Chai Apple Butter and Tangy Avocado Salad
Apple Butter and Avocado
Last month, I started trying out new recipes (and inviting others to do the same) for Community Table, the first round of a blog series called Learning Hospitality. [Read why here.]
We’ve now moved onto Round 2, Meaningful Spaces (More here), but I’m going to keep sharing recipes periodically both here and on Facebook/Pinterest. You can follow along on the Learning Hospitality Pinterest Board here.
Chai Apple Butter
In Search of Unique Recipes
I love apple butter, pumpkin butter and all things jam. Probably because it compliments my obsession with fresh baked, grilled or toasted bread. (Now if only I could’ve somehow included cheese.)
I did however add a little of another life staple: chai.
The results were so good, we diminished an embarrassing amount in a few days time.
[disclaim]5-6 Gala apples
1.5 cups sugar
½ cup honey
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
½ tsp cloves
Light sprinkling of salt
3/4 cup Vanilla chai
1. Peel, core and slice apples. Pile into crock pot.
2. Dump all remaining ingredients on top of apples.
3. Set the crockpot on low and leave it on all day. 8 hours, maybe more. Check here and there, stirring as butter thickens.
4. Once apple butter melts down to a chunky butter consistency, unplug crock pot and let cool. Empty butter into blender, add 3/4 cup vanilla chai and blend until smooth.
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Avocado Salad
This one won me over partly because of the bright mix of color, but mainly because I’ve never met an avocado I didn’t like.
So the first spring party that involved food, I decided to whip this up and give it a whirl. End result: tangy healthy side with produce power. Downside (for me): I have some serious bias against black beans (and limas and baked and maybe all beans with squishy insides).
Think it’s a good go-to side when you don’t want a heavy potato. But I am thinking about a variation that would include less bean-action and maybe rice and taco seasoning instead.
[disclaim]2 avocados, chopped
1 can of corn or 2 ears of corn
1 package cherry tomatoes
½ cup very sliced red onion
½ cup canned black beans (*Important* Drain and rinse!)
½ cup olive oil
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Four to five tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
Salt and pepper
1. Use a little olive oil to fry corn in pan.
2. Cut cherry tomatoes, cut avocados in bite-sized chunks and slice onion.
3. Drain black beans and rinse.
4. Combine all ingredients in bowl.
5. Refrigerate until all ingredients are cool before serving.
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