Hi friends!
Fall is among us and what says Fall to me more than pumpkin spice? APPLES! I love how fresh they are this time of year rather than cold storage apples. Plus, here in Vancouver, we are so lucky to have so many apple orchards close by. The taste is incomparable to grocery store apples. I’ll definitely be going apple picking very soon! I actually ordered these apples from the same farm that I use for my CSA box. They had 2nd grade apples and I was like sure! I’ll just bake with them… Until I received them and realized how many apples 5lbs actually are! Unfortunately, a girl can only eat so much apple pie and I didn’t know what to do with them until I realized CHUTNEY!! Growing up, my mom was always pickling things or making some kind of jam or the other so that’s what I decided to do! It’s amazing because the chutney lasts for weeks as long as you’re careful to not use a wet spoon. The moisture from the water spoils the chutney so please don’t let your hard work go to waste! An apple a day keeps the doctor away but what if you have more than that? This is a great way to use all your apples if you have an apple tree and are running out of ideas.
So a confession, my mom totally did most of this recipe. I owe most of my cooking knowledge to her and I knew she’d kill it so I kind of gave her an idea of what I wanted and she helped me make the recipe! Usually she would use white sugar but I wanted to use coconut and make it refined sugar free. This resulted in a darker chutney colour but trust me it’s still 100% delicious.
I love eating chutney in the following ways:
- on crackers
- dip for chips
- on bread like jam
- in a rice bowl as a condiment like kimchi
- or even by the spoonful – seriously so good!
ps. Allow the chutney to cool before you put it into jars and into the fridge! You could half the recipe but personally, if I’m cooking for this long, I like to make it worth my while and since it doesn’t really go bad, I like making food in bulk!
I can’t wait to see you try this recipe! Please tag me @balancingandie on all socials. I LOVE seeing your creations. To never miss a post again, you can subscribe to my blog on your right hand panel and receive a FREE meal prep pdf too!
Fall Spiced Apple Chutney (Vegan, Gluten-free, Soy-free)
Notes
*If you can't find roasted cumin powder just buy cumin seeds. Roast them in a pan until they are fragrant (you will be able to smell it). Be careful not to burn. Cool the seeds and then whirl them in the spice blender to grind. Viola! Roasted ground cumin powder.
Ingredients
- 5 lbs small crab apples (or grannysmith) peeled and chopped
- 1 1/3 cup coconut sugar
Spices:
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ginger powder
- 1 1/2 tsp roasted ground cumin*
- 1/4 tsp - 1/2 tsp red hot pepper powder (based on heat level you want)
- 1 lime, juiced
Instructions
- In a large soup stock pot, mix the peeled and chopped apples with the coconut sugar on medium-high heat until the sugar melts into liquid.
- Once melted, turn the heat to medium-low (around no. 3/9 - if your dials are similar to mine) and cover with a lid for about an 1 hour and 10 minutes.
- Stir every 20 minutes or so until the apples are tender and soft. They will start reducing in the pot.
- Remove the lid and add your spices. Continue cooking without the lid now for 20 more minutes.
- Taste and adjust the spices and sugar if needed. Allow to cool before transferring to mason jars.
- Will keep in the fridge for over a month - but be careful to not use wet spoons when scooping it out. Enjoy!
When do you add the lime?