Baked Apples

                                           (No Eggs, or Peanuts)
Prep Time: 15mins & 35 mins baking
Serve: 4
Ingredients:
4 Medium apples
4 Tablespoons of shortening
4 Tablespoons walnuts-chopped or other nuts of choice ( take out if you or someone has an allergy to nuts)
3/4 teaspoon of peeled & grated fresh ginger
4 cinnamon sticks (of just add a dash of cinnamon if you don't have the sticks)
5 Tablespoons of agave nectar or fruit sweetener (in the health section of your local store or trader joes/whole foods)
water as needed
3/4 ricotta cheese (or non-diary ricotta, or take a block of tofu, mash it and add a little lemon juice, salt, and nutmeg to taste)


1.Preheat the oven to 450˚F
2.While that's preheating wash the apples and cut off the bottoms to level the apple about 1/4 inch or so to allow it to sit flat in the baking dish (i recommend a glass one)
3. Core the apples and place them into the dish
4. Spoon 1 TBL spoon of shortening, 1 TBL spoon of chopped walnuts, a pinch of fresh ginger, and 1 cinnamon stick (or 1 teaspoons of cinnamon)
5. Top with fruit or agave
6. Place a small amount of water at the bottom of the baking dish & bake for 30-35 mins
7. Remove from oven and let them cool slightly

Ricotta (or tofu) mix

1. Place ricotta or tofu into a blender or food processor and puree till it's smooth.
2. Add 1 TBL spoon of sweetener (fruit or agave) & the remanning ginger
3. Blend it until mixed & place 1-2 TBL spoon on top of each apple.
4. Serve warm & enjoy

If you want that apple pie taste but don't want to bake a whole pie this is the way to go!