Cinnamon Apple Syrup; Or, Upcycling Apple Peels

I've mentioned how much I love apples, and how much my day was made when I brought home 4 pecks of apples (McIntosh, Jonathon, Golden Delicious and Braeburn). Recently, two of those pecks went into a giant pot to be cooked down into a delicious applesauce, which was processed and resulted in 5 quarts of homemade applesauce taking their proud place in my pantry. More recently, another peck became some heavenly apple butter. The by-product of this process, of course, was a rather large pile of apple peels. In the spirit of not letting such a useful by-product go to waste (perhaps the apple version of "everything but the squeal"), I cobbled together a recipe to make use of the perfectly good peels. This tasty and apple-y syrup can be used on top of waffles, pancakes, ice cream, baked apples, or whatever you might like to eat with syrup. I had apple cider around, so added that in to give even more apple flavor, but it's not necessary. Also, although I was going through a rather large quantity of peels, this recipe can be scaled down easily if you didn't go apple crazy. You can add the cores to the steeping step too; just make sure to cut off the stems and the bottom end. If a sweet syrup isn't your thing, there are other ways you can use peels, like this, or this.

Note on the apple peels: if you're buying non-organic apples from the grocery store, make sure that you wash them thoroughly if you wish to use the peels. They're covered with pesticides and wax, which you probably don't want to eat. Mine were directly from an orchard that uses minimal pesticides, so a quick soak in vinegar and water was sufficient.)

Ingredients

4 quarts (16 cups) apple peels

6 cups brown sugar

2 quarts (8 cups) water

4 cups apple cider (or more water)

2 Tbsp ground cinnamon or 2 sticks

1 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 cup lemon juice (if canning)

Directions

1. Combine apple peels, water, cider, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a 6 quart slow cooker. Turn cooker on high, and allow mixture to steep for 3-4 hours.

2. Place a double thickness of cheesecloth in a colander, and place over a 6 quart stockpot. Pour (or scoop, if your slow cooker bowl is not removable) contents into colander, gently pressing to extract the liquid. Discard peels, or come up with yet another use for them!

3. Take strained liquid and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Turn heat down and allow to simmer, with stirring, until liquid is a thin syrup (reduced to about half the liquid volume). This may take 2 or more hours.

4. At this point, syrup can be poured directly into jars to refrigerate, or processed. In order to process, sterilize 4 pint glass jars by boiling in a large canning pot, and ladle some of the hot liquid into a small bowl with the lids to sterilize them as well.

5. Just before pouring syrup into jars, add lemon juice and stir well. Ladle into jars, leaving 1/2" headspace. Wipe rim clean and place lids on top, screwing bands finger tight.

6. Process jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes from the time a full boil is reached. After 10 minutes, turn off heat and allow jars to rest for 5 minutes in pot. Carefully remove from pot and place on a dry towel. Allow to cool, undisturbed, for 12-24 hours. After 2 hours or so, gently push down center of lids to make sure they've sealed (if they pop back, they haven't sealed).

Makes 4 pints

Vegan Apple Flaxseed Walnut Muffins

No, I'm not vegan. The great thing, though, is you don't have to be vegan to enjoy these muffins, and you don't have to feel guilty about indulging either. With whole grains, oil replaced with apple butter, and healthy fats and protein from the flax seeds and walnuts, there's a lot to like about these muffins. They're hearty, and yet light, with just the right amount of sweetness from a little maple syrup. Also, they're screaming with apple flavor (grated apples, diced apples, and apple butter), and anything that's made with apples is going to be good. If there's anything better than that, it's that the muffins come together quickly. Really, there's no downsides here.

Ingredients

2 cups spelt flour (or whole wheat flour)

1 Tbsp flax seed

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground allspice

pinch nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp ground flaxseed + 5 Tbsp water

1/3 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup apple butter (or applesauce)

3/4 cup coconut milk (or almond or soy, if you have on hand)*

1 cup peeled, grated tart apple (1 large or 2 small)

1 cup diced, unpeeled sweet apple (1 medium)

1/2 cup chopped, toasted walnuts

Directions

1. Combine flax seed and 5 Tbsp water in a small bowl; set aside for 10-15 min, or until a gel has formed.

2. Meanwhile, combine flour, whole flax seed, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.

3. In a separate bowl, combine flaxseed gel, maple syrup, apple butter, and grated apple.

4. Stir wet ingredients into dry, just until combined.

5. Gently fold in chopped apple and walnuts.

6. Spoon batter into a muffin pan lined with paper cups or lightly greased. Top muffins with extra chopped walnuts if desired.

