Not Your Mama's Applesauce (shh...there's chili in there)

Chili in applesauce? Why not?

Applesauce and chili powder make a surprisingly good combination. Wait, maybe it's not such a surprise.

Both these flavors work well with pork roasts, so why not eliminate the roast and just make a batch of spicy applesauce?

 As this cooked, I tasted it and realized the chili powder was overpowering the apples. I found some cranberry juice in the freezer, added it to the mix and tasted. Perfect amount of sweet and tart.

The resulting applesauce is a wonderful mix of warm spices, sweet apples and tart cranberries.

Happy soon-to-be-Fall!

Apple Sauce with Chili Powder and Cranberry

Makes about 7 4 oz jars

Ingredients:

  • 10 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1/4 cup frozen cranberry juice

Method:

  1. Put the apples, sugar, lemon juice and chili into a large pot.
  2. Cook over media heat, stirring every few minutes, for 30 minutes.
  3. Add the frozen cranberry juice to the pot, stir until it's melted into the apple mixture.
  4. Using a potato masher, mash up the large chunks of apple and cook for another 1o minutes.
  5. Place in sterilized jars: click here to see how to sterilize and seal the jars.
  6. Turn the sealed jars upside down, allow them to cool completely.
  7. Good for three months until opened. Refrigerate after opening.

Raw Juice: Spinach, Carrot, Beet, Avocado, Peach, Strawberry and Banana

Raw juice made with strawberry and vegetables is tastes great and gives you a great energy boost in the morning. I'm reposting this Raw Spinach, Carrot, Beet, Avocado, Peach, Strawberry and Banana Juice recipe this week  because I'm in New York and it's about 30 degrees warmer than I'm used to in San Francisco and I need some relief!

I'm thinking of juicing every day, in addition to the great food my parents are making for us, and will start with this recipe as soon as I get everything together.

Here's what you'll need. Make this juice, or any other combination of fruits and veggies you may have around. It'll cool you off from the summer heat.

Raw Spinach, Carrot, Beet, Avocado, Peach, Strawberry and Banana Juice

Ingredients

  • 1/2 avocado, skin removed, cut into chunks
  • 15 to 20 spinach leaves (a small handful)
  • 1 beet, skin removed, sliced
  • 2 carrots, skin removed, cut into rounds
  • 1 small peach, pit removed, sliced
  • 1 banana, sliced
  • 2 strawberries, hulled, sliced
  • lime juice (about 1/4 of a lime)
  • 1 cup coconut water
  • Ice cubes

Method:

  1. Put all the ingredients in a blender or drink mixer with a good blade.
  2. Pulse on high until everything is chopped up.
  3. If you want the juice to be thinner, add more coconut or regular water to the mix.

Enjoy!

Raspberry-Peach Jam from The Feed: America's Test Kitchen

Thank you Lori Galvin for posting this wonderful recipe for raspberry-peach jam. I'm fairly new to jam making (especially when actually following a recipe). This one is great! It was super easy to make, and I never once felt like it might not get to the thickening stage, as so often happens.

The sights and smells that fill your kitchen while making this great jam will bring home Summer. Beautiful colors and flavors mix to make a slightly tart spreadable fruit. I love how little sugar this recipe called for, it's as close to eating just fruit as I've gotten when making jam.

My 10 year old nephew, Giovanni, helped me out. He loved when one of the peaches fell out the window while I was shooting a picture. He was a great help in measuring out the sugar and checking the recipe to make sure I was actually following it. Gio was in charge of testing out the thickened jam on the back of the frozen spoon. He's a maker of robotic things, magician, stop-motion animator and a great guitar player. He also has an interest in all kinds of crafts and is game for helping me with a variety of projects.

I added three vanilla beans split open to the jam during cooking. Every time I make jam, I love to add a little something extra like vanilla beans or jalapeños. It makes the jam turn out just a little bit different and everyone knows that it was made by me.

You can find the recipe here, at America's Test Kitchen's The Feed. Thanks again to Lori Galvin for sharing!

Juice...Grapefruit, Avocado, Beet, Watermelon...The List Goes On

Hello and welcome to another juice recipe. I'm no longer on my juice cleanse, but I loved the juices I made so much, that I decided to continue making them.

This week's juice has a few ingredients I haven't included in previous juices: watermelon and grapefruit. Wow! The watermelon is just the right sweetness to offset the earthiness of the beets. The grapefruit's sour tartness tastes just right against the smooth, bright flavor of the avocado. Topped off with fresh coconut water, this juice is my favorite so far.

It's a lot thinner than the other juices I've made, not in a bad way, but in a really refreshing way. I thought I liked the juice to be more of a pureed salad, but now really want more of a liquid texture. Now that I'm making juice on a more regular basis I'm learning that I need to trust my instincts when it comes to flavor mixing. Juice after juice, I've been really pleased with all of my combinations.

Raw Beet, Avocado, Nectarine, Strawberry, Watermelon, Grapefruit Juice

Ingredients

  • 1/2 avocado, skin removed, cut into chunks
  • 1 small nectarine, pit removed, sliced
  • 1 grapefruit, skin removed, cuts into chunks
  • 4 small strawberries, sliced
  • 1 beet, skin removed, sliced
  • 3 small pieces watermelon, cubed
  • 1 cup coconut water
  • Ice cubes

Method:

  1. Put all the ingredients in a blender or drink mixer with a good blade.
  2. Pulse on high until everything is chopped up.
  3. If you want the juice to be thinner, add more coconut or regular water to the mix.