Gluten Free Apple Bake - Vegan

(Thank you, Marilyn, for the inspiration and creativity of this dish!)

Ingredients

About 3 lb cooking apples (ie. Spy, Ida Red, Cortland) - sliced, unpeeled
1 cup water
1/4 c sugar or dry sweetener (sucanat or other natural sugar)
Cinnamon (for liberal seasoning)
1 and 1/2 cup raisins
2 T lemon zest
salt
*walnuts or pecans optional

Topping

3/4 cup ground flax seed
2 cups oatmeal, ground into flour (to be gluten free, use GF oats)
1/2 cup unrefined, virgin coconut oil
2/3 cup walnut meal or desired chopped nuts
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/8 tsp salt

In a 9"x 13" glass baking pan, place enough sliced apples in bottom of pan to fill pan half full.  Add water.  Sprinkle with the raisins, sugar and add nuts if desired.  Sprinkle liberally with cinnamon, 2 T lemon zest and lightly salt the whole layer (less than a pinch of salt).  Fill the pan and slightly heap with more apple slices.  Sprinkle liberally with cinnamon, add nuts if desired and another light sprinkle of salt.

To make topping, place all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.  Crumble the topping over apples.  Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes.  Watch the topping half way through baking time to be sure that it is not over cooking.  A piece of foil can be laid over the top to prevent burning if necessary.  Apples will puff up and be fork tender when fully baked.