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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.

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

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Vegan pie

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?

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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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5 Foods That Will Help You Sleep at Night

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Sleep is essential for living a healthy life. Tossing and turning nonstop can lead to a variety of adverse health effects, such as an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure, among others. Sleeping disorders, such as insomnia and sleep apnea, along with lifestyles that limit the amount of sleep you get per night, can cause you to feel groggy and irritable. Luckily, food might be your answer to catching some shuteye and sleeping peacefully at night. If you’re suffering from sleep deprivation, try one of these five foods below to help you get the rest your body deserves.

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Chocolate

What else is there to say? It’s sweet, delicious, and the best pick-me-up after a long day. While dark chocolate does contain caffeine, it also contains serotonin. Serotonin is the neurotransmitter that’s responsible for helping you feel more relaxed and tired. If you’re counting sheep at night, try eating a chocolate sleep aid. Just make sure it’s dark chocolate and not milk chocolate! Milk chocolate doesn’t contain serotonin and can actually make you feel more awake.

Furthermore, dark chocolate has many attractive health benefits that make this the perfect treat to eat day and night. It is high in antioxidants, which aid in cognition and memory formation, and also help reduce the risk of heart disease! So eat the chocolate!

Chamomile

Herbal teas, such as chamomile, is a great drink to sip on before bedtime. Chamomile tea is proven to improve sleep quality. It contains apigenin, an antioxidant that is responsible for making you feel tired and can reduce insomnia. This study even found that those who drank chamomile tea before bedtime fell asleep 15 minutes faster than those who did not drink chamomile tea and reported fewer instances of waking up during the night.

chamomile tea

Along with the ability to whisk you away and into a solemn slumber, chamomile offers many additional benefits, such as:

●      Reduces symptoms of depression;

●      Improves skin health;

●      Boosts the immune system;

●      and Reduces inflammation that leads to diseases like cancer and heart disease!

Turkey

The fourth Thursday in November is one of the best days of the year. Why? Because it’s Thanksgiving! This means endless mounds of food, desserts, drinks, and conversations with friends, family, and loved ones. As you may know, turkey is often the centerpiece of every Thanksgiving Day meal, which means you’ve probably experienced the after-effects of eating turkey.

Have you ever realized how tired you were after indulging in your Thanksgiving meal? Filled tummies with turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, and green beans? That’s because turkey contains an amino acid called tryptophan, which causes the sleep-regulating hormone melatonin to increase in production. This increase in melatonin will make you feel more tired and will reduce the chances of you waking up in the middle of the night. So, before bed, try making turkey sandwiches or a turkey loaf for dinner!

Kiwi

One of nature’s greatest candies are kiwis. Kiwis are a delicious and nutritious fruit that are packed with healthy vitamins like vitamin C and vitamin K. Additionally, they’re a great food to have if you’re having trouble sleeping! Packed with serotonin (just like dark chocolate) they help regulate your sleep cycle. Kiwis are also full of antioxidants, such as carotenoids and Vitamin C, which help reduce inflammation and promote sleep.

Along with these sleep-aiding benefits, kiwis also:

●      Improves digestion

●      Lowers cholesterol

●      Reduces inflammation

●      Fights heart disease

●      Clears out toxins

●      Lowers blood pressure

clock with nuts and veggies

Nuts

Tree nuts, such as walnuts and almonds, are also great foods to eat before bed to get some shuteye. Walnuts, in particular, are filled with the sleep-regulating hormone melatonin. Additionally, walnuts house healthy fats such as omega-3 fatty acids that convert to DHA, which aids in the production of the sleep-enhancing chemical serotonin. Along with that, walnuts provide over 19 vitamins and minerals, making them an extremely healthy nut to snack on.

Almonds, like walnuts, can also help you sleep at night. Almonds, too, are filled with melatonin, which will turn your brain’s lights off to help you drift away to dreamland, and provide 19 percent of your daily needs of magnesium, which is thought to improve sleep quality and reduce insomnia.

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Time for bed

If you’re struggling to sleep at night, try eating one of these five foods. However, if insomnia or other sleep disorders are keeping you up at night, it’s always recommended to see a doctor or specialist who can provide professional treatment.

Taking A Moment To Find Myself // My 3rd Postpartum Journey

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I needed this Mother’s Day in ways that I cannot even convey to you. Just Saturday, I was a broken down mother — exhausted from the grind, full of self-doubt and self-pity. But late Saturday evening, I purchased a pass to Balance + Brews at Royal Docks in Canton.

Balance + Brews is a group of local yoga teachers that do pop up classes in craft breweries throughout Northeast Ohio. I’ve been meaning to show up for a class for years, but there was always a reason I couldn’t make it. In fact, this time I almost self-sabotaged — I almost decided not to go because I was afraid of going alone. But I bought the ticket anyway. I committed.

And as I was driving down the highway completely alone, blasting music from my college days, I realized… I needed this. I honestly cannot tell you the last time I went further than Target (which is about a half mile) in the car without a child.

And then to have a meal completely alone? It just sealed the deal for me.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my children. But the weight of always being “on” has really taken a toll lately. It took me until Sunday to realize just how much I missed being with my most authentic self. And in those moments of screaming singing Thursday songs at the top of my lungs, I made a vow to make myself a priority. Starting now.

So to all of the mama’s out there who are struggling to find their new identity, I see you. If you can, go ahead and take a drive, blast that music, and remember who you are.

And Happy (Belated) Mother’s Day.

 

Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

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Y’all know how much I love my Instant Pot. Well, back when I was an IP newbie, a friend mentioned how she made spaghetti in the instant pot. I remember saying “but why…?” to her.

A serious question, right? Cause spaghetti is basically the easiest meal as it is.

She assured me that it tastes different. Not just different, better! So I looked up a few different recipes and I gave it a shot.

The moment I tasted this pressure cooked spaghetti was truly the moment that changed things for me. I was no longer on the fence about my Instant Pot. I was a full-fledged convert. When I told my husband how I couldn’t believe how much better it tasted, he basically scoffed at me and said “Well, yeah. Of course it does.”

See, he’s been a long-time proponent for pressure cooking foods. I, however, was on the fence. He told me that the reason simple foods, like pasta, just taste better when cooked under pressure is that the food absorbs all of the flavors. The pasta is chock full of the rich and creamy flavors from even the most simple of red sauces.

On a personal mission to completely perfect the IP Spaghetti, I took note of several recipes and modified accordingly. I’d love for you to try it! I truly think is the perfect Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce recipe!

[gmc_recipe 14067]

What’s your favorite

Instant Pot recipe?!