Back in the day before Instagram changed blogging, I used to post my musings about life, food and food on the road. Since we had such a lovely time picking apples, I wanted to talk about all of the delicious vegan food we ate and show off what I made when we got home. That’s what blogging is all about anyway, right?
We have been spending weekends up in Ulster County lately, really enjoying the mountain air, the foliage and all that the area has to offer. We rented a place in Kingston for Columbus Day Weekend and we had some fun adventures.
We left the city and drove up early Saturday morning. After two hours in the car, we were all hungry. We drove straight to Aba’s to have the best falafel in the world. The shop is completely vegan including the amazing baklava, which I have been trying to replicate ever since the first time we ate there. Then we headed to the Rhinebeck Fairgrounds for an antique fair. We all love walking around and trying to figure out what some of the stuff the vendors have on display was used for. It is a great way to learn about history and find some fun things to decorate the house with. Then, we had dinner at Diego’s, a taqueria in uptown Kingston that offers several tasty vegan options and some fantastic rice and beans.
The next morning we got up and went to Stone Ridge Orchard to pick apples. We found ten different varieties and pulled in a peck. It was a glorious day to be outside in the fresh mountain air. Apple picking is hard work so we headed down to the Rondout section of town, where we had lunch at our other favorite place, Dolce, where they make amazing vegan crepes and pancakes. That afternoon we hit the Field and Supply maker show at the Hutton Brickyards, where we ran into an old friend. What a fun weekend.
Anyway, we headed home with all of those apples and my husband was asking what I was going to make with them before we even got out the car. His first request was some kind of apple cinnamon roll type thing and his second was chutney. Of course, I delivered on both, and then I made applesauce, because I always make applesauce when I go apple picking!
I made a batch of my sweet dough which I use for challah and lots of other yeasty sweet things. After I let it rise, I rolled it out, brushed it with orange marmalade and topped it with diced apples that I marinated in a little bit of coconut sugar, cinnamon, and fresh lemon juice. I rolled it up, baked it and ate them right out of the oven with homemade butter!
Next up, apple chutney. I followed the Barefoot Contessa’s recipe for chutney subbing coconut sugar for white sugar and adding the raisins at the beginning of the cooking time. We basically ate the whole jar over the course of two meals, first on top of grilled tofu and then as a snack on crackers with Kite Hill cream cheese.
Finally, I made my Mom’s applesauce. There is only one ingredient, apples, but the trick to the perfect applesauce texture is the Foley food mill. I only ever eat applesauce with latkes, so I made a batch. And we finished them all off in one sitting. Can’t wait til next season!
Everything looks delicious!!!