It is the week of Thanksgiving! I don’t know where the month of November went, but it is about over. It is that time when not only Santa is checking lists, but I am too. Let’s face it! In the next 8 weeks, our lives revolve around FOOD. Extended family dinners, parties, parties, and parties and - I LOVE IT! I find myself, however, wanting to stuff everything (besides myself)! Maybe it is because the leaves have all come down on the ground, and the streets are over-flowing with mounds.
I know...leaves…food??? Sorry, I see food in everything – no kidding. I was filling the tarp as I raked and thought, ooooo I need to make burritos, or crepes, or stuffed peppers, or…????
Maybe it’s because for some bizarre reason, I associate stuffed foods with abundance. I wonder how much was stuffed by the Pilgrims at that Thanksgiving back in 1621? My preoccupation with mounds and stuffing this week brings to mind a recipe for savory stuffed apples.
I am lucky enough to live close to the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway and the apples are…well delicious doesn’t even describe well enough the sweet, yet tart, crunch that only a freshly picked apple brings to your tongue from this part of the world. About six weeks ago, we woke up and it was one of those perfect early autumn mornings. We looked at each other, harnessed up the pugs and got into the car to go apple picking.
The apple of choice this day was Winesap and quickly our basket filled with the most beautiful apples.
An orchard is a magical place for me – I really didn’t want to leave. But the thought of a cider slushy got me out of the orchard and down to the barn. Yum! Look at that blue sky…that’s how we got Carolina blue...at least that is the story told here!!!!!
Well I’ve stored these apples in the garage refrigerator – kept them cool and dark. It is amazing how long apples will last. I’ve savored each bite and I am now down to the last few just in time for my Thanksgiving stuffed apples. This is a savory stuffed apple and it makes a great presentation on the Thanksgiving buffet table, but we also have them BEFORE Thanksgiving because I use the stuffing ingredients and “sausage” during the Thanksgiving eat fest that continues through the weekend – haha!! Really... since all of the ingredients are out in preparation of the Thanksgiving Day Feast and all you think about is the Thanksgiving day meal, you might as well fix something to eat NOW that uses those same ingredients. The norm is that I am so busy cooking for that one meal, there is nothing to eat three days ahead – UNLESS – I cheat and use parts that I am already using…I know brilliant!!! Don’t tell my family! You know… while you are sautéing onions and celery for the dressing, just pull out ¼ cup for this recipe. OR, use the leftover stuffing from your Thanksgiving meal and make these AFTER Thanksgiving when you have a day of decorating or shopping.
Preface to recipe:
For Thanksgiving, our dressing is made with both cornbread and a dark, whole grained bread. I make my own cornbread (will post that in the near future) I dry these breads in a low 200 degree oven until they are dry and firm to the touch. I use this combination of bread to make these stuffed apples, but you can use your own combination of bread, but I highly encourage the cornbread crumbles!! The same goes for the sausage. I make my own now, but will give you that recipe next post as it goes with decorating the Christmas tree on Black Friday morning….ooooooo. Long story – not so short – use bread of your choice and meatless sausage of your choice or...a meat sausage if that is your choice.
Savory, Stuffed Apples:
(This small amount just makes four apples, so increase as needed for your family)
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
1 cup cornbread (dry cornbread crumbles)
½ cup dark, multi-grained bread dried and firm to touch
¼ cup finely chopped onion and celery sautéed in earth balance
(if you aren’t making dressing just use 2 T. of onion and 2T. of celery and sauté in 1 T. of earth balance until translucent)
½ cup vegan sausage browned in 2 T. of olive oil until crispy and brown
(I know it sounds like a lot of oil, but you need that in order for the meatless sausage to brown well and there is no animal fat in this, so don’t worry too much about the oil)
Season with:
¼ tsp. of rubbed sage
¼ tsp. of poultry seasoning
1 1/2 tsp. of dried basil
1 T. of finely chopped parsley
2 T. of finely chopped pecans
2 T. of dried cranberries
2 T. of ground flax seed dissolved in 2 T. of almond milk (or non-dairy milk of
your choice)
½ cup of vegetable broth – plus a touch more if needed
salt and pepper to taste (remember you can taste safely as nothing is raw or "dangerous" ;-))
Mix everything well to combine. After you have prepped the apples make sure the mixture is moist enough to clump together. If dry, after hollowing out the apples, add a little more broth as needed. Clumpy, not soupy!
Prep apples as follows while the liquids are absorbed into the bread and seasoning. Wash the apples well. Cut off a small piece off the bottom of the apple, so that the apple will be stable and not tip over in your baking dish.
Now slice off a small slice from the top, stem end. Using a small scoop or spoon, carefully hollow out a cavity inside the apple. Leave ¼ inch (or a bit more) border and don’t go too deeply into the apple or you will go through the bottom.
Fill each apple cavity, mounding up the stuffing (like my leaf piles…hehe – told you!!)
Dot each apple with earth balance.
Pour 1/3 cup of vegetable broth around the bottom of the apples to create a seasoned sauna.
Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and baste apples with the broth. Bake apples another 15 minutes or until the apples are tender and filling is browned.
I baste the apples again right before serving, the broth is reduced significantly, so just divide the remaining broth among the apples to be served and spoon the broth over the stuffing.
I served these stuffed apples tonight with roasted butternut squash with fresh rosemary and creamed spinach. It was Pre-Thanksgiving on a plate – Yum, Yum!
I wish for all of you a true day of Thanksgiving on Thursday! May gratitude be the food of choice and thus bring an abundance of blessings to each of your tables and hearts!
Thoughtful moment today: Abundance is a perceived experience…so...gratefully look for the many large and small blessings in your life and then maybe too…choose a smaller plate!!!
“Come ye thankful people come!”
No comments:
Post a Comment