Apple Butter

Get all the fall feels with this homemade Instant Pot Apple Butter Recipe! 

If you can’t already tell by the amount of apple recipes on the blog or through my social media, I am mildly obsessed with apples! There is nothing like biting into a honeycrisp after a workout or eating homemade chicken salad and getting a sweet apple crunch in every bite! 

So before the fall season comes to an end, it’s time to take all the apples from orchard picking or local farmer’s market visits to make a big batch of homemade apple butter! 

For this recipe, I visited Mercier Orchards in Blue Ridge, Georgia and chose a combination of Crimson Crisp and Pink Lady for this recipe. If you don’t have an orchard to visit or not sure what type of apple works well for apple butter, you want to look for something sweet, not tart like: gala, jonagold, Mcintosh, honeycrisp, fuji or evercrisp. 

If you are wanting naturally sweet apple butter, then your best option is to choose these apple options within season as they are pretty sweet on their own and pack a major flavor! But in this recipe, I have added a natural sweetener like pure maple syrup in case you would like a tad bit more sweetness. 

I love spreading my apple butter on homemade sourdough bread, cornbread muffins, waffles, pancakes, or even meats like pork chops. You can add it to your yogurt, kefir, smoothie, oatmeal - just about anything and everything! 

I’m all about efficiency so I made this recipe using an Instant Pot. But if you don’t have an Instant Pot, crockpot or stove top will do just fine! You just want to make sure that the apples cook down enough until most of the liquid has evaporated. The process of cooking past the apple sauce stage, creates the smooth jam or butter like consistency, rather than applesauce. 

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with!

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Get all the fall feels with this homemade Instant Pot Apple Butter Recipe! 

Cook Time: 1.5-2 hrs | Prep Time: 10 min | Serving: 4 pints apple butter

Ingredients

• 4.5 - 5 lb apples, cored and diced (not peeled!)

• 1 Tbsp apple pie seasoning

• 1-2 tsp ground cinnamon

• ¼ cup pure maple syrup (depending on sweetness level)

• Juice of 1 lemon

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• ½ cup filtered water

Directions

1. In a large bowl, place sliced and cored apples, seasonings, sweetener, lemon juice, vanilla extract and water and stir until well combined. 

2. Transfer to your Instant Pot and secure the lid, seal the valve. Cook for 20 minutes on high pressure, then allow a full natural release. Remove the lid. 

3. Using an immersion blender (or transfer batches in a regular blender), blend the contents until smooth. Taste test for desired sweetness/tart level. (i.e. want more tartness, add 1 tsp increments lemon juice, sweetness - 1 Tbsp increments of sweetener, spice - 1 tsp increments seasonings). Add the contents back into Instant Pot and press Saute. Allow to cook for 30-60 minutes while stirring frequently until the apple butter has thickened and darkened to desired consistency. 

4. Press Cancel on the Instant Pot, then allow the apple butter to cool completely before transferring to large mason jars. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. Freeze for up to 6 months. (Make sure you sharpie today’s date on the jar!)

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5 Ways To Use Chamoy Sauce

I had to make a separate blog post on this sauce because there are just too many ways to use this crack sauce “aka” chamoy sauce.

You can go straight to the mango melon sorbet with chamoy sauce post for the recipe, or you can grab it here:

CHAMOY SAUCE

• ½ cup fresh lime juice (5-7 limes)

• 1-3 dried ancho chilies 

• 1 - 10 oz jar organic apricot jam

• 1 tsp salt

• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper

To make the chamoy sauce

1. Tear the stem off and deseed the ancho chilies. Submerse dried chilies in boiling water for a few minutes until the chilies are soft. 

2. In a high speed blender, place the soft ancho chilies along with the entire jar of apricot jam, lime juice, salt, cayenne pepper, and a ladle or two of the water that the ancho chilies were in. 

3. Blend on high speed until extremely smooth. Taste sauce and adjust flavors if need to (i.e. I typically add an additional ½ tsp cayenne pepper because I like it super spicy!) as well as sauce consistency. This should make about 2 cups worth. If you are unsure about the sauce consistency, look at the pictures above for reference. 

4. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 2 months. 

Now that you have the beloved sauce recipe, let’s get into 5 ways to use chamoy sauce!

To get a visual: check out IG reels below!

