Easy Crockpot Applesauce

It's APPLE season y'all!!!

There are tons of apple orchards located around our community, but can you believe that I've never been apple picking?? I don't have any memories of going as a kid and every year I say I'm going to go, but have yet to get there. I think it's because it's too darn easy to drive 10 minutes down the road to an orchard that's picked them for us. They have a shed and you just go in and help yourself to the apples that they've picked and sorted.

We drove by our 'apple supplier' a couple of weeks ago, but neither Derek or I had any cash on us, so I finally made a point of stopping this past weekend  For $6.50 I got a mix of Ginger Crisp and Honey Crisp apples. They are both soooo good! I love to eat the Honey Crisp fresh and the Ginger Crisp are perfect for baking. They are sweet, yet tart, which is how I like my apple baked goods.

When we were kids, my grandma would often make us homemade applesauce. She had apple trees in her backyard and never let any go to waste....that meant lots of applesauce for the grandkids!!

She always made hers on the stove, but I decided to try my hand at a crockpot recipe and it turned out fabulously!!

It's sweetened oh so slightly with brown sugar, but still has a nice tart apple flavour. I added a wee bit of lemon juice to keep the apples from going brown, but it didn't really work. The colour of the applesauce is quite dark, but I think the darkercolour comes from the teaspoon of cinnamon that I added.

Easy Crockpot Applesauce
Makes 2 1/2 cups

6 c chopped apples*
1 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 c water

*I did not peel my apples (my grandma never did), but you can peel them if you would like*

Sprinkle the lemon juice over the chopped apples and stir to coat.

Spray your crockpot and place the apples in it. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon and water and stir well to combine. I used my mini  hot dip crockpot, but if you have more than 2 in your family, you might want to double or triple this recipe and use a regular-sized crockpot.
Cook on high for 4 hours, stirring occasionally or on low for 6 to 7 hours.

Store in an air tight container in the refrigerator.

An apple slicer is really nice to have when you need to chop a bunch of apples up!

The aroma of apples & cinnamon is drifting through the entire house by the time

the applesauce starts looking like this! 

I love eating applesauce once it's been chilled. This would be really delicious stirred into oatmeal or served over ice cream as well.

What's your favourite type of apple?

Enjoy the day and I'll see you tomorrow with a new What I Ate Wednesday post,

Andrea

xoxo

Favourite Fall Recipe Round Up

Happy FRIDAY!!!

I know that the internet has been exploding with all things related to Fall and I've caught the bug just like everyone else. Comfort foods, fall decor, changing leaves, cool nights.....I just love it all.

Because everyone seems to have "Fall"-fever, I thought it would be fun to kick off the weekend with some of my favourite Fall recipes.

Gluten Free Banana Pancakes with Fried Apples

~ because it's the perfect time of year to pick apples & every day's a good day for pancakes ~

Zucchini Bread Slow Cooked Steel Cut Oatmeal

~ because oatmeal is the epitome of comfort food for breakfast and zucchinis have been

plentiful around these parts this summer ~

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

~ mmmm, I love Shepherd's Pie in the cooler months & this is a

great vegetarian version of a traditional favourite ~

Roasted Sweet Potato & Kale Soup

~ creamy, rich and packed full of healthy Fall veggies ~

Vegetable Stew with Whole Wheat Biscuits

~ STEW = COMFORT FOOD .... this is one of my very first recipes ~

Butternut Squash Fries

~ this is sure to become your favourite Fall side ~  

Winter Vegetable Casserole

~ packed full of Fall veggies! It will warm you from head to toe ~  

Stuffed & Baked Apples

~ a heavenly Fall combination of apples and granola ~

Okay, now I'm drooling :-) Apparently comfort food is my 'thang' because there were a lot of Fall recipes that I could have posted here, but these are some of my tried & true favourites! I've also created a Healthy Fall Recipes board and Fall Decor board on Pinterest, so feel free to check those out and follow me there for many more Fall ideas that are brewing around in this head of mine.

Do you have a favourite Fall meal? If you have a recipe, leave me the link so I can check it out and 'Pin It' to share with others.

Have a wonderful Friday and enjoy your weekend!

Andrea

xoxo

Stuffed & Baked Apples

When I was a teenager, my dad used to force me to help him stuff the turkey every Thanksgiving and Christmas. It was the one job that I DETESTED and I let him know it. I whined and complained and pulled every dramatic that a teenage girl could dream up, but he never wavered and always made me help. I think he just loved stirring up trouble beause he knew I hated that job.  

Since becoming a vegetarian, I try to steer clear of the bird and let the meat eaters tackle that job.

When it comes to stuffing food, I'd much rather stuff some sweet and juicy apples with a crumbly oatmeal mixture!! Since we got home from vacation, I can't get enough sweets. I've made chocolate macaroons and caramel popcorn, chowed down on a crustless pumpkin pie and even snuck a few bites of frozen Cool Whip right out of the freezer!! I'm telling you that getting  back into an eating routine is really hard after a week of Vegas indulgence followed by my birthday.

