Apple crumble bars! They’re here, they’re here! Just in time to be added to your Thanksgiving baking list… I’m sure you already have the ingredients in your pantry and fridge, so it will be easy to add them to the menu and impress your vegan or gluten-free guests!

These buttery, caramel-y, crumble-y bars are one of my very favorite gluten free desserts. I made this same recipe with regular all-purpose flour the first time and the crust set up a little too hard, but with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour the crust holds the bars together just enough without being too dominating.

We won’t even get into how good this topping is… I just want to make a pan of it and eat it out of a bowl like cereal. Totally normal, no? :’D

Note: These pictures capture my fave way to enjoy the apple crumble, warm and fresh out of the oven. If you’re serving them for a holiday they are perfect for making a day in advance and refrigerating because the caramel-y sauce will be less gooey and the bars will hold together more like a finger food. Fresh out of the oven or cold and sliceable, doesn’t matter! They’ll be delish both ways!

Print Recipe

Vegan/Gluten-Free Apple Crumble Bars

Gooey, caramel-y, spiced apple pie bars with a buttery crumble topping and gluten free crust.

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time45 mins

Refrigerate3 hrs

Servings: 10 people

Ingredients

For the crust

• 1/2 cup Earth Balance butter (1 baking stick)
• 1/4 cup organic sugar
• 1 cup Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Baking Flour

For the filling

• 4 finely sliced honeycrisp apples (the thinner the slices the more held together your bars will be in the end!)
• 1/2 cup organic sugar
• 1/3 cup organic brown sugar
• 2 heaping tbsp apple pie spice

For the topping

• 1 cup gluten free quick oats
• 1/2 cup Earth Balance butter
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup any type of gluten free flour (almond flour works great but if you don't have it feel free to use the baking flour!)
• 1/2 cup organic brown sugar

(Optional) Icing

• 1 cup organic powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp plant milk
• 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375
• Grease or line a 3 quart baking dish
• Prepare crust by combing the three ingredients. You may have to use your hands to ensure butter is evenly incorporated
• Press crust dough into pan using a spatula. Be sure the dough is spread flat and isn't thicker in some areas
• In a large bowl, toss together filling ingredients
• Spread filling across crust evenly
• Using the same bowl, combine topping ingredients. This is best done by hand as well. You should end up with pea-sized crumbles
• Sprinkle topping over the filling in pan
• Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes or until the crust at the bottom of the dish is visibly starting to brown. It should be a deep gold color by the time it is removed from the oven
• Cool in the fridge for a few hours and then drizzle with icing (optional)
• Separate into squares using a sturdy spatula. A knife pulls on apples and causes the bars to disassemble

If you make these be sure to let me know what you think or tag me on IG! It warms my heart to see these plant based recipes shared!

Also, I think I’m going to start making the effort to get pictures of the process and write step-by-steps with images along with the recipe style used above. Let me know if this is something you’d find helpful or if you don’t think it matters 🙂

If you need more vegan dessert ideas for the holidays be sure to check out this post for the best vegan chocolate chip cookies or find me on Pinterest for tonnnnns of recipe ideas!

Let me just start with: This is not a sponsored post… I’m bragging on my fave cruelty-free bath and body things because it took an exceptionally long time to find those perfect repeat-purchase items. Hopefully this takes some of that elbow grease out for you and you can keep that money you’d have spent trial-ing “the best” products (that are never as good as they claim).

I had some major skin issues a while back (I talked about this in my gut health series) and wasted so much money in the process of finding a healthy, healing, vegan AND cruelty-free solution. I shopped the top shelf, tried all the DIYs, and surfed through shelves of every natural/health store.

A couple products ticked all the boxes and were consistently healing without losing that effect over time. These include:

Psorzema by Derma E. I started with this one. I had terrible eczema and was cycling through dozens of products and treatments when I found it. (My skin was so terrible that I misdiagnosed with scabies one time! No joke!) The first time I used it I felt immediate relief and was stoked that for the first time in my treatment there was no weird smell, residue, or texture to the lotion. I kept using it and my skin only healed more and more with each use. It kept me from scratching my arms to blisters, and not only that but I didn’t have any visible sign of eczema or scratching at all. Although I’ve healed the root cause of my skin issues at his point, I still have a tub of this cream and use it EVERY day just to keep my skin hydrated and keep the eczema in check. The cold PNW climate does a number on my hands but one use of this and any sign of dry skin is gone. It has more power than any prescription cream I’ve been given over the years except it’s vegan and made of natural and safe ingredients. I swear by this lotion and I can’t stress that enough! Find it at Natural Grocers and Whole Foods.

