There are many variations of quiona with fruit, we particularly enjoyed this one in the summer. We added pecans and used fresh mint instead of the parsley. We hope you give it a try and enjoy it as much as we did.

Servings: 2-3

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon vegan margarine
• 1 small sweet red bell pepper
• 1 large sweet potato
• 2 teaspoons mild curry powder
• 1 cup dried apricots
• 2 cups vegetable bouillon
• salt to taste

Directions:

1. Chop the red bell pepper.
2. Peel and chop the sweet potato.
3. Cut the dried apricots in small pieces.
4. Heat the vegan margarine in a medium soup pot.
5. Add the chopped red bell pepper and saute until soft.
6. Add the chopped sweet potato, mix well and saute until the sweet potato begins to soften.
7. Add the vegetable bouillon, mild curry powder and apricot pieces and cook until the sweet potato is soft.
8. Puree the soup to a creamy smooth consistency. (I used an immersion blender)
9. Season the soup to taste with additional seasonings if necessary.
10. Serve the soup warm, optionally garnished with a bit of green and an apricot.

Prune Danishes

Yield: 4 treats

Ingredients:

• 4 sheets of frozen vegan puff pastry
• 12 dried plums (prunes)
• 4 tablespoons vegan cream cheese slightly diluted with soy cream or alcohol of choice

for the optional icing:

• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• splash of lime juice

Directions:

1. Place the prunes in a medium bowl.
2. Pour 1/2 cup boiling water over them and allow them to soak and soften for few minutes.
3. Meanwhile, soften the vegan cream cheese with whichever ingredient you choose. Just enough so that you can stead a bit down the middle of the puff pastry.
4. Thaw the puff pastry sheets and preheat the oven to 350 F or whatever the package says.
5. Lay the thawed puff pastry on a cookie sheet prepared with baking parchment.
6. Put a tablespoon of the cream cheese diagonally from one tip to the other down the middle of each sheet.
7. Take 3 prunes out of the water, shake and water dopes off and place one prune on each corner with the cream cheese and one in the middle.
8. Carefully fold the empty corner over to the center and fold the opposite empty corner to meet it.
9. Seal the two together with a bit of water.
10. Place in the oven to bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.
11. While the danishes are baking, you can make the optional frosting.
12. Prepare an optional icing to drizzle on top.
13. Mix the powdered sugar with a splash of lemon juice.
14. When the Danishes are ready, remove from the oven and allow to cool.
15. Using a knife or spoon drizzle the frosting over the cooled Danishes and serve.

Apricot Coconut Treasures

Yield: 4 treats

Ingredients:

• 4 sheets frozen vegan puff pasty
• 1/2 cup flaked coconut
• 1/2 cup apricot jam
• 1/4 cup walnuts (chopped)

for optional icing:

• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• splash of lime juice

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F or whatever the directions are on the package of puff pastry.
2. Thaw 4 sheets of puff pastry.
3. While the pastry is thawing, chop the walnuts.
4. In a small bowl, mix the apricot jam, coconut and chopped walnuts.
5. Place the thawed puff pastry on a cookie sheet with baking parchment.
6. Put 1 tablespoon of the apricot mixture diagonally in the middle of each puff pastry sheet, from one point to the other.
7. Fold one of the empty points over to the middle.
8. Take the other empty point bring to meet, and place on top.
9. Seal together with a bit of water.
10. Do for each of the puff pastries.
11. Place in the oven to bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
12. When golden, remove from he oven and allow to cool.
13. Prepare an optional icing to drizzle on top.
14. Mix the powdered sugar with a splash of lemon juice.
15. Using a knife or spoon drizzle the icing over the Danish.

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Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

for the apricot almond tarts:

• 4 sheets frozen vegan puff pastry, thawed
• 12-16 fresh apricots, cleaned and sliced
• 1/2 cup fresh blackcurrants or blueberries
• 1/2 cup lavender syrup*
• 1/2 cup ground almonds

for the lavender syrup:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 2-3 tablespoons fresh lavender or 1 tablespoon dried

Directions:

to make the lavender syrup:

1. Bring the sugar and water to boil in a small saucepan.
2. Cook until the sugar is dissolved.
3. Place the lavender in a jar.
4. Pour the sugar water over the lavender.

to make the apricot tarts:

1. Spray the tart forms with oil.
2. Preheat the oven to 428 F / 220 C, or according to the instructions on the package.
3. Thaw the puff pastry and on a lightly floured surface, roll the puff pastry out large enough to fit the forms.
4. Pace one pastry in each form. Lightly prick the bottom of the pastry with a fork.
5. Brush the bottom of the pastry with 1 teaspoon of lavender syrup.
6. Evenly spread 1 tablespoon of almond flour on the bottom of the pastry.
7. Cut the apricots and lay them decoratively around the pastry.
8. Sprinkle a few blackcurrants or blueberries around and once again brush some of the lavender syrup over the top of the apricots and berries.
9. Place in the oven to bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
10. Serve the tarts with some lavender syrup on the side.

Notes:

Make sure that you use organic lavender.

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

• 2 large sweet potatoes
• 1 & 1/2 cups fresh green beans, topped, tailed and cut into bite sized pieces
• 5 fresh apricots
• handful pistachios

for the dressing:

• 2 apricots
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• dash of lemon pepper
• pinch salt
• 2 tablespoons Thai sweet pepper sauce
• 1 teaspoon Sambal Oelek

Directions:

Peel the sweet potatoes, and cut into medium bite sized pieces.
Place in a steamer and steam until al dente.
Remove from the steam and place in a bowl to cool.
Clean the green beans, chop off the ends and slice in pieces about the same size as the sweet potatoes.
Place in the steamer and steam until al dente.
Allow to cool and add to the sweet potatoes.
Shortly before serving. Allow the beans and potatoes to come to room temperature.

to make the apricot vinaigrette:
Slice the 2 apricots and remove the seed.
Add the rest of the dressing ingredients and puree.
Season to taste.

