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

You have just read the article entitled Toast Topper #30: Zapple Butter. Please read the article from Emilija the sweet Estsin About Blogging Events , Condiments and Sauces , Dairy - Free , Egg - Free , Gluten - Free , Kid - Friendly , Low - Calorie , Low - Fat , Sugar - Free , Toast Topper , Tree Nut - Free , Vegan , Vegetarian more. And you can also bookmark this page with the URL : http://emilija-thesweetestsin.blogspot.com/2013/09/toast-topper-30-zapple-butter.html