A Simple Dessert

Sometimes you need a simple dessert that isn't too labor intensive. Something satisfying but not too heavy. A few apples and a handful of ingredients already on hand made up this quick and satisfying vegan apple crisp. Perfectly sweet tender apples topped with a just right crisp for balance of texture. The walnuts play well off of the sweetness of the apples with just the right amount of nuttiness.

Apple Crisp

6 apples, peeled and cored, sliced 1/2 thick
1 T. cinnamon
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. rolled oats
pinch of salt
1/4 c. chopped walnuts
1 T. sugar
2 T. vegan butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Peel and core apples, any kind of apples will do - I recommend using what you have on hand. Slice them about 1/2 thick. Place in large bowl and add cinnamon and sugar, mixing with your hands until the apples are well coated. Place the apple mixture into a 12 inch round baking dish or a 9" x 9" square pan.

Combine oats, salt, walnuts, sugar and vegan butter in a separate bowl. Mix all together using your hands until all is coated with butter, it will look like little crumbles the size of peas.  Sprinkle this evenly over the top of the apple mixture.

Cover and bake for 45 minutes until apples are soft, remove cover and bake another 15-20 minutes until crumble top is brown.

Enjoy!

Almond Vegetables in Brown Sauce

Sometimes you start out making one thing and for various reasons something better happens. What was going to be a cashew vegetable recipe turned into almond vegetables with a rich brown sauce. Cooking the mushrooms seperately and in a dry non-stick skillet helps them retain a meaty texture.

Almond Vegetables in Brown Sauce

 

16 oz. Button mushrooms, sliced
2/3 C. Slivered almonds
1 T. Canola or peanut oil
3 c. broccoli florets
1 medium onion, cut into ½” pieces
1 medium red pepper, cut into ½” pieces
1 medium zucchini, diced into ½” pieces
1 medium yellow squash, diced into ½” pieces
1 c. water
1 ½ t. cornstarch
2 T. soy sauce
½ t. Sesame oil
1 T. Rice Wine Vinegar
½ T. Raw sugar
1/8 t. ground ginger
Salt to taste


In a dry large skillet, toast the slivered almonds over medium heat, stirring frequently. Set aside. In same skillet add mushrooms and cook over medium heat until water has evaporated and they begin to wrinkle and brown. Set aside.


Add canola or peanut oil to skillet and broccoli florets, stir fry over medium-high heat until semi-tender (about 5 minutes), remove from skillet and set aside. Add onion and red peppers and stir fry until onion is translucent, and then add zucchini and yellow squash. Reduce heat to medium and stir fry until soft and squash shrinks a bit (about 5 minutes). Remove all veggies and set aside with broccoli. Remove skillet from heat.


In a container with a leak proof lid, add water, cornstarch, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, sugar, and ground ginger. Shake well to dissolve the cornstarch into the liquids. Add the liquid, carefully, into the hot skillet, place back on heat and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce heat and let liquid reduce for 3 minutes. You will see the color of the sauce getting darker. Add the broccoli mixture back into the pan and stir until sauce reduces to desired thickness and all veggies are coated.

Top with mushrooms and toasted almonds and enjoy!

Notes: Toasting nuts hardly takes any time, so watch them carefully, I tend to stir them the entire time to prevent burning. Use any veggies you like for this dish, cook the denser heavier ones first as they take longer to soften up.