7. Bake muffins in a 350 degrees F oven for 30 min, or until tops are golden .

8. Allow muffins to cool in pan for 10 min, then switch over to a wired cooling rack. Allow to cool completely, but also don't feel guilty about grabbing a still-warm muffin to stuff in your face. :)

*If you have unsweetened coconut lying around, don't go buying a can of coconut milk. It's really easy to make your own, and you can make exactly as much as you want. For the amount in this recipe, I put 1/2 cup coconut in a blender, then added 1 1/4 cup boiling water, and blended for 15-20 sec. Allow to sit for 5-10 min, then filter through a fine mesh colander to remove solids. I also let the solids dry out, so I can incorporate them when I make this.

Apple & Goat Cheese Mini Calzones with Cider Mustard

This past Saturday I woke up to a chilly breeze coming through my bedroom window. The farmer's market was brimming with acorn squash, pumpkins, and apples. I don't care that it's early September, I have declared the arrival of fall (my favorite season). So of course I made a trek to the apple orchard. In spite of a rough season, with a spring freeze and brutal drought, I was still able to come home with 4 brimming pecks of fresh apples and a gallon of cider. I wait the entire year for this time to come around again; I love most fruits, but nothing compares to apple season. I could probably go all Bubba Blue with apples, listing off the many apple concoctions I've made (or my mom made while I was growing up) and love...and no doubt you'll see some of my favorites in the coming weeks. 

For now, we'll start with something a little different - a savory apple dish. After all, why should we limit the delicious apple to only sweet dishes? The combination of the sweet-tart apple with mildly tangy goat cheese and a judicious sprinkling of herbs in a hearty whole wheat crust is perfect, and when you dip it into a little cider mustard, it's the way that fall should be. The mini calzones come together really quickly, so your gratification need not be delayed (to be particularly efficient, you can slice the onions with a mandoline - I did - and prepare the other ingredients while the onions cook). If you choose to make the homemade mustard, I would recommend doing that a couple of days in advance, since fresh mustard is really potent. You can also cheat and mix brown sugar and cider into quality store-bought Dijon mustard if you don't have the patience. Another bonus is that the calzones freeze well, so you can pop them out of the freezer and enjoy a little apple-y deliciousness long after apple season is over.

Apple & Goat Cheese Mini Calzones

recipe adapted from Sprouted Kitchen

1 recipe whole wheat pizza dough (pick your favorite)

1/2 Tbsp butter

1 medium sweet onion, thinly sliced

1 large crisp apple

6 oz chevre goat cheese

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese 

2 tsp dried thyme (or 2 Tbsp fresh)

1 tsp dried rosemary (or 1 tsp fresh)

olive oil and sea salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

2. If making your own dough, make it first and allow to rise.

3. While dough rises, combine butter and onion in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onions have "carmelized" (are mostly browned). This will take 15-20 min.

4. Peel and dice apple. Combine goat cheese, Parmesan cheese, thyme, and rosemary in a bowl.

5. Roll dough out into a rectangle, and cut into 12 3x3" squares.

6. Top squares successively with onion slices, apple, and a dollop of cheese mixture.

7. Fold top over filling mixture, and tuck in edges to seal. Brush tops with olive oil and a light sprinkling of sea salt.

8. Place calzones on a pizza stone or baking sheet generously sprinkled with cornmeal. Bake at 500 degrees F until tops are golden and crispy. Cool for a few minutes before serving (or, cool completely and store in airtight bags in the freezer for up to 3 months). Dip in cider mustard or your preferred dipping sauce.
Serves 3-4 as a main dish, or 6 as an appetizer

Cider Mustard

recipe adapted from The Homemade Pantry

1/2 cup mustard seeds, mixture of yellow and brown

1/3 cup cider vinegar

1/4 cup fresh apple cider

3 Tbsp dark brown sugar

1 tsp salt, heaping

Directions:

1. Place mustard seeds in a glass pint jar or medium mixing bowl, and add enough water to cover seeds by 3 inches. Allow to soak at room temperature for ~12 h or overnight.

