Apple Stacks! Gluten Free, Vegan, SCD!

Tags

apple, beets, gluten free, grain free, raisins, romaine, SCD, Specific Carbohydrate Diet, squash, vegan

Hey Hey Guys!

First of all, I wanted to thank you all for your sweet comments over the past couple of days. Your support and encouragement always blows me away! You all are the best :)

Apple Stacks!

So I’m back in NYC. I flew home this afternoon. It’s always bittersweet leaving my home in Cincinnati. It’s always hard to leave my family. Especially now that my older brother and his wife live in Cincy, it makes leaving even more difficult. It’s so easy to get used to seeing them all the time, and hanging out with the fam on the reg.

But I know that I’ve got dreams to chase and life to live. So BACK TO NYC! :)

so cute:)

Last night, my parents decided to celebrate my departure with a special dinner, complete with champagne! I felt so honored:) I made a delectable treat…and it was a HIT!

cheers!

Apple Stacks!!

Sweet and creamy mashed acorn squash sandwiched between a crisp honeycrisp apple slice and a chewy roasted beet! Absolutely heavenly!

GF, V, SCD!

And they’re gluten free, vegan, and Specific Carb Diet friendly!

wow

Here’s what you need: (serves 3)

1 bundle romaine lettuce
2 honeycrisp apples, cored and sliced into disks
1 acorn squashed, pricked all over and microwaved
3 beets, scrubbed and sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
1/4 cup raisins
3/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch salt

Preheat your oven to 400. Prick your acorn squash all over (read: A LOT) with a fork. Place on a paper towel and microwave for 10 minutes, flipping half way through.

Meanwhile, thinly slice your beets into rounds. Place them on a tin-foil-lined, olive-oil-sprayed baking sheet in a single layer. Spritz with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt. Bake for 25 minutes, flipping half way through.

Once your squash is finished in the microwave (it should be soft), carefully, with oven mitts, take it out and let it cool for several minutes. Once it is able to be touched, cut it in half, scrape out the seeds and discard. Then, scoop out the flesh and place it in a mixing bowl. With a potato masher, mash the flesh until creamy. Then, stir in a sprinkle of salt and your cinnamon until well combined. Then, fold in ¼ cup raisins.

Next, prepare your plates by placing a bed of romaine lettuce. Also, prepare your apple rounds by slicing ¼ – ½ inch rounds. Cut the core out of each slice with a small cookie cutter, or with a knife.

what a fun dish!

To assemble, place 2-3 Tbsp of the squash mixture on an apple round, and top with a beet round. Garnish with an extra raisin.

the textures were amazing!

This meal was SO INCREDIBLE! I’m not one to gush, but this was seriously delicious. My mom kept taking a bite, rolling her eyes, and going, “oh my gosh!” Even my dad proclaimed, “I’ve missed your cooking!” haha

I loved the intensely sweet and chewy raisins!

The flavors and textures were magnificent. First, the flavors: The apple was sweet and juicy, which was complimented beautifully by the subtly sweet squash mash, highlighted by the warm cinnamon and intensely sweet raisins.

the beets gave it just the right amount of savory-ness

Finally, the textures were fabulous. The crispy-crunchy apple, with the creamy and luxurious squash mash, and the chewy raisin surprises made it such an interesting dish.

mmm mmm mmm!

These would also be great to bring to a party as an appetizer. Your guests would be blown away at the creativity and down-right deliciousness!

Are you settled back into your “everyday life” after the holidays?

Until tomorrow!