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Spiced Persimmon, Apple, & Pear Butter

If you haven’t tried persimmons, the ideal fruit for this season, you should think about putting it on your next grocery list. Persimmons are subtly sweet with a texture similar to tomatoes, making them crazy versatile to cook with. Part of the berry family, persimmons are loaded in Vitamin C, Vitamin A, help maintain good vision, healthy skin, strong teeth and bones. Plus, this fruit has shown to improve heart health and can be beneficial for boosting the immune system. Not only an easy remedy for winter wellness, but also pairs perfectly with all your favorite holiday dishes. Toss them in salads, soups, try them roasted, make a syrup, or try our fruit butter recipe below! The possibilities are endless! 

Ingredients:

1/4 cup of lemon juice
1/4 cup of maple syrup or honey
3 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 cups of chopped and peeled apples and pears and persimmons

Method:

1. Chop the persimmons, apples and pears  into 1/2” chunks. Place in a pot with just a little bit of water to cover the bottom. Heat on low and keep stirring until the fruit is soft. 

2. Mash larger pieces with a potato masher and add lemon juice, honey, cinnamon, vanilla extract and allow contents to summer until thickened for about one hour. 

2. Remove from heat and transfer to a blender (optional) for a smooth consistency. After blended ladle the hot butter into clean, sterilized mason jars and store. Makes a great food swapping trade or holiday gift. 

Yields abou 2 pints. 

Spiced Apple & Caramelized Fennel Whole Wheat Biscuits

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Warm buttery biscuits often goes over-looked, especially when half your friends are gluten free and carb consumption is limited to bananas and beer. But when that perfectly appropriate time does come for homemade cornbread, biscuits, dinner rolls, and other glutinously delectable variations, who can really complain?

These biscuits deviated pretty much entirely from this recipe (how good does that sound?!) but nevertheless were a success. With leftover fennel hanging around, fresh picked mountain apples, and the perfect excuse to use seasonal spices, this random combination of ingredients resulted in a next-level flavor combo.

Honestly, you could get away with pretty much any bread variation for this recipe, but it was breakfast when I served those so made sense for biscuits.

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour (set a cup or so aside for when rolling out the dough)
1 tbsp baking powder
1 pinch of fine sea salt
Cinnamon, nutmeg, and any other spiced seasoning of choice
3/4 cup liquid coconut oil.
1/2 cup of organic honey
2 tbsp of brown sugar
2 eggs
A dribble of warm water or milk of choice
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 to 2 cups of peeled apples
1 whole fennel (you can choose to use the whole vegetable, I only used the bulb).

 

Method:

For the spiced apples: Preheat the over to 400 degree F
1. Peel the apples, then cut into thin slices. Toss them in with 1/3 of the coconut oil, spices, and the brown sugar.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pop in the oven for about 10 minutes.
3. Remove from the oven and save the parchment paper!

For the fennel:
1. I used the bulb for this, but you can use whatever part of the fennel you want. The bulb caramelizes better though. If you choose to use that, go ahead and chop it up into small sized chunks. 
2. Add a few tbsp of the coconut oil to the pain, or just enough to reach all the fennel.
3. Toss the fennel in and cook until caramelized.
* In this step you can chose to further season the fennel with sugar, a bit of sea salt, honey, or anything else really. I used a bit of brown sugar with the coconut oil.
4. When done remove to cool.

For the biscuits: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F
1. Add together the flour, baking powder, salt and spices.
2. Pour in the remainder of the coconut oil, your honey, and vanilla extract.
3. Gently whisk the eggs and milk choice together, then add the caramelized fennel, and THEN add into your mixture.
4. Fold all ingredients in together so that they've absorbed into the flour.
5. Roll out the dough and then cut with a round biscuit cutter. Use extra flour if needed. Because you will be stuffing the biscuits with your now tender spiced apples, try and be weary of the size you cut the rounds.
6. Once you have your biscuits cut out, place an apple slice in the center of each, and then fold around so that it (mostly) covers the center. 
7. Finish stuffing the biscuits, then place on top of your parchment paper you used earlier for the apples. The paper should still be sugary moist from the coconut oil and sugar. 
8. Pop in the oven for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until cooked.

Take out, smother in buttah, and enjoy!

Dehydrated Snackings: Apple & Beet Chips

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Because we all need a little munch in our life without added preservatives, you know? These recipes below are simple, crunchy, healthy, and totally addictive. The only problem we have with them, is how fast they seem to disappear from the pantry. Within moments, they’re just.. gone. 

Seasoning your chips is to your preference, but these recipes tend to lean toward a lil' sweet, and a lil' savory. If you're looking for a lot  of chew (like tough as leather), it's better to leave your chips in the dehydrator for a few hours less. For a crunchier bite, stick to our advised dehydrating time of about 12 hours.

 

Beet Chips

Ingredients:

 5 beets, I used golden and red
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup water
Himalayan salt and pepper to taste

 

Method:

1. Mix together cider vinegar, oil and water. Set aside.

2. Slice the beets very thin. I used a mandoline for this.

3. Soak the sliced beets in the water mixture for about 10 minutes. You may have to toss to coat.

4. Spread on screens, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Dehydrate at 145 for 45 minutes, reduce heat to 115 and continue dehydrating for about 12 hours or until chips are crunchy. 

*Note: Don’t worry about beginning dehydration temp. The food never goes above 115 and it’s raw integrity is not compromised.

 

Cinnamon Apple Chips

Ingredients:

6-8 apples
5 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp maple syrup (optional)
2 tsp cinnamon

 

Method:

1. Slice the apples as thin as you can get them. The key tool to have to make a wafer thin, uniform, crisp apple chip is a mandolin.

2. In a bowl, combine apples, cinnamon, whatever spices, and lemon juice. Mix around so both sides of the apple rings are coated in the mixture. 

3. Place apple rings on mesh drying trays one at a time. Dry at 155°F for about 4 hours or until firm and crisp. Remove from trays, transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 months.

4. Embrace the smell of your kitchen.