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A post shared by Candace Dorsey| From the Roots (@fromtherootsblog)

1| Mango Melon Sorbet

You can grab the recipe here

2| watermelon slices

3| Mangonada

• 1 cup mango chunks, fresh or frozen

• 1/2 cup coconut milk, coconut water, or water

• Juice of 1/2 lime

• Tajin or chili lime seasoning, for the rim

• chamoy sauce

• Tamarind stick, for serving (optional)

Directions

1. Rim a glass with a lime wedge and tajin seasoning. Squeeze chamoy sauce inside the glass using a swirling motion.

2. In a blender, add mango, liquid, lime juice, and a handful of ice and blend until smooth and creamy.

3. Pour the mango smoothie into the prepared glass about halfway, then layer the smoothie with chamoy sauce, repeat with more smoothie picture and top with chamoy sauce, tajin seasoning, fresh mango, and tamarind stick if desired. Enjoy!

You can also use this chili lime smoothie recipe as well!

4| Mango Slices

5| Fresh watermelon juice / Watermelon margaritas

Here are some quick recipes:

Spicy Watermelon Margaritas

Strawberry Watermelon Mint Agua Frescas

Watermelon Lime Refresher

Watermelon Ice Cubes

Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce

Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce is a creamy dairy-free, gluten-free healthier version as compared with the original recipe. 

If you are looking for a dairy-free version of the traditional alfredo sauce then look no further! Made with whole food ingredients that most will have on hand. All you need is a strong blender that will create this creamy velvety sauce texture, that’s it! 

I love mixing my sauce with pasta noodles, chicken, veggies, or use as pizza sauce! 

If you are looking for a more cheesier vegan or dairy-free sauce, check out my favorite spicy vegan cheese sauce recipe.

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with! 

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Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce is a creamy dairy-free, gluten-free healthier version as compared with the original recipe. 

Ingredients

• 3 cups (packed) boiled cauliflower

• ½ cup plant based milk

• ½ cup chicken or veggie stock

• ½ cup cashews (soaked and drained)

• 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast

• 4 cloves minced garlic

• ½ white onion

• Juice of 1 lemon

• 1 tsp grass fed or vegan butter

• 1 tsp salt

• ¼ tsp black pepper

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the cauliflower and cook for about 8-15 minutes or until cauliflower is fork tender. Reserve 1 cup of boiling water. 

2. In a large skillet, heat butter over medium heat. Sauté minced garlic and diced onions until soft and fragrant. Season with salt and pepper. 

3. Drain the cauliflower and transfer to a blender. Add the sautéed garlic and onions, milk, stock, cashews, nutritional yeast, and lemon juice. Blend until the sauce is smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. If the sauce looks too thick or dry, slowly add the reserved boiling water. Season with more salt and pepper for desired taste. 

4. Serve with cooked pasta and enjoy! 

Notes

• Store any leftovers in an airtight container. Will last 4-5 days in the fridge. 

• Freezer friendly! Since there is no dairy in the mixture, you can freeze the alfredo sauce once it’s cooled down. 

• Use the sauce with pasta, chicken, vegetables, or even as a pizza sauce!

Red Curry Sauce

Red Curry Sauce - A tried and true healthier version of the traditional red curry sauce. Less than 10-ingredients, gluten-free, dairy-free, keto, and paleo-friendly.

Y'all. This sauce is what dreams are made of! As an obsessive curry lover, I’m always on the prowl for a good curry recipe; whether it be from a restaurant or from a blog. Well, low behold, I found the perfect red curry sauce at this local Asian restaurant that used to be but only a block away from me! Needless to say, curry ran through my veins in those four years of living in that area!

So now that I am many...many blocks away from that restaurant, it was only a matter of time that I started to recreate the sauce. Long story short, we have arrived! 

Luckily for you, this is a much healthier version but tastes just as creamy, full-bodied curry sauce that you ever laid your taste buds on! For this recipe, I used many condiments that I already had in my pantry, as I am sure you have them in yours as well. 

And don’t fret if you don’t have them, I listed all the products I used for this sauce in the recipe notes below.

One condiment that transforms this umami flavor bomb sauce is using miso paste. Now, I understand that soybeans are not considered “paleo”, but most paleo eaters will choose to add this into their dishes because of the way it’s prepared. 

Miso is the product of fermented soybeans, water, fermented grains (called koji), and salt. Koji, the final product of fermented rice, barley, or soy, requires the use of a fungus called Aspergillus oryzae, which activates the fermentation process. Asian cooking often requires a number of fermented products like miso, which are all fermented with koji. So that umami flavor you get when eating at an Asian restaurant will most likely have miso in it! If you would like more health facts on miso paste from a paleo perspective, here’s the link.  

