Sweet and Sour Maple Coleslaw

This is one of those recipes that's become a family classic. My mom makes for nearly every family gathering - no matter the time of year. It's great for summer picnics because it won't spoil like a mayonnaise based coleslaw. It's almost always guaranteed to be gobbled up - we've learned to make nothing less than a double batch. 

Maple Coleslaw

 Adapted from Pamela Anderson's "A Perfect Recipe"

1 ½ lbs (1/2 a head) red or green cabbage finely shredded

1 large carrot peeled and grated

½ cup granulated maple sugar

2 tsp kosher salt

¼ tsp celery seed

½ cup olive oil

¼ cup maple, rice wine or apple cider vinegar

Black pepper to taste

1. In a colander set over a medium bowl,  toss cabbage and carrot with sugar, salt and celery seed. Let stand until the cabbage has wilted (between 1 and 4 hours). 
2. Drain the liquid from the bowl. Rinsing the cabbage and drying
3. Transfer the cabbage and carrot mixture to a bowl and add oil and vinegar. Mix to coat and season to taste. Add a little more maple sugar if necessary. 
4. Cover and refrigerate until you're ready to serve. It can be made up to 5 days in advance. 

Maple and Apple Muffins

Maple and apple is a  combination we love and this recipe is perfect for this time of year. Hearty and filling, plus it brings back memories of the fall harvest and the spring harvest (sugaring) that's yet to come.

This past fall we had a wonderful crop of apples. The trees were laden with fruit just beckoning to be picked. We pruned heavily a few years ago and now the trees are bearing fruit on nearly every branch. The picking was easy, even for the little ones. Most of the apples were blemish free - too tempting to wait to eat. The jars of applesauce, and recipes like this are reminders of this fall's bountiful harvest.

 

Though we've had more snow than we'd like in the last couple of weeks - it now comes up past the windows on the house - we're ready to start the sugaring season. We've spent the last couple of months preparing, tapping and checking to make sure everything is ready. It's flowed a little over the last weekend, but hopefully it'll really break open soon. 

In the meantime we'll wait and enjoy the wintery weather with eager anticipation of what's to come - and yes we'll eat some maple apple muffins, too.

Maple and Apple Muffins

Adapted from Mennonite Country Style Recipes and Kitchen Secrets

1 Cup Flour
1/4 Cup Granulated Maple Sugar
3 tsp Baking Powder
1/2tsp Salt
1 Cup Rolled Oats
1Egg
1 1/4Cup Milk 
3 tbsp Olive Oil
4 tbsp Apple Sauce
1 Apple Cored and Chopped
3/4 Cup Chopped Walnuts
Topping
3 tbsp     granulated maple sugar
3/4         cup chopped walnuts
2 tsp      flour
1 tsp      melted butter


Grease one muffin pan. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.Combine topping ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. Mix together the dry muffin ingredients in a large bowl. In a small bowl mix together the egg, milk, olive oil and apple sauce. Combine the wet and dry ingredients, mixing only until the dry ingredients are moistened. Fill muffin cups 2/3rds full with muffin mixture.Spoon topping over each muffin. Bake for approximately 20 minutes. Enjoy!