Altering dessert recipes to make them vegan can be tricky and oftentimes you can end up with an end product that tastes and looks almost like the real thing. While it’s fun to experiment with recipes, it’s also nice to come across a sure thing. Over the holidays, my mom and I decided to veganize an Apple Betty recipe from her Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook. It was really easy to put together and the end result was fantastic.
1/4 c. orange juice
1 c. sugar
3/4 c. sifted all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
dash salt
1/2 c. soy margarine (we used Soy Garden)
Mound apple slices in a buttered 9″ pie plate and top with orange juice. In a mixing bowl, combine sugar, flour, spices and salt. Cut in soy margarine until the mixture is crumbly. For anyone who doesn’t already know, when you cut shortening or margarine into flour, you’re basically adding the shortening/margarine a little bit at a time and chopping it into the flour so the flour attaches itself to the other substance and eventually creates little pea-size pieces. This creates a flaky texture in most recipes. We’re learning! So, once you’ve cut all that in, sprinkle the mixture over the apples. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes or until apples are tender and topping is crisp. Serve warm. (I recommend adding a small scoop of vanilla soy ice cream… you know, to cut down on the sweetness)
