By: EatingWell

Servings: 8

Yield: 8 servings

Total Time: 1 1/2 hours

Prep Time: 1 hour

To Make Ahead: The squares are best served the day they are made.

Recipe Description:

These squares are dressed up with a sweet and tangy apple cider sauce and a dollop of low-fat ice cream; they also make a satisfying simple dessert or snack on their own. (Adapted from The Complete Vegetarian Handbook by Kathy Farrell-Kingsley; Chronicle Books, 2003.)

Recipe Ingredients:

1. 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
2. 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
3. 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
4. 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
5. 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
6. 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
7. 1/2 teaspoon salt
8. 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
9. 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
10. 3 tablespoons canola oil
11. 1/4 cup apple-juice concentrate, thawed
12. 3 medium tart apples, such as Granny Smith, peeled and thinly sliced
13. 1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted
14. Apple Cider Sauce (recipe follows)
15. 2 cups low-fat vanilla ice cream or nonfat frozen yogurt

Recipe Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch square or 7-by-11-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
2. Whisk oats, whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, lemon zest, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl. Work in the oil and apple-juice concentrate with a fork or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
3. Press 2 cups of the oat mixture firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Arrange apple slices over the crust in three overlapping rows. Mix the walnuts into the remaining oat mixture. Sprinkle over the apples and pat into an even layer.
4. Bake until the top is golden and the apples are tender when pierced, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.
5. Meanwhile, make Apple Cider Sauce.
6. To serve, cut into 8 pieces and place on dessert plates. Top with ice cream (or frozen yogurt) and drizzle with cider sauce.

Recipe Nutrition:

Per serving: 403 calories; 11 g fat (2 g saturated fat, 4 g mono unsaturated fat); 6 mg cholesterol; 75 g carbohydrates; 7 g protein; 6 g fiber; 206 mg sodium; 221 mg potassium

4 Carbohydrate Servings

Exchanges: 2 1/2 starch, 1 fruit, 2 fat