Vegan MoFo Day 18: So I made Apple Pie

Let it be known Mr Treehugger is not Vegan, he is a pesky-tarian. But, because I am the main cook in the house, his diet is 90% Vegan. I can tolerate his eggs and cheese and milk in the fridge BUT the only fish I allow is a sad frozen packet of fish fingers in the freezer. I can not abide the smell of fish in the house it is just BLEURGH!

Everything I cook he always enjoys and comments frequently that he can't believe a lot of the things are vegan. Mwah ahhhhh ahhhhh....my evil plan is working. As well as being a pesky-tarian he is also Diabetic (oooh I'm sticking the labels on left right and center today aren't I!!). I LOVE to bake - it is my favourite kind of kitchen witchery and I've always prided myself on my extroadinary baking skills. Cooking for a diabetic means my love of baking is challenged at the best of times and since moving onto vegan baking the challenge has been even greater. Vegan baking has been pretty hit and miss but the successes far outweigh the few disasters. It is a learning curve after all. If I bake - I bake for both of us - something that we can both eat and enjoy. Obviously, baking for a diabetic means that the sugar content has to be reduced greatly and all my baking recipes are tailored with this in mind. You'd be surprised at the amount of sugar that is used in recipes which is actually so unneccessary - something I have come to realise in the past few years. "Get to the Apple Pie already!!" OK, OK I hear you. This is an easy Apple Pie recipe suitable for diabetics and vegans alike HURRAH! It is one I have adapted myself and it will not fail to disapoint. Even if you're not watching your sugar intake - you gotsta try this. Apple Pie Ingredients For the Pastry: 8oz Flour 4oz Margarine 5 Tblsps water For the filling: 1 Cooking Apple, peeled, cored, quartered and cut into slices 2 Dessert Apples, peeled, cored, quartered and cut into slices Scant handful of Raisins Sprinkling of Cinnamon Method Make the Pastry by sifting the Flour into a big bowl, add the Margarine and rub into the Flour with your hands until it resembles Bread Crumbs. Add the Water and gather it all up with your hands. Knead for a few seconds until it is smooth and elasticy. Grease an 8 inch Pie Dish. Flour a work surface and roll the Pastry out thinly and evenly. Use the rolling pin to carry the Pastry over to the Pie Dish. With your fingers; gently push the Pastry into the Pie Dish. Take the Pie Dish in one hand and with the other hand use a butter knife to chop off the excess Pastry, set this to one side 'cos you need this for the Pie top. Layer the Dessert Apples on the bottom of the Pie, sprinkle on the Raisins then follow with a layer of Cooking Apples. Top with the remaining Dessert Apple slices and sprinkle on some Cinnamon. Wet the top edges of the Pastry with some water. Roll out the remaining Pastry and cover the Pie pressing down firmly with your thumb along the top edge. Chop of the excess Pastry and use it to cut out shapes to decorate the Pie with, you will have to brush Water onto the bottom of the shapes to stick them to the Pie. With a knife, make two slits in the centre of the Pie top - this is to allow steam to escape. If you don't do this the Apples will bubble and spill out all over the place and you don't want that. Cook in a pre-heated oven at 200 degrees for about 40 mins. Because all ovens vary in their cooking performance - check on the Pie quite regularly to make sure it doesn't burn. I always need to cover the top of mine with tin foil half way through baking because my oven is pants.

Who's ya daddy now!!

Todays song that I just can't stop singing is Kate Bush - Wuthering Heights Much to the dismay of my neighbours!! Thank god they can only hear me and not see me as well....'cos you've just gotta do THAT dance haven't you?