Chopped Salad with Apple and Dill

Summer's here and salads are the best meal options for the season. I had read of an apple and dill salad, but that would've been very light on its own. So I combined it with my regular salad mix and it had a subtle hint of sweet and sour (?).

I prefer to chop up my greens and veggies making it easier to eat and it mixes evenly with the rest of the salad.

This makes for a meal for 1 or a side for 2.

Salad bits:
Romaine lettuce - 5-6 leaves
Rocket leaves - 1 small bunch
Dill leaves - 6-7 stems
Carrot (peeled and diced) - 1
Onion - 1
Tomatoes - 2
Apple (peeled and diced) - 2 small or 1 large
Cucumber (peeled and diced) - 1

Dressing:
Option 1: Light Ranch (store bought)
Option 2: Olive oil 3 tbsps with 1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar

Apple Pie

I love apple pie! But I've never had the patience to turn out a good crust till I saw the video on Joy of Baking. It is a nice simple recipe with some tips and tricks to make the process simpler.

For the pie crust:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
225 gms butter - chilled and cut into small cubes
1/4 cup ice water (not all of it might be used)

I envy those with a food processor. I have to do this by hand which doesn't come out as good unless you practice a lot.

Start with putting the flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Then add the butter cubes and incorporate it well with the dough till it is crumbly. The trick is to not overwork the butter dough so do it in quick motions within a minute. Then add a few tablespoons of the chilled water and knead. keep adding some water till the dough just about binds. Make sure there's no excess water.

Divide this dough into 2 parts. Flatten out each one into a 6 inch circle, wrap in clear wrap and put it in the fridge for at least an hour. Take out one of the circles after an hour. You may let it sit on the counter for 5-10 minutes if it is too hard to roll out. Make sure to dust the work space with some flour and roll out the dough as per the shape of your pan. the dough should be large enough to cover the base and sides of the pan. Gently pick up the dough and place it in the pan. If it breaks then just stick it together in the pan. Poke the crust with a fork to make some tiny holes in the base. Put it back in the fridge for an hour.

For the filling:

• 4-5 apples - peeled, cored and cut into thin slices
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar (I substitued bothe the sugars with 1tbsp honey and maple syrup)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tbsp butter, room temperature
• 1 tbsp cornflour

Place the apples in a bowl and coat them with the lemon juice to prevent browning. Add the salt, sugars and spices. Cover and let it rest on the counter for 30 minutes.

Once the juices start to separate, place the apples in a strainer and collect the juices in a bowl below. Let it rest for another 30 minutes. Then take the juices (approximately half a cup) and place it in a microwaveable container. Add the butter and heat in the microwave for 5-6 minutes. Make sure the container is large enough because the mixture will boil and overflow. After 6 minutes, the juices would have thickened and turned like caramel.

Transfer the apples back into the bowl and add the heated caramel. Mix in the cornflour to soak up the excess liquid.

Place the apples in the tray with the pie crust. I didn't want too much of crust on my pie so I didn't make the top crust. If you do plan to make one for your pie then roll out the other half of the dough to cover the pie. If you want to seal the edges, then make a slit at the center of the top crust to let the steam out. Joy of Baking has a great video to show you how to do this.

Bake at 220 degrees Celsius for about 30-40 minutes. Make sure the edges of the pie crust don't burn. The crust should just be golden brown. Take it out from the heat and cool on a wire rack for an hour before digging in.

Milk Cake

This uses a minimum amount of butter and tastes great. You could add bits and pieces of your favourite ingredient to it or have it plain.

Heat a cup of milk and add 4 tbsp of butter.
If you use vanilla pods, add them now, or a few drops of essence. Allow butter to melt. Keep aside.

Sift 2 cups flour,
with a pinch of salt and
2 tsp baking powder.

Take 4 eggs and whisk it with
2 cups of sugar till light and fluffy.
Fold in the flour mixture slowly. Add the milk.

Bake it for 40 minutes at 180 deg C.

Variations:

• Peeled and chopped pears and/or apples (with some ground cinnamon and nutmeg)
• Desiccated coconut
• Dry fruits - walnuts, blanched almonds, dates
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder (subtract 2 tbsp flour from the whole)

Carrot+Apple cake

This is as simple as ABC (for those who speak English). Easy to remember too!

You need:
1 cup peeled and grated carrots
1 cup peeled, cored and grated apples
1 cup vegetable or olive oil
1 cup flour
Pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg

Optional:
A few drops of Vanilla
Handful of Walnuts and/or dates
Orange zest

Beat the eggs with the sugar till fluffy.
Add the oil and whisk again.
Sieve in the flour with the baking powder and salt. Then fold in the mixture.
Fold in the rest of the ingredients.

Pour in a greased pan and bake for 40 minutes at 180 deg C.

Apple-Pineapple Oatmeal Pie

I'm fond of an oatmeal pie crust great for 2 reasons - they're healthy, and you don't need finesse to bake one...just mix it all up and put it in a pan.

For the Pie Crust
Mix 2 cups of oatmeal, 3 tbsps brown sugar, and half a cup of whole wheat flour with 1/4 cup melted butter.
Mix it all up nicely and put it in a baking dish. Press it down well so that the entire mixture is condensed onto the tray and bake it at 180 deg C for 10 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool.

For the Filling
2 apples cored, peeled and sliced
Some chunks of pineapple...mashed or sliced (if you are using canned fruits then remember to drain them)
2 tbsps flour
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsps brown sugar
some ground cinnamon
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsps cream

Combine everything in a bowl and mix well. Put this on the prepared pie crust and bake at 220 deg C for 8-10 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 175 deg C and bake for 30 minutes.

Enjoy a healthy dessert!