Apple Cheesecake and Spanish Rice

Today was my first day of Real Estate classes. It is a fairly boring class thus far but I have hopes that it will get better. Even if it does not, it is only for two weeks and I will just deal. It is a means to an end and I have high hopes that it will get me out a my work related rut.

Tonight was more apples!

Apple Cinnamon Cheesecake

1 graham cracker crust
3 med sized apples
2 1/2 tubs of vegan cream cheese
1 cup of apple juice
1/3 cup of sugar
1/3 cup of brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons of cinnamon
1 tablespoon of corn starch
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
1 teaspoon of cloves
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees.

Dice 2 med apples into fairly small chunks. The apples do not need to be microscopic but should be less then 1/4 inch each. In a sauce pan, heat the apple juice until it is near simmering. Add the diced apples, 1 tablespoon of cinnamon, 1/3 cup of brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon of cloves. Bring to a simmer for about 5 minutes, the mixture should be a nice brown color with the apple beginning to get soft.

In a food processor, thoroughly combine the 1/3 cup of sugar with the lemon juice, vanilla, cream cheese, and 1/2 tablespoon of cinnamon. You may need to try several times, stirring the mixture with a spoon to get it completely mixed. The cream cheese mixture should be fairly smooth with limited lumps. Add the mixture of the apples and brown sugar mixture and blend until the filling is smooth.

Slice your remaining apple lengthwise, and place 1/2 of it on the bottom of the graham cracker crust. Pour the filling into the crust and gently smooth the top. Put the cheesecake in the oven for about 23-25 minutes. The edges should be starting to dry a bit, pull the cheesecake out of the oven and (gently) quickly place the remaining apple slices on the top of the cheesecake. Place back into the oven for about 5-7 minutes. Let cool for about 3 hours and serve.


Spanish rice was on the menu for dinner. I took a quick trip to the farmers market after my class but I never mind shopping for food! I have a few spins on the dish that you may enjoy.


Spanish Rice

1 banana
1 jalapeno pepper
3 cloves of garlic
1 1/3 cup of water (or veggie broth)
1 cup of black beans
1 cup of corn
3/4 cup of white rice
2/3 cup of tomato sauce
2 tablespoon of onion
1 tablespoon of oil
1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon of black pepper
1 teaspoon of cumin

In a pot, heat the oil until it is hot. Add the jalapeno pepper, onion, and garlic. Do not let them darken, just loosen up some of the garlic's natural oils and the heat from the pepper. Once they are hot (but before then darken) add the rice and stir. The rice needs to get covered with the oil. Let the rice fry in the oil for about 8 minutes., stir occasionally. The rice should begin to brown a bit. Add the water, tomato sauce, cumin, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and cover. Let the rice boil for about 20 minutes. Until most rice, you will need to stir it a few times so that the tomato sauce does not burn to the pot. Cook until the rice is soft. You may need to add more water. In a separate pan, heat the beans and corn. Once the rice is done and the bean are heated, combine and remove from the heat.

Slice a banana into 1/4 in slivers. Plate your rice (on spinach is nice) and put the banana slices on the rice. Feel free to garnish with guacamole and cilantro.

It will be a busy week between taking care of the house, my real estate class, and still putting in full time hours at my job. It will all be worth it in the end and I am already looking forward to some big life changes!