with this

Which is now currently in the oven, cooking.  It should be done in about 20 minutes, and I will have to let everyone know how it turned out!

An Introduction

Up until a couple of months ago, I could eat anything. I had no dietary restrictions, and I didn't realize then how much I should have enjoyed what I was able to eat. Because in June, I got a headache. Just one, but it lasted for the entire month. I tried over-the-counter medications, and when that didn't work (and it had been over a week), I went to the doctor. He gave me something a bit stronger. THAT didn't work. Finally, I went to a chiropractor. After doing some tests that I'm still not really sure I understand, he told me that I seemed to have some sort of a reaction to dairy, wheat, and soy. And he wanted me to cut them out of my diet. At first I thought it was kind of crazy, but my head still hurt and I was running out of things to try. So I said that I would give it a shot. That was just about three months ago. And he was right, my headache did disappear almost instantly after I stopped eating the things he told me to avoid. The only problem is that dairy, wheat, and soy? They are in almost EVERYTHING that you can buy. I have found that I can't have many types of gum, pasta sauce, drinks, even supposedly vegan replacements (such as Earth Balance) because they contain soy. For my Human Biology class this semester, my teacher asked us to pick a recipe, make it three different times, and blog about it. I haven't chosen my recipe yet, but I know that it is going to take some kind of unconventional wizardry to make something that I can eat, and that also tastes good. (My sister seemed to have figured out the magic, but she hasn't shared anything with me, so I will have to figure it out on my own. Wish me luck!!)