Slice the remaining apricots and remove the seeds. Add the apricot slices to the potatoes and beans.
We served the salad on a small bed of watercress, but it will taste nice on arugula or any salad greens.
Sprinkle the pistachios over he salad and serve the dressing on the side.

It has the earthy flavors of beets, with the mild sweetness of apricots and orange juice. Perked up with the flavors of onions, garlic and cumin. Altogether, this flavor packed soup that is really tasty. It can also be halved for a smaller amount. We do hope you give it a try and enjoy it as much as we did.

Yield: 2 doz.

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg. dried apricots
• 1 cup soy yogurt
• 2 tablespoons cashew nut butter
• 2 tablespoons amaretto or almond extract
• 2 tablespoons ground or chopped almonds
• 1/8-1/4 cup dried cranberries or dried cherries, chopped
• Sliced almonds and candied cherries as garnish
• Tapas sticks or toothpicks to serve.

Directions:

To make the filling:

1. Mix the soy yogurt with the cashew nut butter, chopped or ground almonds and hopped fruit.
2. Add the amaretto or almond flavoring.
3. Season to taste with additional powdered sugar if desired.

To assemble:

1. Gently loosen the long side of each apricot and open as a clam shell.
2. Fill about 1/2 teaspoon of filling in each apricot.
3. Garnish with sliced almonds and a pice of candied cherry.
4. Optionally use a tapas stick or toothpick so people can easily pick the apricots up.

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 med. onion, chopped
• 2 cups pumpkin, cooked (or butternut squash)
• 6 ripe apricots, pitted and chopped or 1 can apricot halves
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 1 tablespoon sugar or sweetener
• black pepper, to taste
• cilantro and green onion, chopped, as garnish

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large pot.
2. Saute the chopped onions until glassy.
3. Add the pumpkin and vegetable bouillon and cook until the pumpkin is soft.
4. Add the apricots and sugar and further cook for a few minutes.
5. Puree the soup.
6. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
7. Garnish with cilantro and green onion.

Notes:

adapted from http://www.apricotproducers.com/html/squashsoup.htm

Yield: one 8″ galette

Ingredients:

• 4 sheets vegan puff pastry, thawed
• 6-7 fresh apricots, pitted and sliced
• 2 tablespoons apricot jam
• 1/4 cup almond meal (flour) made from ground almonds
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon sugar

Directions:

1. Place 2 tablespoons of apricot jam in a saucepan.
2. Add 3 or 5 tablespoons of water and gently simmer to melt the apricot jam.
3. Stir to mix well, and remove from the heat.
4. Grind 1/4 cup of almonds to a flour texture, or use almond flour.
5. Place the almond flour in a small bowl and add the powdered sugar, mix well.
6. Thaw the puff pastry.
7. Lay the sheets out on a lightly floured surface so that they slightly overlap.
8. Using a rolling pin that has been dusted with flour roll the 4 sheets to make one large square.
9. Take an 8″ or 9″ pie pan and lay it on the puff pastry as a guide.
10. Using a knife cut the puff pastry into a circle using the pie pan as a guide.
11. Pre-heat the oven to 425 F / 218 C.
12. Prepare a cookie sheet with baking parchment or silicone sheet.
13. Clean the apricots, cut in half, remove the pits and slice in thin slices.
14. Carefully place the round puff pastry on the baking parchment.
15. Prick holes in the dough, however leave an edge of about 1/4 inch all around the edge free.
16. Lightly brush a bit of the apricot sauce on thee puff pastry, still leaving the 1/4 inch edge free.
17. Dust the almond mixture over the apricot sauce and go almost to the 1/4 inch free space, but still leave that area free.
18. Take the sliced apricots and arrange them artfully around the pastry. I laid them as quart moons first from the outer area then to the middle and the middle was one 1/2 of an apricot.
19. Dust the top of the apricots with sugar and place in the oven to bake for 20 minutes or until golden. The quarter edge that was left free will rise to form a low edge to the galette.
20. When the galette is done, remove from the oven and again, brush with the apricot sauce to make a glaze. Allow the galette to cool before slicing and serving.

Notes:

Adapted from http://www.epicurious.com

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 cup couscous
• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 can mandarin oranges
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 6-7 fresh apricots, cut in segments
• 100 grams almond slices
• 3 spring onions, sliced in thin rings
• 1 pkg. salad dressing herbs
• 5 Tbs. olive oil
• 2 oranges, zest and juice
• fresh coriander or cilantro , chopped

Directions:

1. Place the couscous in a large bowl.
2. Pour the boiling water over the couscous, and place a lid over the bowl to allow the couscous to absorb the water.
3. When the couscous has absorbed all the water, and cooled.
4. Slice the spring onions in thin rings and add to the couscous.
5. Add the apricot segments. (You can also use dried apricots which you have soaked in water, if you do not have fresh apricots).
6. Drain the juice from the can of mandarin oranges and add them to the couscous and apricots.
7. Zest and juice the oranges.
8. Make a dressing from the olive oil, orange juice, salad dressing herbs, and cinnamon.
9. Pour the dressing over the couscous salad and mix gently.
10. Shortly before serving add the chopped coriander and almonds and mix well.
11. Season to taste with salt and pepper.