autumn

Baked Apples with Walnuts & Sage (vegan)

November 8, 2023 By Courtney West 2 Comments

These baked apples are filled with an aromatic mixture of walnuts, sage, and orange zest. This cozy vegan and gluten free dessert is super simple to put together and can be served alongside ice cream or yogurt!

I’ve had the idea to make something sweet with apples and sage since last year. Luckily, everything finally came together in these delicious and super cozy baked apples! Sweet apples are filled with a mixture of chopped walnuts, sage, orange zest, vegan butter, and brown sugar and baked until tender. You can enjoy them as-is or serve them alongside ice cream, yogurt, or even a dollop of whipped cream. This dessert gives you the coziness of an apple pie without the extra effort of making and rolling out dough. It’s perfect for holiday meals!

Grab these 8 Ingredients to Make Your Baked Apples

Apples – sweet firm-fleshed apples are best because they will hold together while baking. I used Cosmic Crisp but Fuji or Pink Lady would also work really well!
Softened Vegan Butter – adds flavor and helps keep the apples nice and moist while baking.
Brown Sugar – sweetens and adds a lovely caramel-like flavor.
Walnuts – form the bulk of the filling and provide a nice nutty flavor.
Sage – adds a bit of earthiness that pairs really well with the walnuts and orange zest.
Orange Zest – brightens the dish and adds flavor.
Sea Salt – balances all of the flavors.
Water or Apple Cider – helps keep the apples moist while baking.

The Best Apples to Use for Baking

In my opinion, the best apples to use are ones that have a sweet flavor and firmer flesh. A firm-textured apple will keep its lovely shape when baking rather than slowly disintegrating into mush. Here are the commonly available varieties I recommend: Fuji, Honeycrisp, Cosmic Crisp, and Pink Lady. You can use Granny Smith if you prefer a more tart apple!

BAKING TIP: Make sure the apples you choose for the recipe stand upright on their own! If they’re a bit wonky, they’ll easily tip over in the oven.

How to Make this Recipe

First and foremost, don’t forget to soften your butter! I use vegan butter and it softens much quicker than standard butter. Since it was a warm day, this only took about an hour in my house. Once your butter has softened, you’ll add it to a bowl with your brown sugar, chopped walnuts, sage, orange zest, and a small pinch of salt. Use either a wooden spoon or a fork to mash everything together into a cohesive mixture.

Now to prep the apples — wash them well, then cut off the very tops (the portion with the stem) and set them aside. I find this next part easiest with a grapefruit spoon since it’s serrated but you can also use a regular spoon along with a paring knife. You’ll carefully scoop out the core and seeds, making sure not to go all the way down to the other end. You want a nice cavity that holds the filling.

Place each of your prepared apples into a baking dish that is roughly 8×8 inches in size. I used one that has higher sides in the event that one of the apples tried to topple over while baking. The last step is to divide the filling between each apple, packing it down into the cavity with a spoon. Place each top back onto the apples, then pour the water or apple cider into the baking dish. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until nice and tender!

How to Serve Your Baked Apples

I like to cut each apple in half before serving since it makes them much easier to eat. You can serve these by themselves because they are incredibly delicious on their own. But, if you’d like to take it just a step further, you can serve them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, maple sweetened yogurt, or whipped cream. I’ve also enjoyed one of these for breakfast over buttered oatmeal!

If you love apple desserts, I highly recommend checking out my maple cinnamon apple crumble (vegan/gf) and my chamomile apple galette (vegan/gf)!

Baked Apples with Walnuts & Sage (vegan)

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Author: Courtney West
Total Time: 50 minutes
Yield: 4 servings 1x
Diet: Vegan

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Description

Ingredients

Units Scale

3 tablespoons softened vegan butter
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
packed 1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage
1 teaspoon orange zest
tiny pinch of sea salt
4 medium-sized apples such as Fuji or Cosmic Crisp
1/2 cup water or apple cider
ice cream or yogurt for serving – optional

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Instructions

Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Add the softened vegan butter to a bowl along with the walnuts, brown sugar, sage, orange zest, and salt. Use either a wooden spoon or a fork to mash everything together into a cohesive mixture.
Wash your apples well, then cut off the very tops (the portion with the stem) and set them aside. I find this next part easiest with a grapefruit spoon since it’s serrated but you can also use a regular spoon along with a paring knife. You’ll carefully scoop out the core and seeds, making sure not to go all the way down to the other end. You want a nice cavity that holds the filling.
Place each of your prepared apples into a baking dish that is roughly 8×8 inches in size. I used one that has higher sides in the event that one of the apples tried to topple over while baking. Divide the filling between each apple, packing it down into the cavity with a spoon. Place each top back onto the apples, then pour the water or apple cider into the baking dish. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until nice and tender.
Allow the apples to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