The Seaweed Bath Co. also makes a really great body cream, although I haven’t used it as long and can’t say as much about it. I have used other products from this brand for about a year now and everything I’ve used has been amazing. The credibility of this brand is actually what led us to grabbing a tube of their lotion at a recent Natural Grocers visit. My hands were insanely dry and wrinkly and I didn’t have any of the previously mentioned lotion on hand so I used a little of this and it kept my hands smooth for hours! Also perfectly unscented and not too heavy or oily. Try this one, I promise it won’t disappoint. I find these items at Natural Grocers and Thrive Market.

If you’ve been vegan for any time at all I assume you’ve found your ride-or-die cruelty-free shampoo/conditioner brands. I thought my go-to was Nature’s Gate, and that’s still a very close runner up, but about six months ago I switched to Seed Phytonutrients and, assuming I follow a normal hair care routine, it’s been a miracle worker. My only complaint about this one would be the lack of lather. I always feel like I need to use extra because I can’t feel that it’s really getting in there- but it is. The entire anti-frizz collection is a true keeper! You can find Seed Phytonutrients at Ulta and Thrive Market, and Nature’s Gate can be found at Natural Grocers.

Let’s see, what else do you want to know about what I put on my body… :’D

Toothpaste! I acted like I had to think about what I wanted to share, knowing all the while I’m just writing this post for this toothpaste feature. Haha! My ALL TIME FAVORITE toothpaste brand of all toothpaste brands, flouride, flouride-free, vegan, cruelty-free, etc. is Dr. Brite. They have grown-up tubes of toothpaste with kids flavors (Coco Chai is a flavor now? What?!), but that’s not why I love them. I’m the type to really appreciate a good foam at the mouth when I’m brushing, and this does that for me. So much foam and bubbles and freshness… Your teeth will feel extra clean for hours following. There’s no harsh artificial chemical-y too-strong-mint flavor with any of them. All the flavors taste so natural and leave your breath fresh and mouth clean. At risk of sounding completely crazy here, I would like to point out that I have actually healed my teeth with a whole foods plant based diet and natural toothpaste. I did this by accident and when I realized it I did my research and found out this is indeed a thing! Try it!

I recently also started using the Dr. Brite whitening pen for coffee and tea drinkers and was skeptical about it because the ingredient list looks like a bunch of herbs and natural components that I’ve never heard of using for whitening, but it’s better than any whitener I’ve tried. Now if only I can remember to use it consistently enough that it has ample opportunity to do it’s thang… I Get Dr. Brite products at Natural Grocers and Thrive Market.

My favorite cruelty-free shower gel/body wash/soap actually consists of three products and brands I alternate between, but I’ll start with my most used and work my way down to one I just recently fell in love with.

1. Nature’s Gate body wash
2. Mountain Madness Soap Company Fresh Herbs scent (This is a local company, but ordering from their website is super easy)
3. Whatever that new holiday soap at Natural Grocers is… As soon as I find it I’ll link back to it. If you know what the brand is, please do tell! I just finished a bar of the pine scent and it smells like Christmas. They also have a peppermint scent, almond scent, and bath bombs.

I think the only thing we have left to cover is deo! I used a locally made, natural, vegan, cruelty-free, zero-waste deodorant for about one and a half years before it started causing some serious rashes in the underarm area. They got so bad I’d have the hardest time falling asleep just because my pits were so itchy and inflamed! Not sure why this happened so out of the blue, but I kept using because until then this deodorant had been the best I’ve ever used, and I thought it was a fluke!

Anyway, about 6 months ago I switched to Herban Cowboy (in the Blossom scent) and I still love this one, Griffin uses the man version of this which is also great. Then I found out one of my favorite house cleaning brands Love Home and Planet has a vegan body care line, Love Beauty and Planet. I started using their Lavender deodorant and haven’t regretted it a bit. It smells amazing all day and works like magic. You can find this one at Target!

