Easy-As-Apple & Plum-Pie

Its apple season and I have an apple tree in my yard!

I made this the other day while we had family visiting... we ate it warm with vanilla soy ice cream. 

Easy-As-Apple & Plum- Pie


1 cup shortening
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
4 tbsp cold water

Using a pastry cutter blend up the flour and salt into the shortening until it is crumbly and resembles a sand like mixture. Add water and carefully form a ball using a fork. Don't over mix!
Cut the ball of dough in half and lightly flour your surface for rolling.
Roll out dough until fits pie plate (not too thin- not too thick)

5 apples peeled and sliced
8 plums- cored and sliced
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cardamom
2 tbsp flour

Mix up filling in a bowl and scoop into pie plate. Roll out the other dough half and place on top.
Poke 2 or 3 holes in the top and bake at 400 for 40 minutes or until golden.

Roasted butternut squash and apple soup

 

This is a quick soup I made this afternoon, I used sage as the herb which gives it a holiday stuffing kinda flavor.

1 medium butternut squash- cut half, seeds removed

1 tbsp earth balance butter

1 tbsp earth balance butter

1 small onion- small diced

1 tsp ground sage

2 apples-peeled and grated

6 cups water

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp maple syrup

sea salt

freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400.

Rub the butter on the squash flesh side.

Place on a pan, flesh side down

Roast until soft and golden ( about 45 minutes)

In a large pot heat butter, add onions. Saute until soft

Add sage, stir until absorbed.

Add water.

Scoop out flesh of roasted squash add to water with grated apple.

Bring to a boil and allow to simmer until apple is soft.

Blend in a blender in batches.

Pour into a pot. 

Season with vinegar, syrup, salt and pepper

Carrot & Apple muffins....and a winner!

After we came home from the beach, we decided to make some muffins. These are moist and fluffy and perfect for snack time! The winner of the CSN gift card is #84 Dia Corona congratulations! Please email me your info.Thanks everyone for entering the contest :)

1 cup brown sugar
2 1/4 cup flour
2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp sea salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 pinch of nutmeg

1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup apple sauce
2 cups grated carrot
3 egg replacement
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup soy milk
1 apple peeled and grated

preheat oven to 375 and grease the muffin tin
mix wet into dry and stir until well combined.
Spoon into tins until 3/4 full.
Bake for 25 minutes or until done.

Apple crumble caramel tart

Gravenstein apples are in season here in Nova Scotia, I wikied the gavenstein apple and found out that those apples were grown here by a man by the name of Charles Ramage Prescott, a horticulturist that found his way to the Annapolis Valley were he set up shop and grew a wide variety of apples. The Gravenstein apple is one of the favorites among Nova Scoatians. Who knew?

Anyhow I knew we were coming into apple season here, and for some reason I couldn't stop thinking about apples and caramel! This is what I came up with for a dessert for dinner tonight.  We don't usually have dessert, unless its a special occasion or I feel like making something sweet, so this it.

I looked for graham cracker crumbs in the store but they had honey in them. I resorted to the ghetto oatmeal cookies, I am positively sure they are not healthy for you, but if you are eating dessert...do you really care?
I know I don't :P

Crust

2 cups oatmeal cookie crumbs
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 tbsp earth balance

In a bowl combine everything until moist. Press into a fluted tart pan.
Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.

Filling 

4 gravenstien apples- peeled, cored and sliced
2 tbsp organic sugar
1 tbsp flour

combine apples in a bowl with sugar and flour.
Mix up until coated


Crumble

1 cup oats
1/4 cup organic sugar
1/4 cup flour
pinch of nutmeg
6 tbsp earth balance

In a small bowl mix together until resembles course crumbs

Caramel Sauce

1 cup organic sugar
3 tbsp earth balance
1/4 cup almond milk
1/4 tsp sea salt

Be very careful cooking sugar. Its HOT!!!
In a small sauce pan heat sugar and butter, until dissolved and creamy.
Stirring consistently. Remove from heat. Add milk.
Stir it up. 

Assembly:

Arrange the apple slices nicely in the pre baked tart crust.
Pour crumble on top. Press down firmly.
Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until apples are soft and crumb topping has golden.
Swirl caramel over top!