Wednesday, February 8, 2017

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

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.





3 comments:

  1. Made this today! Delicious and hit the spot on this snowy day. Thanks for sharing ��

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    Replies
    1. I'm glad you liked it! I made it again today and added some blueberries! Divine!!

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