Apple Chips (Vegan, GF, paleo, clean)

Roo is totally into granola these days… I've been trying to find ways to make it more interesting than just oatmeal versions. We had a bunch of apples I didn't know what to do with, so I though I'd take a stab at drying them out for apple chips to add to granola. Here goes nothing!

Ingredients:

2 apples

1-2 cups of water

3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice

Slice the apples pretty thin, but not so thin you chop your fingers off… no one likes bloody apples. Put them in a bowl and cover with water and lemon juice. Stir around gently to coat.

Spoon out the apples and lay out on a thick stack of paper towels to drain. (This next picture is totally useless, don't say I didn't warn you.)

This is the time consuming part: Arrange the slices on a cookie sheet with parchment paper. If you feel the need to sing at the top of your lungs along to Beyonce while doing this, then that makes 2 of us! :) 

Once you've gotten that out of your system and all the apples are lined up on the sheet, bake at 170 for about 5 hours. This would be a good time to clean your filthy house, or better yet, catch up on the Real Housewives. After 5 hours, flip the slices over and turn the oven off. Return them to the warm oven and let them sit overnight. The next morning they will be crisp! If you are making them for your toddler, you may now smack yourself for taking that long to make your 3 year old a snack that now all the sudden she doesn't want anymore. Facepalm. Oh well, more for me!

Happy Eating!!

Apple Cinnamon Quinoa with Almonds (Paleo, Vegan, GF, Clean)

So I've discovered that being vegan is one of the most delicious lifestyles ever, despite common misconceptions that veganism means eating leaves all day. I'm in love with so many of recipes that I will be posting soon. I hope you'll try them and discover a few new favorites as well! Today, I had what my co-worker referred to as "Apple Crisp" for breakfast. That's how good it smells and tastes… Little does he know… *Cue evil Vegan laughter*

Apple Cinnamon Quinoa with Almonds

Ingredients:

1/4 cup dairy free butter (I used coconut)

3 medium apples, peeled and diced

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

3/4 cups uncooked quinoa

1/4 cup brown sugar (optional)

2 cups unfiltered fresh apple juice

1 teaspoon vanilla

Dairy-free milk (optional, hemp is our favorite!)

Sliced almonds, dry cranberries/raisins (optional)

Start by "melting" the butter in a skillet. If you are using coconut butter, it won't really melt. It just gets all ooey-gooey. Add the apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Stir that puppy up to coat every apple in goodness. Cook for about 5 minutes until the apples start getting soft.

 Add in the brown sugar, apple juice, vanilla and uncooked quinoa and stir. Cover.

 Let cook on low to medium heat for about 2 hours or until it has an oatmeal-y (ok, I made that word up) texture. Spoon into a bowl and add almonds, cranberries, raisins, more sugar, and dairy-free milk. If you are SMART like me, you'll keep the leftovers for a hassle free breakfast you can enjoy throughout the work week. Nothing like a good protein packed breakfast to get your day off to a good start!! 

Happy Eating!