It was nearly 5 years ago that I was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition and its been a bit of a struggle to keep things stable with so many everyday changes and challenges in life. Diet plays a really important role in managing inflammation. Nearly an year and a half ago, I started an elimination diet to manage the symptoms. In the beginning, it was quite intense - no gluten, dairy, nuts, seeds, tomatoes, potatoes, mushrooms, only oils allowed are olive oil, coconut oil and ghee. No sugar, honey, maple syrup, artificial sweeteners, no caffeine (coffee or tea), no sour substances (only lemon juice in vinaigrette is allowed) no seafood and no processed meats. Gradually over time I have added back some items - still no gluten, milk, nuts, seeds, no seafood, occasional tomatoes.

It has been quite a journey on this diet and in many ways it seemed that my love affair with food had ended. Food became just a means to sustain the body and the joy I always got from cooking and eating seemed to vanish away. I tried to still reinvent my favourite foods within the realm of what was allowed but it was not so straightforward and the results were often not as nice as I would have liked them to be. In the last few months as I have slowly added back ingredients, there is newfound joy in preparing and eating food. I have started to have an occasional coffee on a Saturday morning with coconut milk.

It has been an absolute pleasure to add back desserts. Gluten free ingredients and baking has come a long way and now it is so much easier to substitue gluten free baking flour in your existing recipes and the results are outstanding. One of the recipes I tried recently was a Gluten free Apple Crumble. The internet is full of amazing bloggers who have made it their life's mission to share their tried and trusted recipes with the world and there are many blogs out there catering to autoimmune protocols, gluten free, dairy free baking. This recipe is adapted from this Apple Crumble recipe by Nicole, author of the blog Gluten Free on a ShoeString .

I have made some changes to the original recipe by Nicole. I removed nuts and added some baking powder and baking soda to the crust. I also added vanilla extract to the Apple filling as well as the crust. I love what Vanilla can do to any dessert and it’s always a staple in my pantry - even simple foods like pancakes and waffles come to life with a splash of vanilla. It’s also important to use the right kind of apples for the filling. Singapore does not get the same wide variety of apples for baking as I could find in the US but there are a few which are available year round. Granny Smith is a popular apple for baking but it can be quite tart sometimes which is not a bit hit with my family. I’ve tried a few different apples and one of my favourites for baking is the Pink Lady. It cooks down beautifully and has a wonderful flavour once cooked.

Ingredients :

Crumble Topping

1 1/2 cups all purpose gluten free flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill)

3/4 tsp Xanthan gum (omit if your flour blend already contains it)

1/2 cup gluten free rolled oats

1/2 cup packed brown sugar (I prefer dark brown sugar)

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon powder

1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg / nutmeg powder

1/4 tsp salt

12 tablespoons (168 g) unsalted butter, melted

1 tsp vanilla extract

Apple Filling

3 pounds (6 large / 8 medium sized apples), peeled, cored and cut into 1 inch dice

2 tablespoons gum free gluten free flour blend or tapioca / cornstarch

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 tap vanilla extract

1/3 cup packed brown sugar (I use dark brown)

1/3 cup raw pecans / almonds roughy chopped (optional)

Method :

1. Preheat oven to 350F / 180C. Grease an ovenproof baking dish.

2. To prepare the crumble topping, combine the oats, flour, salt, sugar, cinnamon powder and nutmeg in a mixing bowl. Mix the vanilla extract with the melted butter and add to the oats mixture. Combine well and keep in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.

3. In a separate mixing bowl, combine the apples, cinnamon, vanilla extract, brown sugar. Ensure all ingredients are mixed well and coat the apples. Sprinkle cornstarch/tapioca flour/gum free gluten free flour blend and mix to coat apples as evenly as possible.

4. Transfer apples mixture to the greased baking dish and spread evenly through the dish. Scatter nuts on top of the apples (if using).

5. Remove crumble topping from refrigerator and break into small chunks and spread on top of the apples in the baking dish. Try and cover the apples fully with the oat & flour mixture as evenly as possible. Press the topping onto the apples so it adheres to the filling.

6. Cover the dish with aluminium foil and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes till the topping is brown in color and the apples are tender.

7. Remove from oven and serve warm apple pie with vanilla ice cream.