Toast Topper #30: Zapple Butter

Food bloggers can relate to the situation I found myself in this evening as I was polishing off my after-dinner "snack": You know those days when you make something out of the blue that turns out to be totally delicious... but you've eaten most of it before it ever occurs to you to take a photo? Yeah, that was me with this. Update: I made it again, so photo-less no longer!

I honestly didn't think I'd be talking about such a simple (and strange) mixture on my blog at all - really, who would care about hearing be gab about making applesauce, or fussing about the glut of zucchini still filling the fridge? I wound up combining the two topics in a sense by making this spread / thick sauce, since while grating up the fruit (it cooks down so much faster that way), I decided to chuck one of the Summer squash down the processor feed tube as well. Zucchini are blissfully bland in this respect, and just porous enough to soak up what they're surrounded with, so in a sense they just stretch the bulk of the apples without being overly vegetal. By baking the puree down (like my previous apple butters) it turns into the same caramel-brown treat, lightly scented with cinnamon and requiring no sugar or sweetening at all (though if you want to add maple syrup, stevia or something else, it's your prerogative). Whether you smear it on your toast, swirl it into muffins or add it to granola mixtures (like I did - stay tuned!), it's a delicious way to get your veggies - and your fruit - without really thinking about it!

Shared with Wellness Weekend

Update! Batch #2 with photo!

Zapple Butter
Makes about 2 1/2 cups, 10 (1/4 cup) servings
5 large apples (any variety, I used Pink Lady and Cortland), stemmed and coarsely grated (leave peels and cores)
1 large zucchini (about 350g), coarsely grated (leave peel on)
1/4 cup unsweetened apple juice
1/2 tsp cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Mix apples, zucchini and apple juice in a covered casserole.
3. Cover and bake for 2 hours, until very broken down.
4. Allow to cool slightly, then run through a food mill to remove hard pieces of core and skin.
5. Stir in cinnamon and add puree back to the casserole dish.
6. Re-cover and bake another hour, then remove the lid and bake a further 30-45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes, until dark brown and very thick.
7. Transfer to a jar and store in the fridge for up to 3 weeks or freeze up to 6 months.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 63.6
Total Fat: 0.2 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 1.2 mg
Total Carbs: 16.8 g
Dietary Fiber: 3.0 g
Protein: 0.5 g

Radish Muffins #EatingA2ZChallenge

Radish.
Muffins.

Yes, you heard me - I am that crazy person who puts almost anything in a baked good, and radishes are just the next thing on the list.You see, I planted a half package of seeds just to fill up a gap in my garden and feed my craving for roasted radishes with dinner (if you haven't tried them, you should!). As what often happens from year to year (especially since the growing season is so short), I forgot just how virile those little roots were, and soon I found myself with more than I could eat in a year, let alone before they went all slimy in the fridge. So I cast my mind around for an idea to use up the extras (without resorting to canning pickles, since I had already done that), and settled on the sweet catch-all of the kitchen... the quickbread.

It's not that weird, really, when you think about it. I mean, we add carrots, parsnips, beets and zucchini (and if you're me, kale) to muffins and loaves, so why not another vegetable? Radishes in the raw usually wind up getting the short end of the veggie stick, and are all too often ignored on the dip platters at potlucks. For some, they're too spicy. For others trying to use them in cooking, they're seen as not versatile enough. These muffins disprove all that! They're like carrot muffins, spiced with rich allspice and cinnamon and filled with pops of sweet raisins. The radish just adds a rich, earthy note that brings them up a notch into "special" territory.

Like the hashtag in my post title indicates, it's time for another round of the Eating the Alphabet Challenge on Meal Planning Magic! We had a three-fer to choose from this month - P, Q or R - and obviously I chose R with my radishes and raisins! By the way, did you know just 100g of radishes provide about  25% of the RDA for vitamin C, as well as lots of antioxidants, folate, vitamin B-6, riboflavin, thiamin, iron, magnesium, copper and calcium? Wowee, healthy!

Maple-Sweetened Apple Fruit Leather #DessertChallenge

Strangely enough, I hated candy as a child. Chocolate, cakes, cookies... let me at 'em. But gummi anything, jelly beans, suckers, taffy, hard drops... I'd pass. The only exceptions I'd make were for honey-filled candy made by one of my mom's co-workers (who ran an apiary as a hobby!) and mellowcremes at Halloween. The texture and one-note sweetness of most candy available back then was boring, and if I was going to blow my allowance money (this was before calorie budgets became known to my young mind), it was going to be on a creamy, rich piece of chocolate.

I still don't love commercial candy (artisan or homemade caramels are delicious though), but I do love fruit roll-ups. Real fruit roll-ups, though, made of dehydrated fruit puree, maybe a spice or two and a drizzle of sweetening... nothing else. This version is probably the simplest of my batches this year, needing only apples, cinnamon, maple syrup and a pinch of smoked (or regular) salt. Homemade fruit roll-ups are a delicious, easy portable snack for everyone's lunchbox, and are doubly easy if you have a dehydrator and an offset palette knife. Of course, if you don't have a dehydrator and aren't in the market (granted, mine cost me $10 on Kijiji) a low oven is a viable substitute! I've given both sets of directions below so everyone can play with Nature's candy, adding a healthy, sweet treat to your family's routine.

Coconut Funfetti Ice Cream Cake Truffles

After tempting you all with the Coconut Funfetti Ice Cream Cake last Sunday (and mentioning I made an extra one!) I couldn't very well leave you hanging without the cake ball recipe I used! I dialed up the vanilla and ice cream flavours even more with these rich spheres of wonder too, cramming in extra melted ice cream (new tubs need to be christened, right?) and vanilla-bean flecked frosting (I used some Super Vanilla Frosting I had in the freezer but normally I'd just add the vanilla bean to a tub of Duncan Hines). A little extra coconut flour kept everything together (plus it tasted good!) and in no time I had what felt like a gazillion bite-sized goodies hanging out in my freezer.

