A keto and allergy-friendly alternative to apples
Before I went on my keto journey, I used to eat apples on a regular basis. I loved them as is, fried or baked. I loved apple pie so much that I once requested an apple pie instead of an actual cake for my birthday. I also loved to eat natural applesauce. I used it as a sugar alternative and added it into pancakes and other baked goods because it was lower in sugar than traditional sugar.
One of my favorite family traditions was our annual trip to the mountains to go apple picking. We would go early in the day, pick apples and end our trip eating delicious apple cider doughnuts, drinking apple cider and purchasing the orchard’s famous apple butter. We looked forward to that every year! However, when I got diagnosed and decided to do a keto plan, I had to give up apples. That meant no more apple pies, apple cider doughnuts, apple fritters, apple cider or fried apples. Eliminating apples from my diet was very difficult for me. In fact, I had constant cravings for fried apples, but at the time I couldn’t find anything that could fulfill my cravings.
However, one day, while looking for new keto recipes to try, I stumbled on an interesting recipe for a keto-apple alternative with an unusual key ingredient….
Zucchini!
Yep, you’ve read it correctly. Did you know that zucchini squash is one of a few veggies that can be made into the perfect apple substitute? A cup of zucchini only has 3.5 grams of carbohydrates, while a cup of apples have 15 grams of carbohydrates. In addition, zucchini provides a good source of riboflavin, manganese and vitamins B6 and C.
One of my favorite ways to eat zucchini is to make mock fried apples by cooking them with apple pie spices. This beautiful creation is what I call zapples! Zapples are amazing for breakfast or as a keto-friendly dessert. If you have an allergy to apples, then this would be a perfect allergy-friendly alternative. Check out the recipe below, give it a try and let me know how your creation turned out in the comments. Happy cooking!
Until Next Time,
The Genetic Diabetic
