Apple of my eye

Where I'm from in California, we don't have seasons. But living here in Washington D.C., we're experiencing this strange phenomenon called autumn. My weekly fruit and vegetable box delivery runneth over with apples and squash. I'm actually not a fan of raw apples, so I've been exploring different ways to prepare them.

Applesauce:
Making applesauce from scratch is so ridiculously easy its almost pathetic to even blog about it. But there was a time when I would run out to the store to buy a jar of applesauce, not knowing that with a knife, a pot, and about 15 minutes I could make my own. Applesauce is an essential ingredient in vegan baking. It can be used in place of oil and eggs in many different recipes. One day I wanted to make German Apple cake (see below) and didn't have applesauce on hand. I did however have apples. So when life gives you apples, make applesauce! Well, you get the idea...

1. Peel, core and chop up as many apples as you want,
2. Place apples in a pot with about 1/4 cup of apple juice or water,
3. Cook until soft and then mash with a potato masher.

Yeah, I know. Super easy! Now you never have to buy the jarred stuff again. Since I'm making this applesauce to bake with, I didn't add any additional flavoring or sugar, by you could add sugar and cinnamon at the end.

So now that you have your apple sauce, you can use it in brownies, cakes and muffins. But to celebrate apples even more, I used my apple sauce in this German Apple Cake from The Joy of Vegan Baking.

Yumm!