Baked Apples

I had a craving for baked apples the other day, so I raided my cabinets and created this recipe. I hope you like it as much as we do!

Ingredients
apples - your choice of apple, but often the signs at the stores tell you which ones are best for baking
brown sugar
dates
raisins
ground cinnamon
Mexican vanilla extract
Soy butter

Directions
Cut the apples in half, core and peel them. (Peeling is optional if the apples are organic.)
Place the apples cored side up in a baking dish.
Add about 1/2 teaspoon of brown sugar (or more to taste) to each apple half.
Sprinkle with cinnamon and 2-3 drops of vanilla per half apple.
Take the dates and slice them open length wise. Stuff a few raisins inside the date. Place the dates in the cored apples.
Top each apple half with a tablespoon of soy butter.

Bake at 425 degrees for 20-30 minutes, or until soft. Serve warm.

Cocoa Angel Food Cake with Black Cherry Swedish Cream

A friend and I ran into Central Market for "just a couple of items" (HA!) and ended up leaving the store with a basket full of food, including these delicious black cherries and a cocoa angel food cake.

Angel food cake is dairy free, and the CM cocoa one is dangerously good! You can use plain angel food if you prefer.

We made Swedish Cream (posted March 2008) and added fresh black cherries, which turned it pink.

Black Cherry Swedish Cream
1 cup sugar
1 envelope unflavored gelatin (if you want to make this vegan, substitute agar flakes)
2 cups substituted Silk brand coffee creamer (Note: the creamer is thicker than the regular milk)
1 pint Tofutti Sour Supreme Better Than Sour Cream
(2 tsp Mexican vanilla - OMITTED in place of cherries)
2 tsp almond extract (Dr. Oetker is the best brand; one vial is plenty)
handful of fresh cherries, pitted and sliced

Directions
Combine sugar and gelatin in saucepan. Add Silk creamer and mix well. Heat until boiling then remove from heat, add sliced cherries and let cool. When cool, fold in Better than Sour Cream. Stir in almond extract. Chill in fridge until set, approximately an hour. The Swedish cream can be made a day early and stored it the refrigerator.

To serve, cut up the angel food cake. Layer Swedish Cream, chopped fresh cherries, and angel food cake in a tall glass or trifle bowl. Repeat layering until full. Serve immediately.

So simple and yet your guests will ask for seconds!