Apple-Carrot Soup

Apple picking inspired a lot of desserts- but I felt I should also make something a bit more healthy out of the apples - so I found a recipe for apple carrot soup and adapted it.
Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoon(s) margarine or butter
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 4 medium Golden Delicious apples - roughly peeled and chopped (I used Junga-golds -- my soup was really sweet-you could probably cut this down to 3 apples.)
• 2 pound(s) carrots, peeled and chopped  (I cheated and used a bag of frozen carrot coins)
• 1 pound butternut squash, peeled and chopped  (Used a bag of frozen)
• 5 cups chicken or vegetable broth  (This is used from scratch broth I made)
• 1 tablespoon(s) brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon(s) peeled and grated fresh ginger (I admit I just used ground)
• salt and pepper to taste (I used fresh cracker black pepper and NuSalt)
• Fresh chives for garnish

1. Melt butter or margarine in a dutch oven over medium - high heat.
2. Add in onions and cook until soft (About 10 minutes).
3. Add in apples, carrots, squash, broth, sugar, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer for about 30 minutes.

  5. Once Carrots and squash are tender, use an emersion blender to blend until smooth.

Serve with fresh chives for a garnish. Bon appetite!

Swedish Apple Pie

As promised.. the apple recipes begin!

I made 2 apple crisps the first day back from the orchard but was afraid to try an apple pie, as my one experience with making pie dough went rather poorly. I was telling this to my friend Bruce when he busted out a delicious apple dessert (we were at his apartment, and unbeknownst to myself, he had also just gone apple picking.) Turns out he had a recipe for an easy-breezy apple pie! So, I stole it.

Swedish Apple Pie: 

Ingredients:

About 4 Medium/large apples – peeled, cored and sliced.

1-2 TB cinnamon sugar (aka ground cinnamon and sugar) \

¾ cup butter

1 cup flour (I used brown rice flour, can also use all purpose)

1 cup sugar

1 egg

½ cup chopped nuts (optional) (I used pecans)

Preheat oven to 350*

This was my first layer of apples

1. Fill pie dish about 2/3 of the way full with apple slices.  
2. Sprinkle apples with cinnamon sugar.  (I actually forgot this step!)
3. In a small pan melt ¾ cup butter.  Remove from heat.  
4. Add to butter the flour, sugar, egg and nuts.  Mix with a spoon until blended. 
5. Pour over apple slices.



The batter will sort of seep in between the apple slices, but you can give it a hand by squishing it in too for a more uniformed apple to crust ratio.

6. Bake until golden brown (About 30 minutes).

Mine looks black rather than golden brown because half way through I realized I forgot the cinnamon sugar step and I sprinkled cinnamon on top! Doesn't look to pretty- but still delicious.