Yesterday, I prowled around the kitchen all day looking for something to satisfy my sweet tooth. I couldn't find anything, so I decided I needed to take matters into my own hands. I had a bag of apples that needed to be used up, so what better treat could I make than some baked apples stuffed with oatmeal, cocount and brown sugar?! 

The result was what I would call an inside out apple crumble that warms you from the inside out. It only takes a few minutes to put together and is absolutely delish! I topped my stuffed apple with some Cool Whip because that's all I had on hand, but they would be absolutely divine with some coconut or vanilla bean ice cream. 

Stuffed & Baked Apples

Serves 3 or 4

3 - 4 large apples, washed & cored

1/2 c large rolled oats

1/4 c unsweetened shredded coconut

1/4 c chopped pecans

1/4 c brown sugar

1 tsp lemon juice

2 tsp maple syrup

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 350. Line a small baking sheet with tinfoil or parchment paper.

Mix together all of the ingredients (except of course the apples) in a small mixing bowl.

Stuff the mixture into the apples.

Bake the apples for 24 - 26 minutes. They are done when the apples are soft and the oatmeal mixture is a golden brown.

This is a great way to use up some apples that have been hanging around too long.

Carve out the core and leave a great big space for all of that delicious filling.

Crumbly, oaty stuffing --- mmmmmmmm......

Stuff in as much oaty deliciousness as you can!

Line your pan with tinfoil to avoid a sticky mess.

Anything that cuts back on dish washing is a winner in my book!

Top with whipped cream or ice cream.

Seriously amazing!

What do you snack on when you have a "sweets" craving?

Favourite apple recipe? Link me up.

Have a fabulous day,

Andrea

Veggie Plate with Hummus and Chocolate Cashew Dip

What a great long weekend it has been with my mom! We have been to the movies, visited with family, gone out for dinner and brunch, driven all over Southwestern Ontario searching for a book that I have been wanting to buy and eating.....lots and lots of eating CARBS!!!

We have had banana cake, sweet potato cornbread, ravioli, gnocchi, spaghetti, toast and the list goes on and on. Today, I decided we needed to amp up our veggie and fruit intake and add some healthy dips to go along side for a healthy lunch.

I had some organic carrots, pears, kiwis and apples that I need to use up, as well as some leftover green onions from Saturday night's dinner. I also added some vegetable crackers that I needed to use up.

Doesn't that look refreshing?? I have been craving something green for days!

It won't take you long to figure out that I am a total sucker for dips. In fact, I can eat an entire bowl of dip in one sitting, so it's best if I have some healthy choices that I can whip up quickly and easily rather than digging into store bought dips that are full of fat and empty calories.

Hummus
Adapted from Oh She Glows

1 19 oz can organic chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tsp spicy Herbamare (sea salt)
3 cloves of garlic
juice from 2 fresh organic lemons (approx 5 tbsp)
3 - 4 tbsp of water
1 tsp Frank's red hot
1/2 c tahini
1 tbsp olive oil

Put all of the ingredients into a food processor and process until smooth. Unfortunately my food processor bit the dust today, so I had to blend this in batches in my very old blender :-( 

Right before serving, drizzle with an additional tbsp of olive oil and sprinkle with paprika.

This hummus is fantastic~it tastes great with fresh veggies, on crackers, in veggie wraps or on whole grain toast.

I also wanted to have something sweet, so that I could dip my fruit. I have been having a love affair with cashew butter lately and I only had a wee bit left in my jar....what better combo than to mix my favourite nut butter with a chunk of chocolate? The only question more pressing is why has it taken me so long to try this combination??

Chocolate Cashew Butter Dip
2 - 3 tbsp of all natural cashew butter
1 square of dark chocolate

Place in microwaveable dish and heat in 30 second intervals until melted. Stir after each 30 seconds.

Absolutely decadent!

I really loved this dip with the apples. I think it would also be divine with animal crackers.

This was such a great lunch - it was satisfying and healthy and provided us with lots of fruits and vegetables that our bodies were so badly craving.

My mom really loved the hummus (I did too), but I really loved my chocolate cashew butter dip. Thank goodness I only had enough to make a small little bowl because I finished every last bit!

Wishing you a wonderful Monday evening and lovely end to your long holiday weekend (if you were lucky like me to have one).

Andrea

PS - If you're craving something a little sweeter and more decadent, check out my girl, Kris's, contest at i heart wellness. Enter to win 6 of her bakery's decadent Chocolate Chip "Chips Enjoy" Cookie Sandwiches - they are vegan and gluten free!! Click the link above to enter. I'd wish you all good luck, but you're going to have to beat me to get these tasty treats!!