Since I didn't need to coat all of them at once, I gave them the IQF treatment on baking sheets before transferring them to a plastic bag. For a family member's birthday, I pulled out, milk-chocolate coated, decorated and packaged 6 of them, while the rest of them became a "thank-you" package for my supervisors after my summer camp volunteer stint ended. They're a fun, frugal and more casual way to celebrate when a whole cake is a bit too much - say, after 

A Tailgating #SundaySupper?

Shared with Waste Not Want Not Wednesday on Poor and Gluten Free.

Coconut Funfetti Ice Cream Cake (A Tailgating #SundaySupper)

I'll admit - I have no idea what tailgating is. At all. It's not something we tend to do around where I live, mostly because the general population only watches hockey (and occasionally a horrible, drawn out baseball slaughter) and it's just too darn cold to hang around an icy parking lot for hours. Especially when you could be in a nice, cozy bar with a couple cold ones and a basket of fries (and a salad of course ;-D), watching the game on TV. But it seems that the art of noshing outside the stadium has been perfected by the football crowd in the US, and even if you're not into the game in question, I can see the appeal of the social aspect. I actually just found an interesting article on the history of tailgating... yes I'm a nerd.

Generally, tailgating parties are all about the beer (nothing wrong with that!) and the meat (well...), but what about dessert? I mean really, man cannot live on cow, pig and chicken alone, no matter how delicious they are. No, parties of any kind demand a celebratory cap off. And what's more fun than a Funfetti cake?

This is actually a great cake for post Labour Day, since if your family is anything like mine you never quite finished up the 3 tubs of ice cream that were all opened and partially eaten from during the Summer. If you can believe it, taking that super-soft ice cream and beating it with a handful of other ingredients creates a perfectly sweet, low-rising cake that could be frosted or simply served with (more!) ice cream and some fresh berries. 

I wish I could take credit for the idea, but I actually found it on a fellow #SundaySupper chef's (Pam of Blueberries and Blessings) page and tweaked it to make her chocolate chip/vanilla cake into a coconut funfetti concoction! I did have to modify some of the ingredients for texture, but her original was a great starting point - I actually made two of these and turned one into cake balls for a gift! Whether you serve it up outside your local Dome or cut a slice for an after-dinner treat, it's definitely a simple go-to dessert. Oh, and did I mention it's gluten free too?

This #SundaySupper is all about the tailgating experience - drinks, food and fun! Our host this week is Lane of Supper For A Steal - thanks Lane!

Get your tailgate on with all the yummy offerings below!

Warm Ups (Appetizers):

• Bacon and Onion Dip by The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
• Chicken Fajita Dip and Quesadillas by Chocolate Moosey
• Crab Rangoons by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Double Cheese Dill Scones by Vintage Kitchen Notes
• Fried Yucca With Pink Sauce by Basic N Delicious
• Grilled Corn Dip by Kudos Kitchen By Renee
• Grilled Gameday Nachos by Supper for a Steal
• Homemade Potato Chips w/ Blue Cheese Sauce by girlichef
• Liptauer Cheese Spread by Magnolia Days
• Mahogany Baked Chicken Wings by The Dinner-Mom
• Mexican Corn Dip by Growing Up Gabel
• Pizza Dip by Small Wallet, Big Appetite
• Posh Pigs In a Blanket by The Weekend Gourmet
• Pretzel Nuggets by I Run For Wine
• Roasted Garlic & Tomatillo Salsa Verde by Killer Bunnies, Inc
• Savory Baked Pinwheel’s by The Not So Cheesy Kitchen
• Sesame Glazed Cauliflower “Wings” by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Stuffed Banana Pepper Bites by Daily Dish Recipes
• Sweet Potato Hummus by Alida’s Kitchen
• Sweet Potato Skins by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• VJ Catch-erole by My Other City By The Bay

Game Time (Main Dishes and Sides):

• 1,2,3,4,5 Chinese Spareribs by The Urban Mrs
• Bacon Burger Sliders by Peanut Butter and Peppers
• Beef on Weck by Healthy. Delicious.
• Carrot Slaw by The Foodie Army Wife
• Cheerwine BBQ Pulled Pork by Nik Snacks
• Chicken, Bacon, Ranch Quesadillas by Cookin’ Mimi
• Chicken, Brie and Apple Turnovers by Shockingly Delicious
• Easy Grilled Chicken Caesar Sandwiches by Momma’s Meals
• French Onion Chicken Sandwiches by Foxes Love Lemons
• Frito Olé by Home Cooking Memories
• Gomoku Treasure Rice by NinjaBaking.com
• Grilled Fajita Kebabs by CuriousCuisiniere
• Hatch Chile Pimento Cheese Burgers by Juanita’s Cocina
• Italian Tuna and Shells Salad by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Pressed Brick Sandwich by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Pulled Lamb Barbecue Sandwiches by The Texan New Yorker
• Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Soup by Neighborfood
• Smoky Turkey Burgers by Webicurean
• Snorker and Spicy Slaw Sandwiches by Food Lust People Love
• Tandoori BBQ Chicken by Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
• Tortilla Hot Dogs by La Cocina de Leslie

Overtime (Drinks and Desserts):

• Coconut Funfetti Ice Cream Cake by What Smells So Good?
• Funfetti Sugar Cookies by Pies and Plots
• Individual Elvis Pies by Treats & Trinkets
• Portuguese Sangria by Family Foodie

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter each Sunday. We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm EST. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. Check out our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more fabulous recipes and food photos.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here.