That about sums it up! I tried to link all the products mentioned in their spot on the post but basically you can find these things at Natural Grocers, Thrive Market (online), Amazon, or Target. Feel free to reach out if you want to know the best place to find something!

Of all the dozens of plants we are gardening this year, these tomatoes from Floret are my faaaaavorite. They’re so rich and flavorful and unique, but on top of all that they’re so easy to grow and they fruit like crazy!

I started them all inside really early….. like, March early… Which is insane for the PNW unless you have a greenhouse. Oops, guess I was a little over zealous 😉 They got really big in the house and when it was time for them to go outside Griffin lined their pots along the edges of the patio. I was really apprehensive about a tomato-lined patio at first, but today as I lay in the hammock and pluck decadent treats from beside me, I’m fully appreciating his idea!

Helius really appreciates lounging around the plants, too 🙂

I made the cherry tomato sauce using a blender. If you want to smash it with a fork or leave the tomatoes whole or whatever else is convenient for you, please do that! I will point out that you’ll need a blender or food processor for the creamier version, which I HIGHLY recommend trying. It’s like a sweet vodka sauce… Very unique, super delish! Just trust me on this one!

Print Recipe

Gluten Free Chocolate Cherry Tomato Cavatappi

Homemade, garden-fresh tomato sauce in an original + creamy version served over my favorite gluten-free pasta!

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Servings: 2 people

Ingredients

• 1 box Banza chickpea cavatappi gluten-free spaghetti would do fine but trust me when I say you'll want that sauce pooled up in the pasta spirals!
• 2 tbsp (good) olive oil
• 4-5 small tomatoes
• 2 cups chocolate cherry tomatoes any cherry tomatoes from your garden will do the trick, the more robust the flavor, the better!
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar I used apricot balsamic vinegar, which if you can get your hands on, will take this to the next level I swear it!
• 1/2 medium diced onion
• 1 clove minced garlic
• handful of fresh basil
• 2 tsp smoked sea salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

(For creamy version)

• 2 cups soaked cashews
• 2 tbsp plant milk
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast

Instructions

• Heat olive oil in large cast iron skillet over medium heat
• Add tomatoes and without stirring let them simmer for 5 minutes
• Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and cook pasta in it
• Drizzle tomatoes with balsamic vinegar and gently stir to combine
• Toss in onion, garlic, salt, and pepper and give another gentle stir
• Let simmer for 5 minutes
• Add sauce mixture to blender and pulse until tomato skins become unnoticeable
• To make the creamy sauce, add extra ingredients to the blender and blend until smooth
• Pour sauce of choice over cavatappi and serve warm

Before we get started here I just want to say thanks so much to Coconut Bliss for sponsoring this post! I basically indulged in some Coconut Bliss between every meal in Hawaii, because… vacation, right?!

Now to get to business… Let’s talk food!

I traveled to Hawaii with my non-vegan family and dining together in strange places took a little patience and planning, so here’s what I ate! :

1. I stopped at Hawaiian Moons Natural Foods and picked up all the Coconut Bliss I could get my hands on! Ice cream bars for the beach, ice cream cookie sandwiches for road tripping, and pints for filling the condo’s freezer. This one was a real crowd-pleaser the whole family could got their hands on!
2. Maui itself is vegan-friendly enough to offer a few plant-based restaurant options. At one of these joints we had a raw veggie burrito and breakfast burrito.
3. I took advantage of farmers markets, fruit stands, and other outdoor food markets which I guess would be considered food stands but also strike me as a mix of a farmers market and fruit stand… Ya know? If you’ve been to Maui you’ll know what I’m talking about! I got a “fruit canoe” at one of these places. It was where I had my first whole Hawaiian avocado and it was heavenly!
4. Dining with the family at restaurants offering little to no vegan options, I created something suitable with menu items like salads, fries, etc. and it was in one of these settings that I had orange vinaigrette, which was basically life changing. 😛
5. Sushi!! In an area packed with seafood restaurants, don’t forget sushi can be made vegan and can be a really healthy option!