2. Drain excess water from seeds. Add to a blender with the remaining ingredients, and blend until smooth.

3. Chill in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving, or store in a non-reactive container in the fridge for 2 months (will probably last longer than that, use your judgement). Mustard will be quite spicy to begin with, but will mellow within a few days.
Makes ~1 1/2 cups mustard

Blueberry Lemon Compote

It's blueberry season, and I just made it back from a short trip to Michigan with 15 lbs of blueberries. In other words, I'm in heaven. Every time I grab a handful of fresh Michigan blueberries, I'm transported back to my childhood, when my mom would take my sisters and I blueberry picking every summer. We'd strap on our gallon buckets and head out to the fields, with more blueberries making it into our stomachs than the buckets. There's no food that evokes summer so quintessentially as blueberries, and nothing but Michigan blueberries will really do for me. Luckily I'm still close enough to Michigan that I can find a way to get my fix each season!

Since 15 lbs is a tall order for one person to consume in a week, I froze many of them (which will still be amazing for some recipes that I have planned). I also ate blueberries for almost every meal of the day this week, tossed into granola and yogurt for breakfast, plain for lunch, and sometimes mixed with yogurt and some chocolate chips for dessert. I made my grandma's fresh blueberry cream pie, and I also made this blueberry compote. The compote is simple to make (and quick), and it was heavenly on waffles. I had a little leftover, so I stirred it into some vanilla yogurt, which was also delicious. Fresh Michigan blueberries are so good that only a touch of sweetening is needed, and the lemon gives it a light summery zest. The chia seeds are a cool way to thicken up the compote (making it quicker to cook), and also add a nutritional boost. You could make this with any other berry you could get your hands on, of course, with equally tasty results!

Ingredients

2 heaping cups of fresh blueberries, washed

zest and juice of one lemon

2 Tbsp clover honey

1 Tbsp chia seeds

Directions

1. Cook blueberries, lemon juice, and zest in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

2. After blueberries have cooked down (5-10 min), add chia seeds, and continue to cook until mixture has thickened (another 5-10 min).

3. Serve warm over waffles or pancakes, or allow to cool and stir into yogurt or spoon on top of ice cream. I made a smaller batch and ate it all in one evening, but it should last for a week in a sealed container in the fridge.
Serves four

Peachy Keen

Having grown up in Michigan, I tend to be a bit particular about my fruits. In my (perhaps biased) opinion, nothing can really beat the flavor and freshness of Michigan-grown fruits. However, there is one fruit that Illinois grows quite well: peaches. This season's crop started showing up at the farmer's market at the end of May (a bit early, like everything else this year), and they are the sweetest, juiciest, most delicious little stone fruits you could lay your hands on. Then, a couple of weeks ago, one of the vendors offered a 12 lb box of their "ugly" peaches (bruises, dimples) for $10, and I could not resist. Of course, this meant that I had twelve pounds of perfectly ripe peaches to use up ASAP. I decided to take the excuse to try out canning by making some peach-honey jam (pretty delicious, although I'd add pectin next time, because it took forever to cook down to a jam). I also made a few other goodies that I'd like to share with you! Keep reading for Ginger-Peach Crisp, Peach Cupcakes, and Peach-Honey Sauce (the sauce is free of refined sugars!).

Ginger-Peach Crisp
Apple crisp is probably one of my favorite desserts of all time, so I'm not sure why I haven't expanded my fruit crisp repertoire before now. Either way, I'm glad I did - you could use the standard cinnamon as the spice here, but I like the flavor twist that ginger gives. It seems completely appropriate for a summer dish. My peaches went au natural, but you can always toss with a bit of honey if you want added sweetness. I topped this delicious stuff with vanilla Greek yogurt and called it breakfast (totally reasonable, right?), but you could also opt for a scoop of vanilla (or ginger) ice cream and have yourself an amazing dessert.
 

Ingredients

 5-6 cups peaches, washed and sliced (again, I kept the peel)

1 Tbsp honey (optional)

1/2 cup brown (or "raw") sugar

5 Tbsp cold unsalted butter

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 tsp ginger (heaping)

1/4 cup slivered almonds

Directions

1. Arrange peaches in a 8x8" baking dish. Sweeten by tossing with a small amount of honey if desired (if they're perfectly ripe and fresh, this shouldn't be necessary!).

2. Combine oats, flour, ginger, and almonds in a medium mixing bowl.

3. Cut cold butter into dry ingredients, working with fingertips or fork until mixture is crumbly.

4. Sprinkle topping over peaches, then bake in a 400 degree F oven for 30 min, or until top is brown and peaches are bubbling.

