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Easy 4th of July Apple Galette Recipe — VEGAN!

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As things really hang in limbo with the reopening of everything, the kids and I have been still hanging at home. But this has left a lot of time to try new recipes. Lucky for me, I have three little taste-testers — and one big one! Creating a vegan apple galette recipe just in time for the 4th of July was a huge success!

tart dessert

While not everyone agrees on meals I make (mostly because kids are picky, y’all!). They will always agree on dessert! And, can you blame them? Nope!

So I’m sharing this delicious (and vegan!) Apple Galette recipe — just in time for the upcoming 4th of July holiday! It’s sweet, a little tart, and a whole lot of delicious!

Apple Galette

APPLE GALETTE RECIPE
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Additional Time 2 hours
Total Time 3 hours

Ingredients

Crust

  • 1 cup of whole wheat flour OR all purpose flour
  • 1 Tablespoon of powdered sugar
  • 6 Tablespoons of cold butter / butter alternative
  • 1/4 Cup of water, ice cold
  • 1/4 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 Tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon of AJOYO Unsweetened Almond Milk (for brushing)
  • 1 teaspoon of sliced almonds (optional)

Filling

  • 2-3 apples, sliced and cored
  • 4 Tablespoons of powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon of powdered cinnamon
  • 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice

Instructions

To make the crust:

  1. Place the flour, salt, sugar, and butter into a bowl and give this a mix, breaking the pieces of butter into smaller chunks, rubbing into the flour.
    APPLE GALETTE RECIPE PROCESS
  2. Add the apple cider vinegar and ice cold water to the mix. Gently start mixing it with the dry flour until it starts to form a ball.
    APPLE GALETTE RECIPE PROCESS
  3. Once the dough is well mixed, wrap it with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill for 2 hours.
    APPLE GALETTE RECIPE PROCESS

To make the filling:

  1. Place the sliced apples in a large bowl. Toss the apples with cinnamon, powdered sugar, and lemon juice until well-coated.
    APPLE GALETTE RECIPE PROCESS

To assemble:

  1. Preheat the oven 350 degrees.
  2. Remove the dough from the fridge. Roll out until relatively round and thin.
  3. Sprinkle half of the sugar on the rolled crust.
  4. Place the sliced apple filling in the middle of the rolled crust and spread it evenly leaving a half a centimeter edge.
    APPLE GALETTE RECIPE PROCESS
  5. Sprinkle the remaining sugar on top of the filling.
  6. Take a small edge and fold it over the filling. Repeat this step taking small sections of the dough until the galette is formed.
    APPLE GALETTE RECIPE
  7. Brush the folded over crust with AJOYO Unsweetened Almond Milk and sprinkle the sliced almonds on top.
  8. Bake the galette for about 30 minutes or until the crust turns golden brown. 
  9. Let it cool before serving.
    APPLE GALETTE RECIPE
  10. ENJOY by itself or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
© Rachel

As you can see, this recipe can easily be modified to be made into a fully vegan recipe. Some of my favorite butter alternatives are coconut oil and avocado oil, but I wouldn’t recommend either of those for this particular recipe. Instead, try and use the Country Crock Plant Based Butter Sticks! They have the same density and consistency of milk-based butter, which definitely helps in this recipe.

PIN ME - APPLE GALETTE

Tell me — what’s your favorite apple recipe?!

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Vegan pie

Boozy Red, White, and Blue Popsicles Recipe

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Is it even the 4th of July if you’re not donning red, white, and blue and eating an array of themed foods? No — no it definitely isn’t! If I’m being honest, I am a tad bit obsessed with themed foods. For my eldest child’s first birthday party I used puns and themed foods for literally every. single. thing. While it’s been increasingly difficult to be that ‘extra’ with each subsequent child, I still go all-out for the important parties!

And, even though we’ll be homebound for this Independence Day, we’ll be holding our own little backyard celebration. Complete with mocktails, cocktails, and snacks of all kinds!

Boozy 4th of July Popsicles

My favorite part, by far, is my delicious Boozy 4th of July Popsicles. Patriotic and the perfect adult frozen treat! Sure, there will be other goodies — like red, white, and blue kabobs! And even other adult beverages (helloooo, red wine!). But these “Adult Bomb Pops” are just too perfect.

Boozy 4th of July Popsicles

But the best part of this recipe? Is it’s EASY! No blender required and nothing over the top. Just simple, straightforward fun!

Boozy 4th of July Popsicles

I’m OBSESSED! And you will be, too! If you need a recommendation for freeze pop ziploc bags, check these out here.

Yield: 3 pops

Boozy 4th of July Popsicles

Boozy 4th of July Popsicles

An adult version of the kid-favorite, BOMB POPS! Easy, unique, and FUN!

Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 bottle of Red, White & Berry Smirnoff Ice
  • 3 ounces of Vodka
  • 3 teaspoons of patriotic sprinkles
  • 3 ziploc popsicle bags

Instructions

  1. Pour 1 ounce of vodka into each of the Ziploc Popsicle Bags.
  2. Pour Red, White, and Berry Smirnoff Ice into bag until fill line.
  3. Add a teaspoon of patriotic sprinkles.
  4. Seal the bag and shake before freezing overnight.
  5. ENJOY RESPONSIBLY!
Category: brews + food

Tell me — what’s your favorite boozy beverage?!

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PIN ME - Boozy 4th of July Bomb Pops Popsicles
PIN ME - Boozy 4th of July Bomb Pops Popsicles

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The Perfect Summertime Grilled S’mores Recipe

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With Summer plans in limbo for everyone, we’re all scrambling to find fun things to keep our families busy. What better time to get creative with Summer recipes, am I right?

All three of my kids are in this really picky ‘grilled cheese’ phase. You know the kind of phase. It’s where literally all they will eat is plain old grilled cheese and nothing else.

GRILLED S'MORES SANDWICH

The funny thing about kids is that no matter how much they refuse real food, they will never ever turn down sweets. To tell you the truth, neither will I! I mean, we all love sweets, am I right?!

GRILLED S'MORES SANDWICH

The great thing about ‘Summer recipes’ is that it doesn’t have to be Summer to create them. As much as we would like to be around the campfire, life doesn’t always work out that way. In fact, on the best of days a good backyard campfire can quickly be ruined by a quick rainstorm or a fussy toddler. So, why not bring the backyard favorite indoors?

GRILLED S'MORES SANDWICH

For instance, a fun family favorite is S’mores. Everyone loves s’mores, right? Even I, someone who doesn’t really like chocolate, LOVES a good s’more. Truthfully, I prefer a non-traditional s’more with chocolate caramels instead of a chocolate bar. But a s’more is a s’more!

Tips for getting your s’more on indoors!

My first tip is this — don’t eat the chocolate (or the marshmallows!) before you start your s’mores! This is the most important and most difficult task!

My second tip is to use real butter. Margarine just doesn’t fry up and crisp the bread the way that real butter does! And I prefer salted butter — it just gives it a little salty-sweet flavor combo that is extra delicious!

Yield: 1

Grilled S'mores

GRILLED S'MORES SANDWICH

Have this decadent and RICH Summer recipe year-round!

Cook Time 7 minutes
Total Time 7 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 slices of white bread
  • 1/4 cup of mini marshmallows
  • 1/4 cup of chocolate (dark or milk)
  • tablespoon of butter

Instructions

    1. Butter one side of each piece of bread with real butter (works better than margarine).
    2. Place 1 slice of bread onto a frying pan
    3. Set the heat to low (electric level 1 or 2). The process is slow and steady!
    4. Place chocolate chips and marshmallows on top of the slice of bread and top with second piece of bread (butter side up).
    5. Cover with lid to frying pan until chocolate starts to melt.
    6. Flip over once chocolate is melted. Fry other side until it is toasted (lid off).

Notes

This is completely addictive. I am warning you! Also, feel free to try with peanut butter cups or your favorite chocolate (like peppermint patties or ROLOs!).

As you can see, this recipe is simple and easy. I wish I could say it was also healthy, but it most definitely is NOT!

So tell me — what is your favorite chocolate for s’mores — milk or dark?

PIN ME - Perfect Indoor S'mores Recipe
PIN ME - Perfect Indoor S'mores Recipe

Easy Memorial Day Cherry Pie Bites

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When it came time for a Mother’s Day celebration I had ONE request — cherry pie! It turns out that bakeries are hard to come by when you’re in lockdown. We couldn’t find one anywhere! And I had very few items on-hand.

But I did have cinnamon rolls! Queue the cherry pie baking!

I remembered seeing somewhere that someone had made pies using a can of cinnamon rolls. I thought, sure, why not? It’s basically combining two of my favorite foods — pie and cinnamon rolls. What a delicious combination, right?!

mini pies

Cinnamon rolls are just something we always have on hand with three kids under 7. They are our special ‘weekend breakfast’ treat. It’s easier than going out for donuts, and all three kids gobble them up! And these were no exception!

muffin tin

With all of the bakeries running a minimal staff this weekend, I figured this is another great opportunity to try this recipe! I tried ordering an apple pie from my favorite local bakery, but they were sold out of pre-orders. So Cherry Pie Cinnamon Roll Bites it is!

cherry pie

Check out the full recipe for all of the details.

Yield: 8

Cherry Pie Cinnamon Roll Bites

mini pies

Quick + Easy Bite-Sized Cherry Pie

Prep Time 8 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 23 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 can of refrigerated cinnamon rolls
  • Cherry Pie Filling

Instructions

  1. Spray a regular-sized muffin tin with your choice of oil (avocado, vegetable, coconut).
  2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  3. Open can of refrigerated cinnamon roll dough. Take each individual roll, and flatten it out with the palm of your hand.
  4. Press into muffin tin.
    muffin tin
  5. Add one tablespoon of cherry pie filling to each of the 8 cinnamon roll cups.
  6. Bake for 15 minutes or until cooked through.
  7. Once cool, drizzle icing from cinnamon rolls on top of cherry pies.
  8. ENJOY!