(To skip my rambling scroll down to bulleted points!)

Our dogs, Marble and Bo, are our best friends. Maybe this is a story for another day, but Bo was Griffin’s chocolate son before I came along. His life pre-step mom was mainly hunting/hunting dog in training, and being a good boy in the back yard where he lived. He shared his kennel with his brother from another mother, BJ. BJ was an old man when I met him and yet he lived another happy 6 or so years with us and got to roam freely on our 160 Kansas acres before he died. I came along and didn’t love that he was outside full-time but also didn’t care to make an issue of it.

At about 17 years old I set my sights on a puppy. I was working at a grocery store after school and a coworker’s mom was a boxer breeder and was desperately trying to rehome a litter of “oopsy” puppies that her purebred boxer birthed with a purebred lab. (My thoughts on “purebred” dogs, breeds, and breeders also a story for another day…) Griffin, like any smart human would do, originally said getting another dog when we had two in the back yard wasn’t a great idea.  I, like any 17 year old girl would do, protested. Griffin agreed we could get a dog but he wanted a particular breed and he wanted to get it for me after doing his own research. I didn’t listen, and shortly after I brought our brindle baby Marble home from the boxer breeder.

Marble lived inside with us and was spoiled as could be while Bo and BJ lived outside in a kennel. I took Marble outside to potty multiple times a day and never stopped to think how Bo and BJ felt about seeing her roaming the yard freely and going back inside. I just assumed since they’d always lived outside that they wouldn’t do well indoors and it would be a huge disaster to bring them in. What the heck?! Stupid teenagers.

Then we moved to a home where none of the dogs could be inside. All of them lived outside and since we were on 160 acres they got to roam freely for the most part, but they slept in a larger kennel at night and came in the garage if the weather ever got downright nasty (which happens in KS!). When we moved to Spokane we were short one dog (BJ) but still had to find a rental that allowed our two big dogs and our cat. We found a place that took us on and the dogs lived inside together for the first time. It went as smoothly as having two dogs inside could possibly go. Bo is an extremely well mannered, well behaved gentleman. I felt like a real jerk for having left Bo outside those few years ago.

My point is Bo could have shown me that he was the perfect indoor dog, but I never considered giving him the chance. How frustrating that period must have been for him! There’s a million other ways we slack as dog parents and even more so in the past, but as we learn, we improve our behavior. I’m here to try to help you learn, document, and learn from you as well.

Ways we don’t realize we’re driving our dogs crazy

• Domestication of animals is not a mutual decision, and we need to take that into consideration as “owners” of animals. When humans domesticated dogs, we took so much from them. It’s so important to keep in mind that they are still dogs and they are way closer to wild beasts than we give them credit for. I keep this in mind when my dog rolls in something stinky, makes a mess, chases another animal, etc. It’s impossible to be frustrated at these situations when you understand we’re forcing them into a lifestyle that’s extremely inconvenient and restricting to them.
• Along with the domestication topic, when we domesticated dogs we essentially made them extremely vulnerable. Because we think it’s cool to own these cuties, there’s millions of displaced and/or abused dogs in the world that don’t have the skills and resources to survive on their own as a wild canine would. I’ll say it clearer: because we think it’s cool to have dogs, dogs are suffering.
• The standard dog owner is not nearly educated enough on the nature of canines to show them what they consider respect. (Really if any of us were as respectful as we should be we wouldn’t “own” a dog.) We think we respect them when we tell them they’re good, give them treats, or give them space to run… But some things we do that they can find extremely distressing and disrespectful include making direct eye contact, touching their shoulder area, handling their paws, shaking a finger or a hand at them, physically moving/manipulating them to meet our agenda, and so much more. And quite simply, if you’re not respecting them you’re not going to get respect out of them.
• Speaking nonsense to them can cause them distress and confusion. Our dogs love to understand what we’re saying. Since reading how dogs listen to everything we say and get frustrated when they can’t understand us, I’ve noticed Marble behaving differently when I’m talking jibberish to her (by jibberish I mean using big sentences and words she doesn’t understand AND baby talking her). She acts on what I’m saying, trying to please me as if I’m asking something of her and she can’t figure out what it is. If she’s not able to get me to stop talking she will stare at me with her ears up and sad eyes as if she’s straining to spot a word that resonates with her. However, when I say things to her she understands like “Need a drink?” “Breakfast” “Dads home”, etc. she has the opportunity to listen + understand, respond however she pleases, and carry on with her day.
• Disciplining dogs for the wrong reasons is huge. Often times, we are simply too impatient to properly redirect and train a dog on disagreeable behavior. Barking at noises, begging, crying/whining when they want something, or doing things that are normally ok but doing those at a time that is wrong for us are all instances where we may be too quick to discipline. Being inconsistent in disciplining is also unfair to dogs. It is difficult to not discipline in anger when our dogs do something we thought they knew better than to do, but acting out of anger won’t redirect them to better behavior in the future and it pins them against us and makes them uncomfortable in their own home.

