No Cook Freezer Apple Sauce

Effortless Apple Sauce Straigth from the Freezer

What a discovery: No Cook Freezer Apple Sauce. This must be the simplest dish I know: you slice, bag, freeze, puree – and you have apple sauce (with as many vitamins intact as possible).

….and then I made another discovery that had me reeling: you can use apple sauce to replace butter or oil in baking!!!

With these discoveries the world is a different place: a world that has apple sauce in my freezer and guilt free muffins on my breakfast plate (try these Oat and Blueberry Muffins).

Ingredients
(found on the blog “back to her roots”)

2 tablespoons lemon juice
4-6 medium apples (about 1,5 kg)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Recipe

1. Fill a large bowl 2/3 with water, add lemon juice and mix.
2. Core the apples and cut into eights (no need to peel).
3. Add apple slices to the water and stir until all apple slices are coated in the mixture.
4. Drain apples well.
5. Place apples in a large zip-lock bag, add in cinnamon and nutmeg. Seal bag and toss to coat.
6. Place bag in freezer until apples are frozen solid ( a minimum of 4-6 hours but you can keep the apples in the freezer for a long time).
7. When you are ready to use, remove the apples from freezer and allow to defrost on kitchen counter (or in fridge).
8. When apples are soft mash in a food processor. Serve cold.

Use it to make
Oat and Blueberry Muffins
 

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Hummus with Cauliflower

Airy, delicate hummus (and lower-carb on top of that)

Has it ever happened to you…..

That you liked a dish so much you made it over and over again (let’s say hummus)?

You even found ways of tweaking it to make it more special  (let’s say pink beet hummus)?

One day you decide you need to try a healthier version, even if it means sacrificing flavour  (let’s say hummus with steamed cauliflower)?

….and then you are just blown away by the result!

It happened to me:  In my opinion hummus with cauliflower tastes even better than traditional stuff!

The cauliflower gives an airy texture and an adds an extra delicate flavour dimension.
Last but not least the fact that you are adding an extra portion of veg to your meal just makes this a winner.

Ingredients
(a recipe from the blog “adventuresofvegirl’ which unfortunately no longer exists)

1 can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
equal amount of cauliflower (about 1/4)
2-4  tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp tahini OR ground sesame seeds
salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Optional: 1-2 whole garlic cloves

 

Recipe

1. Steam the cauliflower until just tender (about 7-10 minutes). Allow the cauliflower to cool.
2. Optional: Peel the garlic cloves. Put them into a pot and cover with water. Bring to the boil. Once boiling remove immediately. This will reduce the pungent smell of the garlic. Of course you can skip this step or (what I usually do) even leave out the garlic all together.
3. Rinse the chickpeas.
4. Add all the ingerdients to a food processor and blend until smooth.

 

Tips & Variations

This dish freezes perfectly: spread the mix into an ice cube tray. Freeze until solid and the transfer into a freezer bag.

Raspberry Apple Sauce

 This recipe is so simple it hardly deserves the name, but it is way too tasty not to share.

Really it is no more than raspberries and apples thrown together and heated up. I think this tangy sauce goes particularly well with the heartier type of pancakes.

 

Ingredients
4 (to 8) medium apples
250g (1cup) of (frozen) berries raspberries
1 tbsp. (15ml) lemon juice
1 tsp cinnamon powder
optional: 1 tbsp Agave nectar or honey

Recipe

1. Peel and core the apples then cut them into chunks.
2. Put apple chunks, raspberries and lemon into a saucepan.
3. Cover, bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally. If the sauce is to wet for your liking continue cooking without a lid. If you are looking for a thinner sauce add water. If you want a smoother sauce increase the cooking time with 15 minutes.
4. When the sauce is cooked to your liking add the cinnamon and sweetener, if using.

Storing
The sauce can stored in a well sealed container the refrigerator for up to a week. Alternatively you can freeze the sauce for up to six months.

Tips & Variations

• Replace half of the raspberries with blueberries
• Increase the amount of apple to make an apple sauce with a little flavouring of soft fruit
• Add grated fresh ginger
• If you are making more of an apple sauce add some more warm spices like allspice, cardamom, cloves, coriander, mace or nutmeg.

Serve with

• Oat and egg white pancakes
• Buckwheat crepes and cottage cheese
• French toast
• Or just stir into some yoghurt
  

  Typically I serve this sauce with pancakes, but it goes great with yoghurt as well