And tell me — what’s your go-to “in a pinch” recipe?!

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Overnight Baked French Toast — Dairy Free

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Yesterday was THE day — Mother’s Day! And I’m sure most of us were hoping for a nice, relaxing, day… but didn’t get it! Because, well, life with kids AND stay-at-home orders can be tricky!

Having three kids ranging in age from one to 7, I knew not to expect a relaxing day. Instead, I prepped our breakfast for Sunday morning on Saturday. That way I was in charge of cleanup and be rest assured at no-mess and no-fuss Sunday morning.

PIN ME - The BEST Overnight Baked French Toast - DAIRY FREE

I don’t usually eat breakfast because of my intermittent fasting schedule, but Mother’s Day is a special occasion. Also, Overnight Baked French Toast is a great excuse to eat breakfast! I picked up a loaf of our favorite bread from The Blue Door Cafe and Bakery just up the street. The owner and pastry chefs make all of their artisan breads daily and it is well worth a special trip! Any bread will do, but I would definitely suggest fresh bread if possible.

If you haven’t had or made overnight French toast, you may be wondering what makes it so different. Well, it’s basically like a cross between traditional French toast and a sweet quiche! It’s incredible. My kids, of course, drenched their in syrup, but I actually preferred it without syrup! It’s sweet enough on its own, thanks to the vanilla and brown sugar.

Yield: 6

Overnight Baked French Toast

Overnight Baked French Toast

Delicious, dairy-free overnight baked French toast! Perfect for lazy Saturday mornings.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 loaf of artisan / homemade bread (a brioche, challah, or swiss braid bread are perfect)
  • 8 eggs
  • ¾ of a Cup of Ajoyo Unsweetened Almond Milk
  • ½ Cup of brown sugar, tightly packed
  • 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
  • Powdered Sugar (optional)

Instructions

  1. Use coconut oil to grease the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Slice bread into ½ inch pieces. Arrange the bread slices in an overlapping pattern in the pan. Set aside.
  2. In a bowl, beat together the eggs, Ajoyo Unsweetened Almond Milk, brown sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon until well-mixed.
  3. Pour egg mixture over bread, evenly coating all pieces. Cover the pan with tinfoil and refrigerate overnight (8-10 hours).
  4. In the morning, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake, covered, for 25 minutes. Uncover and finish baking for another 10-15 minutes (until baked through).
  5. Remove from the oven. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top. Serve + enjoy with or without syrup!

I think this recipe is going to be a weekend staple in our house! I’ve also made it with pre-sliced, store-bought bread, but we all prefer the fresh bread. Either way, it’s delicious!

What kind of breakfast recipes are your favorite?

Instant Pot Dump + Start Creamy Ziti

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Oh, hi! Just Martha freaking Stewart over here! I have some other content in the works, but I’ve honestly been cooking and creating recipes nonstop. It’s hard not to share such delicious (and easy!) recipes.

I created this recipe for the big kids. We’ve been eating so much pizza — from frozen to takeout — and I’m kind of over it. Knowing that they LOVE pizza, I decided to basically make “pizza pasta.” And, oh my gosh!, it was a huge hit.

My 4-year-old, Remy, was super excited about this meal because I let her help. Thankfully, it’s basically a dump-and-start meal, so it was easy to get her involved in the process. Plus, when she helps, it encourages her to eat something new and different. She’s so picky about food lately so I’m desperate for anything I can get.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy this recipe. It’s SO not healthy! Ha! But it is incredible. It’s hearty, it’s fulfilling, and it’s just super yummy

Yield: 8

Instant Pot Dump and Go Creamy Ziti

Instant Pot Dump and Go Creamy Ziti
Prep Time 8 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3 cups of chicken broth
  • 2 cups of heavy whipping cream
  • 2 tsp of garlic powder
  • a pinch of salt
  • 16 ounces of ziti
  • 2 cups of pasta sauce
  • 1.5 cups of shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 1.5 cups of mozzarella cheese

Instructions

  1. Dump all of the ingredients (minus the pasta sauce and cheese) into the Instant Pot. Make sure pasta is covered with liquid!
  2. Turn on your Instant Pot to Manual - high - for six minutes.
  3. Let naturally release for an additional 6 minutes, then quick release.
  4. Pour pasta sauce into cooked pasta mixture. Then slowly add cheeses until melty, ooey, and deliciously gooey.
  5. Serve immediately and ENJOY your delicious "Pizza Pasta"!

The before pictures? They aren’t so pretty. Dump and cook meals are not always pretty — but they ARE delicious!

So tell me this — what’s your trick for making kids eat what you make?!

PIN ME! -- EASY INSTANT POT CREAMY ZITI