There are dozens of other ways in which we can be difficult for dogs to deal with, but hopefully these few listed above will open the door to recognizing what behavior is beneficial to them and set us all on a path to cohabiting smoothly.

If you’ve been around for a minute you probably read about my journey to heal my gut which in turn healed a plethora of health issues. Since educating myself on how to keep my gut healthy and bacteria in check, I’ve known exactly how to keep myself feeling well and clear-minded. It’s a surprisingly powerful feeling! I decided to round up a few things I’m eating/drinking this summer to satisfy cravings and be kind on my body, and I hope you find it so helpful!

(Thanks so much to my fave item on this list, Brew Dr. Kombucha, for sponsoring this post!)

Clear Mind Kombucha from Brew Dr.: This ‘booch is made with sage, peppermint, dandelion root, and rosemary and is delicious as can be. One of the first things I noticed with my candida cleanse months ago was the mental clarity I felt, and now even without being on a complete cleanse I can get that happy clear-minded feeling with the ingredients in my favorite kombucha!

Blueberries: In-season, fresh (preferably hand-picked!) and organic blueberries are my current favorite snack. This summer as I’ve been running all around and get the urge to snack mindlessly I reach for a handful of these yummy berries. The sugar in fruit is not something to be afraid of in any other dietary regard, but if candida overgrowth is a potential issue for you, limiting sugar in ALL forms (naturally occurring and processed) is the quickest road to a healthy gut.

Chia pudding: Soak chia seeds in coconut milk for a couple minutes. Sweeten with stevia or agave, add cinnamon, berries, whatever you please! It’s as filling as it is delicious and easy to prep in advance to grab and go!

Avocados/gluten-free avo toast: We’re already avocado everything, right? How about just grabbing them, slicing, and eating with a spoon? I like to eat them topped with a little nutritional yeast and garlic powder. If you’re not into eating them alone you could make some gluten-free avo toast, just make sure those bread ingredients are clean and simple!

Pickled veggies: As always, homemade is preferred but any kind of clean-ingredient pickled veggies you can get are an amazing summer snack. I love pickled radish, cauliflower, snap peas, and mini cucumbers. Pickled veggies are an easy fix this summer too because stores are recognizing our love of pickles and keeping the trend going strong with easy to grab single-serving pouches! That cold crunchy goodness is a perfect way to keep your stomach healthy and snack lightly.

Kale chips: I remember a time when I was in high school that this snack was becoming increasingly popular and decreasingly appetizing… Everyone was making crispy baked kale which sounded like a fantastic idea but the taste didn’t live up to the hype. TODAY though… wait for it… kale chips are delicious. There are some amazing recipes out there and health food stores sell bags of them in scrumptious and gut healthy flavors. Bake some at home in coconut oil and garlic powder and enjoy them warm!

Things to avoid: alcohol, excessive sugar, grains, yeast-y breads, highly processed foods, non-organic foods. These items feed the bad bacteria in the gut leading to candida overgrowth and simply don’t allow the stomach the environment it needs to heal.

Ways to incorporate good bacteria and promote quick healing: coconut milk, vegan yogurt, organic kombucha, herbal tea, warm water with lemon and ACV, turmeric, garlic, vegan probiotic capsules, and plant-based collagen supplements.

Thank you to Belvoir Fruit Farms for sponsoring this recipe!