Sweet or sweet/tart apples with firm flesh are the best. I recommend Cosmic Crisp (what I used), Fuji, Pink Lady, or Honeycrisp. If you prefer a tart apple, feel free to use a Granny Smith.
I prefer to serve these cut in half. If you like, you can add a scoop of ice cream, yogurt, or whipped cream!

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35-40 minutes
Category: dessert

Fonio Salad with Roasted Carrots and Radishes

November 2, 2023 By Courtney West 2 Comments

Fonio Salad with Roasted Carrots & Radishes | vegan and gluten free recipe via The Sweet Miscellany Blog

Cooked fonio is mixed with roasted carrots and radishes, butter beans, toasted cashews, and fresh herbs from the garden. This vegan and gluten free salad is delicious, filling, and simple to bring together!

One of my favorite type of meals to make in any season is a grain salad. Simply toss everything together in a bowl and you’re good to go! I especially love making grain salads with fonio because it cooks up in a little over 5 minutes. For this autumnal version, I combined cooked fonio with roasted carrots and radishes, creamy butter beans, toasted cashews, lemon juice, and some fresh garlic chives and lemon basil from the garden. It’s seriously so good and so easy to bring together!

Grab these Ingredients to Make Your Fonio Salad

Fonio – this creates the base of our grain salad. You’ll combine uncooked fonio with some water and a bit of olive oil or vegan butter. You’ll simmer for just about a minute, then remove it from the heat and cover it. It’s ready to use in the recipe after just 5 minutes!
Radishes and Carrots – these make up the veggie component in the salad. I love a mix of carrots and radishes because their flavors balance each other so beautifully. We’ll do a simple roast on these with olive oil and sea salt until they’re tender and just beginning to caramelize around the edges.
Fresh Herbs – this recipe relies on the fresh flavor of herbs to take it to the next level. I used a mix of garlic chives and lemon basil from my garden but dill, parsley, cilantro, onion chives, and sweet basil would also be equally delicious. Use what you have!
Cooked Butter Beans – these add a creamy element as well as some protein to the salad. Feel free to use any cooked bean you like in their place, but I love that they have a more neutral flavor that doesn’t distract from the other ingredients.
Toasted Cashews – add a lovely, nutty flavor and crunch.
Lemon – adds a brightness and punch to the salad that lifts all of the flavors.
Olive Oil – this will help us roast the veggies and add a bit of flavor to the fonio.
Sea Salt – seasons and balances flavors.

How to Cook with Fonio

Just in case you’ve never come across it, fonio is a type of millet that is naturally gluten free and most commonly grown in West Africa. Fonio grains are incredibly small but when they are cooked, they have a fluffy texture similar to couscous. Fonio has a nutty flavor similar to millet and is incredibly versatile.

Here’s how I cook it: combine your fonio and water in a 1:2 ratio in small pot. So, if you’re cooking 1/2 cup of fonio, you’ll add 1 cup of water to the pot. I like to add a tablespoon or so of olive oil or vegan butter to the pot as well. Set the pot over medium heat. Once it comes to a simmer, continue to stir it for about 30-60 seconds until the fonio has thickened and it looks like most of the water has been absorbed. Then, remove it from the heat, cover it, and let it sit 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, fluff it with a fork and it’s good to go!

Substitution Notes

Fonio is less common to see in the store, so if you don’t have access to it, you can use 1 1/2 to 2 cups of cooked millet or quinoa in its place.
Feel free to use any combination of root veggies you like in place of the carrots and radishes.
Any cooked white bean will work in place of the butter beans: navy, cannellini, etc.
Don’t skip out on the fresh herbs! I went with what I had in my garden but any of the following will work really well in the recipe: parsley, dill, cilantro, sweet basil, onion chives, and tarragon.

If you love fonio, I recommend trying my fonio bowl with garlicky kale and roasted carrots. I pair it with a cilantro mint yogurt sauce that is lip-smacking delicious!

Want to see how easily this recipe comes together? You can watch it here!