5. Serve warm with a hearty dollop of greek yogurt or a scoop of ice cream.

Peach Cupcakes with Peachy Buttercream Frosting
These are definitely an indulgence; nothing particularly healthy about these. That's not the point, though, right? The surprising twist to these is the cornmeal, which I added on a whim - it adds just a little bit of texture to these delicate, moist cupcakes.
Adapted from a peach muffin recipe on NPR's Kitchen Window
 

Ingredients

For Cupcakes:

3-4 peaches, peeled and diced (2-2 1/2 cups)

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

1 tsp baking soda

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground mace

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

For Frosting:

6 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened

3 cups confectioners' sugar

1/4 cup peach puree

1 tsp vanilla extract

pinch salt

Directions

For Cupcakes:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and mace.

2.  Puree enough of diced peaches in a blender to give 3/4 cup puree (~1 cups diced peaches). Set aside 1/4 cup of the puree.

3. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together peach puree, yogurt, eggs, and butter.

4. Stir liquid ingredients by hand into dry ingredients just until combined.

5. Gently fold in remaining diced peaches (1 cup).

6. Pour batter into paper-lined or greased muffin cups, filling each until almost full.

7. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 min, until cupcakes are golden brown.

8. Turn cupcakes out onto a wire rack and allow to cool.

For Frosting:

1. Using an electric mixer, cream butter. 

2. Add sugar in small portions, alternating with peach puree, and beat well after each addition.

3. Stir in vanilla and salt. If frosting is too thin, beat in a little more powdered sugar, or allow to chill, covered, in the refrigerator until it's better set.

4. Once cupcakes have sufficiently cooled, spread frosting on them, or put frosting in a bag and pipe onto cupcakes (I simply cut a hole in the corner of a plastic sandwich bag).

Honey-Peach Sauce

This stuff is incredibly easy to make, and takes about 10-15 min. I had it on top of homemade belgian waffles, which was divine, but I suspect it'd be equally good stirred in with yogurt or piled on top of vanilla ice cream.

 

Ingredients

4 peaches, washed and thinly sliced (you can peel too, I left them with the peel)

1/4 cup honey

pinch cinnamon, to taste

Directions

1. Combine peaches and honey in a small saucepan (you can add a little water if needed to make sure the peaches don't scorch). 

2. Sprinkle with a little cinnamon, and stir over medium heat until cooked down, about 10 min. 

3. Serve warm over pancakes, waffles, or ice cream.

Almond-Strawberry Yogurt Muffins

Strawberry season is ending this week in Illinois, but just getting started elsewhere. It's just the beginning of summer's bounty of fruit, and I've tried to take full advantage. I usually eat strawberries raw or in a sauce, but I decided to try incorporating them into a baked good. This one took a couple of tries, but the end result was something hearty and delicious. Chopped strawberries and slivered almonds, oat flour for a little texture (and source of whole grains!), a mixture of honey and sugar for some subtle sweetness, plus yogurt to make for a moist muffin with just a little tang - put these things together, and you've got a great muffin to celebrate the start of summer!

Note: Allowing the strawberries to drain after chopping is important - my first attempt was pretty soggy, since the strawberries were too moist to allow the bread around them to properly cook. Also, while honey works well as a replacement for sugar, here using just honey led to an off flavor, so a mixture of honey and sugar was best.

Ingredients

1 cup oat flour, sifted*

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/3 cup clover honey
1/3 cup sugar

4 Tbsp butter, cold

3/4 cup plain lowfat greek yogurt

1 egg

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cup fresh strawberries, washed, hulled, & chopped

2/3 cup slivered almonds

Directions

1. Once strawberries are chopped, allow them to sit and drain in a colander.

2. Sift together flours, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar. Add in chunks of butter, and cut together with a fork (or food processor) until butter pieces are smaller than peas.

3. Mix yogurt, egg, and vanilla in a medium mixing bowl. Add flour-butter mixture and stir just until blended.

4. Fold in chopped strawberries and almonds, being careful not to overmix.

5. Spoon mixture into paper-lined muffin cups or a 9x5" bread loaf pan.

6. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 25-30 min (muffins) or ~1 hour (loaf).

7. Allow to cool in pan for 10 min, then transfer to a wire rack. Give in to the urge to bite into a muffin before they've cooled completely. Delayed gratification can be so overrated sometimes.

*Don't go out and buy oat flour; there's no need to overload the pantry. If you have a blender or a food processor, you can easily make your own in about 2 minutes. Take 1 1/4 cup rolled oats (not quick/instant oats), add to blender/processor, and turn on, stopping it to check every 30 sec or so until it's reached a flour-like consistency. Once that's done, just sift it through a sieve to get out the chunks and you've got yourself some fresh flour. This technique will give you whole flour for basically any grain, seed or legume you have lying around.