Christmas Coffee Cake

Set oven at 350.  Butter a 9 inch pan and set aside.

Mix together:
1 cup applesauce (I like making my own)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter or ghee (melted) or oil (no canola, naughty list)
1 egg (optional)

Combine:
1 cup rice flour
3/4 millet flour
1 tsp baking soda  (I use non-aluminum baking powder, unless I need the soda to react with something acidic, and in this recipe, it will react with the applesauce.  Still, I prefer baking powder.)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp powdered cloves
1 tsp ginger

Optional:
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or other nuts

Add the applesauce mixture to flour and blend quickly.  Spoon into pan, smooth, and bake for 30-40 min.

This recipe adapted from Fanny Farmer cookbook.  I'd penciled in the cookbook the changes in flour and oil, but haven't made this cake in awhile--so the liquid to dry volume may need some adjusting.  Cake batter should be thinner, but not too thin.  Fanny says you can also add 1/4 finely cut candied ginger to the batter, if you like.  I've cut the sugar by 3/8 cup--which you could mix with cinnamon, butter and walnuts and spread over the top of the baked cake, broil until bubbly and golden brown; Yummy!

 Have a nice rest of your Christmas.
Nancy

Apples Baked with Cinnamon

This time of year, the smell of cinnamon and sweet apples brightens the house, makes it feel cozy.  Yes, it's cold and dark and food tastes better in the winter.  We still can eat low calorie, however; keeping our figures from ruin during the long dark months is good for self esteem.

Here's a recipe that's naturally sweet, although you can add a little crust of baked-on sugar if you want.

Set your oven to 400 degrees.  Pick apples that are sweet and tart.  Core the apples.  Set in a baking dish , the bottom of which is covered with water.  Fill each apple with sugar,cinnamon and/or nutmeg, and butter. Bake for 30 minutes.   Serve with coconut milk or non-dairy vanilla yogurt  (some people can eat goat yogurt.)

Enjoy!