Autumn is my favorite time for food, it's such a good season for it's variety of tasty vegetables that can be cooked in so many easy ways. And as I've mentioned before, there are important reasons to eat food that is in season! You get the freshest picks, therefore your food has more of the nutrition that it should have; it's better for the environment, because large trucks aren't carting it from the land of far far away to get it to you; you support your local farmer (and your local farmer really needs & appreciates this).
Also, it is the food that grows during this particular time of the year and nature does this for a reason! The nutrients in root vegetables provide hearty and sustainable energy that will support your body now and throughout the winter. These vegetables are very warming to the body and energetically contractive; this helps you to stay grounded and balanced in the chilly dry air of the months to come.
As much as I'm looking forward to some delicious root vegetables and fall soups, it is still really warm here in Chicago (not complaining!), so I decided to go with a dessert to kick off the fall recipes . This baked stuffed apple is not only in season, but is also easy and nutritious. Maple syrup is used to sweeten and compliment the filling of walnuts and raisins, prep time is minimal, and they bake in less than 45 minutes. These can be stuffed a day in advance and refrigerated; but note that baking time will be longer if the apples are cold when they enter the oven. Baking time will also be longer if you make more than 4 apples. If this is the case, use the toothpick method to check if apples are done. They should be tender but not mushy.
*Warning* If you leave them in for too long, they will start to explode!
Baked Stuffed Apple with Vegan Rum Sauce
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 medium granny smith apples
1 cup raisins
1 cup walnuts
1/2 cup maple syrup
For the sauce:
2 cups vanilla rice milk
2 tsp honey
2 tsp dark rum
1. In a food processor, thoroughly combine the raisins, walnuts and maple syrup.
2. Using an apple corer, remove the cores from the apples. Then take a small knife and in a scraping fashion, make the hole a little bigger to fit more stuffing. If you don't have a corer, carefully use a knife for this whole process.
3. Stuff each apple cavity with an equal amount of the walnut mixture. Place in a glass casserole dish and surround apples with about 1/4" of water. Bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes, or until apples are tender.
4. Top with the vegan rum sauce and serve.
Vegan Rum Sauce
1. Combine the rice milk, rum and honey in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until sauce has thickened and reduced to about half. Approx. 10 minutes.
