Apples are great any time of the year. They are full of vitamins and minerals and are just great eaten as they are. But during this chilly, or downright cold, time of year, warm apples really hit the spot. Vegan Scalloped Apples make a wonderful side dish to warm you up after a cold day.

Vegan Scalloped Apples

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon light vegetable oil or light olive oil
• 4 medium apples
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 medium orange

Directions:

1. Slice apples in half, and then into quarters. Cut out the seeds and slice quarters into thin slices.
2. Heat oil over medium heat in medium size skillet.
3. Add apples to skillet and cook until apples become golden and tender, about 15 – 20 minutes.
4. Sprinkle cornstarch over apples and stir until cornstarch is dissolved.
5. Cook an additional 1-2 minutes.
6. Sprinkle sugar over apples and stir.
7. Slice orange in half and squeeze the juice from each half over apples and stir until sugar is dissolved.
8. Cook an additional 1-2 minutes.
9. Serve while hot.

What’s Christmas without a fruit cake? Fruit cakes of olden days were often a joke. But this vegan version is moist and yummy and will make a great addition to your holiday traditions.

Vegan Christmas Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Candied pineapple
• 1/2 lb Citron
• 1/4 lb Candied citron
• 1/4 lb Candied orange & lemon peel
• 1/4 lb Candied cherries
• 1 1/2 lb Raisins
• 1/2 lb Currants
• 1/2 cup Grapefruit juice
• 1/4 lb Whole mixed nuts without peanuts
• 2 cups Flour
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Baking soda
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 3/4 cup Shortening
• 1 cup White sugar
• 1 cup Brown sugar
• 5 tablespoon Cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon Almond extract
• 6 tablespoons Grapefruit juice

Directions:

1. Combine pineapple, citrons, peels, cherries, raisins & currants in a large bowl.
2. Add 1/2 cup grapefruit juice, mix very well.
3. Cover & let stand overnight.
4. The next day, add the nuts & 1/2 cup of the flour to the fruit mixture & mix well.
5. Combine the rest of the flour with the baking soda, salt & cinnamon in a separate bowl, & mix well.
6. In a third bowl, beat the shortening for 30 seconds.
7. Gradually add the sugars, creaming well as you add them.
8. Stir in the cornstarch.
9. Add the beaten shortening & sugars to the fruit.
10. Gradually stir in the flour mixture.
11. Add the almond extract & the rest of the grapefruit juice, stirring well until the mixture is well combined.
12. Preheat oven to 275F.
13. Grease a 10″ square cake
14. Line with parchment paper & grease the paper.
15. Transfer the cake mixture to the cake tin and press down gently.
16. Bake for 3 hours, but check after two hours. If the top is browning too quickly, cover with some waxed paper.
17. After it is cooked, remove from the oven & place on a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes.
18. Gently remove cake from the tin & peel away the paper.
19. Let cool on wire racks till completely cooled. Wrap in waxed paper & keep in a cool place.
20. If icing the cake, layer with marzipan & then decorate as desired.

[Recipe courtesy of Recipe-search.co.uk]