Apple cider vinegar is easy to buy for a small price. But making your own is even easier. If you buy organic fruits, the skins are perfectly safe to eat. We’ve got a few ideas for using up your fruit peelings, which might just help neutralize your global footprint, but we’ll start with healthy and fermented vinegar. We can sip apple cider vinegar diluted with water to start every day, but there are hundreds of other wonderful ways it can be used.
Cider vinegar is delicious splashed into many recipes, from soups to meats to seafood. We’ve created a Maple Apple Bear Butter that also lends itself well to a little added splash of cider vinegar.
Per serving:
Clean and sterilize 1.5 L canning jar. Press and mash down apple peels, cores, and bruised chopped apples along with ginger root into jar.
Dissolve sugar in enough distilled water to cover apples. You will need to press down—apples need to be completely submerged. Add a little more distilled water if needed. Weigh down apples with a heavy sterilized weight that fits into jar. Cover with cheesecloth and secure with rubber band.
Leave in a dark place at room temperature for about 3 weeks. Check on it every couple of days to make sure fruit is still submerged and no mold is growing. Apples exposed to air will cause mold. Be quick to scoop out mold and discard. The mold will not spoil the vinegar unless it goes deeper inside the jar.
Note: do not mistake mold for the "mother" which is the culture of beneficial bacteria that makes fermentation work more quickly.
After 3 weeks, the apple mixture will smell rather sweet. Strain and return liquid to jar. Cover with cheesecloth and rubber band and allow it to rest at room temperature for another 3 weeks. Stir every few days.
It will turn in scent and suddenly reach a tartness, at which time it's ready. Apply canning lid on top and refrigerate before use.
This nut-free take on classic queso dip is everything you want and more. Paired with chips, crackers, or crudités, this creamy, zesty, smoky, and oh-so-satisfying dip is easy enough to whip up for a cozy snack or as an appetizer for company. Go nuts! If you’re okay to eat nuts, try substituting sunflower seeds with 1 cup (250 mL) raw cashews.
Custardy French toast drizzled in pure maple syrup is a cozy, cold-weather breakfast classic. We’ve given this recipe a vegan makeover by swapping out eggs in the batter with mashed banana and a bit of ground flaxseed. This clever swap makes the French toast reminiscent of banana bread. Top it off with a decadent drizzle of raspberry syrup and you’re just a quick stint in the kitchen away from breakfast bliss. Citrus swap If you don’t have any bananas around, consider swapping for an orange. In blender, add zest of one large orange along with peeled fruit and other batter ingredients. Blend until smooth and proceed with the recipe as described.
A satisfying plant-based dinner or packed lunch, quinoa and beans add filling protein, while greens, cucumbers, roasted veggies, and a probiotic-rich dressing bring texture and flavour. Try it with a creamy plant-based cheese on top, or goat cheese for non-plant-based eaters. Mix and match Use this recipe as a guideline. Add in your go-tos such as chopped walnuts or hemp hearts, pitted sliced dates, roasted cauliflower, and crumbled feta (plant-based, if desired).
Brown rice and two varieties of lentils cook in one pot with broth, coconut milk, and simple spices. Nourishing spinach and sweet green peas bring this meal to life. It’s true sunshine in a bowl for those cold winter nights. Main grains White basmati rice, short-grain brown rice, quinoa, or millet can be used in place of the brown basmati rice. Try a mixture of grains for added nutrition and taste (e.g., millet and basmati rice, quinoa and millet, and so on).