A Sweet That Goes Crunch

A crunchy oat topping adds fiber, texture and flavor to this baked apple dish. Butter is kept to a minimum by adding canola oil to the streusel-like topping.

The apples are cut into wedges rather than thin slices so they won’t cook down to a mush while baking. A touch of lemon juice is stirred into the apples to keep them from turning brown.

No additional sugar is needed in the apples because there’s enough sweetness in the topping.

Serve the dish warm with a little nonfat milk or a small scoop of nonfat frozen yogurt for a real low-fat treat.

BAKED APPLE-OAT CRUNCH

3/4 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 tablespoons butter, cut up

4 peeled and cored fuji apples, each cut into 12 wedges

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Nonstick cooking spray

Combine oats, flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in bowl. Stir in oil. Cut in butter.

Toss together apples and lemon juice, then spoon into 1 1/2-quart baking dish sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle crumb mixture over top.

Bake at 350 degrees until apples are tender, 55 to 65 minutes.

8 servings. Each serving.

199 calories; 108 mg sodium; 8 mg cholesterol; 7 grams fat; 33 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.45 gram fiber.