Swedish Apple Pie

My sister-in-law Shirley made this delicious fruit dessert for us last weekend. It lends itself to modification and I made it with a mixture of fruit (apples, frozen raspberries and blueberries) as I find that storage apples can be bland by this time of year.

Slice 5 cups of apples or 5 cups of fresh fruit and place in a 9 inch pie plate with

1 heaping tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp sugar or sweetener
1/2 tsp nutmeg if desired
pinch of salt if desired

In a separate bowl combine

1 cup flour or mixture of flours
pinch of salt
1/2 -2/3 cup brown sugar or other sweetener
1 egg
1 cup chopped walnuts or other nuts
1/2 cup melted margarine or butter

Place topping evenly over fruit.

Bake at 350F for 40-50 minutes or until top is browned and fruit is tender.

Microwave Popcorn

Paper bag approximately 14 x 26 cm

Commercial microwave popcorn bags expose users to potential chemical risks which you can read about by following the link to this Wikipedia article. I learned that popcorn can be microwaved easily in regular paper bags and have experimented with the methods described on several websites. Microwave ovens heat unevenly and results can vary even if the same method is used each time. Different sized bags and variations in microwave oven outputs will also affect the recipe. This is how it works in our oven.

Place 1/4 cup of popcorn kernels in a lunch sized paper bag. Fold the top down narrowly twice (about 2 cm folds). If the bag is too small the popping corn will tear it open.

Place bag upright in microwave oven and set on high for 2 minutes 10 seconds (1000 watt oven). Watch the bag closely. Occasionally the popcorn is done in less than 2 minutes so remove early it if the popping slows down a lot or stops.

Remove the popped corn. Sometimes there are quite a few unpopped kernels in the bag and you can put the bag back in the oven for 15 to 30 seconds watching it carefully.

Makes 6 cups popcorn. Pour melted butter over the popcorn or just add salt if desired.

Granola

Mom used to make granola for me in the 1970's. I would take a jar of it back to the one room I lived in when I went to university. I have never made it myself but my daughter was making some today so I looked up a recipe, modified it and made this batch. I have one complaint about it...
It is too good, and rather addictive.
Ingredients:
2 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon or less salt
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup walnuts
1/4 cup coarsely ground or whole flaxseeds (optional)
1/3-1/2 cup raisins or other dried fruit
(Add 1 to 1-1/3 cups of nuts/dried fruit of your choice to 2 cups of oats)
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a cookie sheet.
In a large bowl, toss the oats with the cinnamon and salt.
In a medium bowl, stir together the oil, maple syrup and vanilla. Whisk until completely combined.
Pour the mixture over the oats and flaxseed mixture and and mix thoroughly until all grains are coated.
Pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Spread it out evenly, but leave a few clumps here and there for texture.
Bake for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven and use a metal spatula to lift and flip the granola. Sprinkle the walnuts over the granola and return the baking sheet to the oven.
Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and use a metal spatula to lift and flip the granola. Bake for 5-10 minutes until nicely toasted, then remove from the oven. Let cool completely. Sprinkle the dried fruit over the granola.

August 2012

I experimented with a yummy variation of this granola. Forget the cocoa krispie cereal!

Chocolate Granola

Add 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
Use coconut oil 
Substitute 1 tbsp blackstrap molasses and agave syrup for the sweetener
Use dried cherries for the fruit

Lentils and Rice

I found these colourful mixed lentils in the Indian food section of our supermarket this week. Lentils cook quickly and do not need pre-soaking. They are ideal for a quick supper. I planned to make Mom's Goulash for my husband's dinner and modified the recipe to make this vegetarian version. It turned out very well and both dishes took about 40 minutes from start to finish.

1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 bell pepper chopped
1-2 tsp oil
1 cup lentils
5 cups water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried oregano, thyme
1/2 tsp hot pepper flakes

14 oz canned stewed tomatoes

1 cup basmati rice

1 zucchini, sliced or diced
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
2 cups shredded greens (I used mustard greens)

Heat oil in wok or large pan. Cook onions and peppers until softened. Add lentils and stir into the oil and vegetable mixture. Add salt and spices. (change the spice combination if desired)
Add water and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer lentils for about 15 minutes until they are partially cooked. Add tomatoes and rice and continue to cook until rice and lentils are soft. Add more water if necessary. Add zucchini, mushrooms and greens (or any other combination of quick-cooking vegetables) and simmer until they are done and the liquid is absorbed. Adjust seasonings if necessary.

Makes 4-6 main servings, or 8 side dishes. We served it with cabbage and onion slaw.

(The lentil and rice mixture, without the last group of vegetables, is the right texture and consistency for making a filling for cabbage rolls. I have tried a vegan cabbage roll filling which tasted "OK" but looked very unappetizing. I liked the look of this combination and may try it with some blanched cabbage stored in my freezer)