Chai Apples

Apple Season! Or ‘Fall’ as some call it..

If you’re like most apple tree owners, you most likely have an abundance of apples falling off your tree right now faster than you can blink. Luckily, there’s endless possibilities with apples! Preserve them, bake them, eat them whole, eat them raw, juice them.. the list is endless!

My favourite way to preserve apples – as quickly and efficiently as possible – is to simple dice them up, toss them in some spices, and freeze for future use!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large stainless steel bowl of apples, cored + diced (skin left on)
• 3 tbsp ground chai spice mix
• 3 tbsp raw cane sugar (optional)
• 3 tbsp lemon juice (optional)
• 1 tsp Himalayan salt (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Take the large bowl of diced apples and add remaining ingredients. Toss all together and freeze in glass, stainless steel, reusable silicone bags or old waxed cartons!

NOTES

• Why I leave the skin on: Most of the nutrients in our food is actually found in the skin and the seeds! Most fruits/veggies can be consumed whole, although most people do not enjoy them that way. With apples, their skin contains a lot of fibre, calcium, potassium, and especially vitamin C!
• Chai Health Benefits: Naturally, you could also dice the apples and simply freeze them without the chai spices. However, I’ve always loved the taste and smell of chai spices and they have SO many health benefits that adding the chai spice definitely boosts the nutrient density of this recipe! For a full list of the health benefits, check out my previous Chai Spice Mix post.
• Optional Ingredients: I find apples are sweet enough on their own, so it’s not usually necessary to sweeten them – however that entirely depends on the type of apple! Also, because this recipe is intended to be frozen to be used for future recipes, it’s nice to leave them unsweetened in case you’re wanting to sweeten them a different way for your future recipe. The lemon juice and salt helps to keep the apples ‘fresh’ looking and aid in the preservation of the apple – plus they add a lot of flavour! It’s not totally necessary but sometimes a pleasant compliment. 🙂
• Ways to Use This Recipe: I love to use this recipe for apple crumble, apple pie, apple tarts and ESPECIALLY in smoothies!! The chai adds such a nice touch to a morning smoothie. You could also use them to make a quick and easy apple sauce! Let me know in the comments below you’re favourite way to use this recipe!
• Keep Costs Down: I always buy all of my spices, sugar, and lemon juice in bulk from Organic Matters – all their items are organic, sourced ethically/locally and they’re based out of Nelson, BC! I save a TONNE from buying in bulk from them – they’re way more affordable than buying these items in the grocery store!

With love,
Heidi MacAulay
“Eat more plants. Do more yoga. Read more books.”