One thing I will note is that I created this recipe for a sponsored post for Vital Proteins. I used them for two reasons. One is that it’s a fun and creative way to incorporate collagen peptides into your meals and two, it is used as a thickening agent. 

If you don’t mind having a more liquid sauce then it’s fine without using collagen peptides. But if you are a pro in the kitchen, feel free to experiment using other thickening agents like flour or arrowroot starch. I will report back if this work but for now, collagen powder is the way to go!

Feel free to use this sauce on just about anything and everything! Next week, I will be posting a chicken curry nacho recipe but in the meantime, here are some ways you can use red curry sauce: on eggs, chicken, rice, veggies, dipping sauce, condiment, pasta, marinade/sauce for a protein source, or just straight out of the bowl - possibilities are endless!

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If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with! 

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Red Curry Sauce - A tried and true healthier version of the traditional red curry sauce. Less than 10-ingredients, gluten-free, dairy-free, keto, and paleo-friendly.

Ingredients

• 1 can unsweetened coconut milk 

• 2 Tbsp red curry paste

• 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast

• 2 Tbsp curry powder

• 2 scoops collagen peptides (optional but helps to thicken sauce)

• 2 tsp (heaping) organic white miso paste

• 1 Tbsp liquid aminos

• 1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger

• 1 tsp pure maple syrup

• Juice of ½ lime

Directions

1. Prepare the curry sauce by adding all ingredients into a blender or nutribullet and blend until the mixture is in a sauce form. *If you do not have a blender, you can sub fresh ginger for ginger powder so that the sauce is smooth and consistent in texture. 

2. At this point, taste the sauce and see if it needs more umami (miso paste/liquid aminos), cheesy (nutritional yeast), bitter (lime juice), spice (curry paste/powder), or salt.

3. Pour sauce into a small saucepan and heat on medium heat. Stir sauce until the sauce is about to boil and turn the heat off. Make sure you are constantly stirring so as to not burn the sauce. 

4. As the sauce cools down, it will thicken. Collagen helps to thicken the sauce so if you are adding more collagen, make sure the sauce is hot enough for the collagen to blend well so that you don’t get clumps! 

5. If you are making a meal like chicken curry with rice and vegetables, heat the sauce into the cooking veggies if using a skillet to do this. If not, serve over anything and everything!

6. Store in an airtight container for at least two weeks in the refrigerator. 

Notes: 

Products that were used in the curry sauce: coconut milk, curry paste, collagen peptides, nutritional yeast, white miso paste, curry powder, maple syrup, liquid aminos. 

DIY Chai Spice Mix

A must-have pantry staple that’s perfect for tea, baking, and other recipes.

It never dawned on me that I needed to make my own chai spice mix until I strolled past every grocery store’s herb and spice section to find no chai mix in sight! Now, sure there is chai spice powder and chai tea but there are times that I would just like to have the seasoning.

The perfect chai spice mix can enhance so many traditional recipes that you may not have thought of. For example, add a teaspoon or two of chai spice mix to plain pancake batter and you my friend, will have chai spiced pancakes!

This mix is also great to have on hand if you would like to make a latte, chai latte donut holes or to add to most recipes like pancakes, oatmeal, donuts, bread or vegetables like sweet potatoes...the possibilities are endless!

Seasonings that are used in this chai spice are quite traditional so feel free to mix things up if you would like! For this recipe, I used cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, and cardamom.

You can add all the spices to a mortar and pestle to make sure the seasonings are fully incorporated and nicely grounded or you can simply mix all ingredients using a small whisk or spoon. Funnel seasonings into a spice jar and store in a dry place until ready to use!

To make a chai spice latte:

• Add 1 cup plant-based milk, 1/2 cup water, 1 black tea teabag, ½ tsp chai spice mix, 1 Tbsp honey and simmer in a small saucepan for 5 minutes. Add a cinnamon stick and star anise to really enhance the flavors! Discard tea bag, optional cinnamon stick and star anise, and pour into a mug and enjoy!

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with!

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ingredients

• 3 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1 1/2 tsp cardamom

• 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger

• 1 tsp allspice

• 1/2 tsp cloves

• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

instructions

1. Add all ingredients to a mortar and pestle or small bowl and combine until fully combined.

2. Transfer to a spice jar and store in a dry place until ready to use!

Notes: ⅛ tsp black pepper (optional for spicier flavor)