Roasted Apples

You Make Me Feel Brand New by The Stylistics
I got desperate today and felt like I just HAD to have a dessert type of food.  So I figured I'd give roasting some apples a try - without any sweetener.  I was expecting average at best.  But folks, I could have cried!  These were sooooo good!  And soooo easy!  And I truly felt new life being breathed into my soul with every bite!  I felt brand new!  And I felt that maybe I will be able to see this experiment to the end!  Sugar Free Roasted Apples - who knew?!?!

There once was a woman who wasn't 

allowed to have sugar for awhile.

This made her very sad because

she LOVED dessert.

Every day she went without sugar

she felt much better

but, still, she missed it so much!

One wintry day, she felt like

she just couldn't handle it any more!

Snowy cold days were usually

when she would make something yummy

and sweet in her oven - 

warming her home and her tummy

at the same time.

With hope and optimism in her heart

she heated her oven to 375 degrees.

She went to her refrigerator to see

if she could find some inspiration.

She also couldn't eat anything with flour

or butter or eggs so it was a challenge.

She noticed that she had an 

abundance of apples in all sorts of 

varieties and colors.

She selected five of them

and washed them and peeled them 

and cut them into big chunks.

She sprinkled them with a little salt

because she knew that doing

that would bring out the sweetness

already in the apples.

Then she added a bit of cinnamon, too.

Then she went to her pantry to see

what other ingredients she was 

allowed to eat that she could add.

She found some coconut oil

and a bottle of vanilla bean paste.

After heating the coconut oil,

she stirred in some of the vanilla

and covered all those apple 

slices with it.

The apple slices thanked her!

The woman placed the apples into

a sprayed baking dish and,

with a prayer in her heart that

the lack of sugar would not

hinder the satisfaction she craved,

she put the dish into the oven.

Within minutes her home

was filled with the scent of

apples and cinnamon - much to the joy of 

the inhabitants therein!

She peeked now and then and

was pleased to see the transformation

of the apples with tiny bits of

caramelization here and there.

The caramel color told her that

the natural sweetness in the apples

was being made even sweeter.

Her spirits soared!

After 40 minutes she

removed the apples and stirred

them around to coat them with the

drippings in the dish.

She scooped some of the 

soft apples into a dish.

"Oh! If I could only have some cream

to go with these beautiful apples!" 

she cried.

But then she remembered

how often she had used

coconut milk to fill the need

for cow's milk!

She warmed some coconut

milk and then ladled a few spoonfuls

over the steaming apples.

She raised a spoon of the

scented fruit to her lips

and tasted her creation.

She made a loud

"MMMMM!"

and then exclaimed

"Oh my goodness!!"

and all those around

became desirous to taste

the apples, too.

And she shared.

She felt like a new woman!

She was filled with hope

and with a new determination

that - if she could have

something that tasted THIS GOOD

and still be within the confines 

of her diet - she would be able to

be completely satisfied!!

Her apples were good!

They were very, very good!

Fit for a queen, even!

With triumph in her voice

she exclaimed, 

"Who needs sugar!!"

"Not I," said the woman.

"Not I," said her grandchildren.

"Not I," said her daughter.

"Not I," said her husband.

And the woman happily dreamt of the next day

when she would roast more apples.

Roasted Apples

serves 5

Printable Recipe Card

5 - 6 apples

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 Tablespoons coconut oil

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or

beans from half of one vanilla pod

1/2 cup coconut milk, optional

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Peel and core the apples and cut into large chunks.

Coat a baking dish with cooking spray and place apple chunks in it.

Sprinkle with the salt and cinnamon.  Set aside.

Melt the coconut oil and then stir in the vanilla.  Pour over apples and stir to coat evenly.

Place in heated oven and roast for 40 minutes or til starting to brown on edges.

Remove and serve with cream or coconut milk.