All Entries Tagged With: "Apple"
Butternut Squash Apple Soup
This Butternut Squash Apple Soup is another great recipe in using winter produce. Cold weather calls for a hot bowl of soup. This creamy soup is flavourful and heart warming.
This soup can be prepared in 40 minutes or less. The trick to a great butternut squash soup is the simple addition of one tart green apple to balance the sweetness of the squash.
One of the better way to prepare the butternut squash is to roast it. Simply cut the squash half lengthwise, lightly brush with vegetable oil and place cut side down on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes in a 350F preheated oven until it is softened. Roasting brings out the sweetness of the squash as the sugar content is caramelized.
Butternut squash is a good source of fiber, vitamin C and A, magnesium, manganese and potassium. This recipe serves 4 to 6.
Toffee Apple Cake
Chris shared this Toffee Apple Cake recipe with the South Arm Cooking Club for Seniors as dessert. According to Chris, this cake is tops. The best part is we can make most out the local apples in the fall.
This Toffee Apple Cake is very moist and almost custard like. The toffee bits topping add some crunch to it. This is certainly not a dietary kind of dessert. Well, it’s ok to let ourselves indulge for a treat once in a while.
Chris and Paul worked on this dessert. This recipe serves 24.
Brown Basmati Apple Walnut Salad
If I remembered correctly, June shared this recipe of Brown Basmati Apple Walnut Salad. Brown Basmati Rice is gaining popularity for it’s higher nutritional values. It also tastes nuttier than regular white rice. A friend told me that after a few months of changing from white rice to brown rice, she is actually losing weight. I may try to include some brown rice in my regular rice and my family will slowly accept it. I’m sure Ben is going to make a fuss of it as he hates grainy stuff like whole wheat or whole grain bread.
This Brown Basmati Apple Walnut Salad can be kept in the refrigerator for a couple of days, which makes it the perfect make-ahead dish for company. You may add the apples and toasted walnuts just before serving. In fact, this salad tastes better the next day.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup toasted walnuts
- 4 cups cooked brown basmati rice
- 1/2 cup dried cherries, raisins or cranberries
- 1 apple, sliced
- 2 stalks celery, sliced
- 5 to 6 celery leaves, chopped
- 4 sprigs parsley, chopped
Dressing:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- zest of 1 orange
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
You may toast the walnuts in the microwave. Microwave them on high at 45-seconds intervals, smelling for doneness. It takes between 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.
June and Frances make this healthy and nutty salad.
Applesauce for Home Canning
Due to the great response to the home canning workshops organised by the Richmond Food Security Society, Arzeena and Karen decided to hold three more workshops on home canning. This time, it’s home canning apple sauce as it’s the season for apple harvest.
The apples we used were donated by various sources which include groceries stores and people’s backyard who has planted apple trees. You dont have to use perfect apples, just trim off the bruises.
Ingredients
- 12 to 14 pounds apples, roughly chopped; peeled and cored if desired
- 3 cups sugar (optional)
- 4 tablespoons lemon juice or 2 teaspoons citric acid, dissolved in 2 tablespoons hot water
- ground spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cardamon and allspice for flavoring (optional)
- 8 x 500 ml jars
Applesauce is a great snack especially for kids and babies. It is also a good substitute for fat in baked goods. Substitute half of the fat in baked goods for a reduced fat diet. It is not advisable to substitute all the fat in baked goods as the result will be denser and chewier and not as tender as those baked with fat. To use the applesauce to substitute for fat, the applesauce must be of a thicker consistency.
Applesauce can also be used as a savory glaze on poultry. Season the applesauce with thyme or rosemary and salt. Glaze on roast chicken about half way through the roasting time.
A thicken applesauce can also be used as a filling for cake like swiss roll or used as a spread for your toast.
Brown Sugar Baked Apples
For dessert, Frank and Christina made this Brown Sugar Baked Apples for the South Arm Cooking Club for seniors. This recipe is adapted from Bon Appetit and it serves 8. We used Gala apple for this recipe.
For this recipe, we’ll need apples which are suitable for baking. It must be able to hold it’s shape and will not turn mushy and becomes a sauce. Some of the apples that are good for baking are Jonagold, Fuji, and Pink Lady which names that I’m familiar with. McIntosh and Cortland are examples of apples which will turn mushy when cooked.
This Brown Sugar Baked Apples is sweet and cinnamony. Cinnamon gives any dessert a very inviting aroma. Someone once told me that if you have a open house to sell your home, simply boiled a couple cinnamon sticks in some water and this creates a natural refresher in your home.
Ingredients
- 8 baking apples
- 1/2 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 4 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons butter
Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 cup water
- chilled whipping cream (optional)
Apple Banana Muffin
Stella made this Apple Banana Muffin for last year’s Caring Place Potluck. She demonstrated this recipe in the Caring Place Community Kitchen upon Minoo’s request.
The Apple Banana Muffin is moist and the walnuts give it the crunch. This muffin is good for after school snack or breakfast. It can also be made into a loaf.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/3 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup oil or melted margarine
- 1 cup brown sugar (less if bananas are very ripe)
- 2 to 3 bananas
- 1 large apple
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted
Click on the link below for the instructions.
Roasted Chicken with Apple Stuffing
Karen demonstrated to the Gilmore Park Church community kitchen a Roasted Chicken with Apple Stuffing which she will be preparing for the community meal the next day. The original recipe has bacon in it but Karen tries not to include pork in the meal as to respect the dietary restriction of some of the people who come for the community meal.
The stuffing is cooked separately and used as the base for holding the chicken instead of stuff inside the bird. This way of cooking the stuffing is more safe as we do not have to worry about the stuffing not cook through.
What I like about this recipe is that it uses chicken pieces instead of the whole bird.
Ingredients
- 4 pieces of chicken legs or thighs
- 6 cups cubed French bread
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 red apple, diced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 large celery stalk, diced
- 2 tablespoons, chopped fresh sage or a sprig of fresh sage
- 1 cup unsweetened apple juice
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
A few tips on preventing the apple from browning after cutting.
- Use Honey Crisp apple.
- Sprinkle the cut apple with canned pineapple juice.
- Soak in lightly salted water.
Click on the link below for the instructions.
