Inviting Joy... and fabulous Apple "Nachos"!

Yesterday was my birthday.  Being a milestone, we decided to mark the occasion by doing something I hadn't done as an adult, and have a party. This idea brought with it excitement, but also trepidation, and feelings of unworthiness.  Although I imagined an intimate gathering of close friends, I was faced with the fear that *nobody* would come...why would anyone want to come to *my* party, after all?  Instead of giving into this and planning the gathering from a place of fear, I tried something new and decided to "invite joy" and  plan from a place of celebration in which everyone could share.   The fabulous birthday Tea Party was born! I got out the bone china teacups and saucers, chose the tea, ordered tiny treats (befitting a tea party), supervised the making of cucumber sandwiches (he didn't need any supervision!), and even made a new treat, that I called "Apple Nachos", for the first time.  (Recipe to follow).  

It worked!  The day was perfect.  The tea was enjoyed, the treats were eaten, many laughs were shared, and precious memories made. It was the intimate gathering that I had dreamed of.  

The lesson here?  Try something new!  Go outside of that comfort zone and see what magic happens!  Invite joy.

Fabulous Apple "Nachos"

2 large apples, quartered and thinly sliced (I used Honeycrisp)

toasted almonds

coconut

dried cranberries

dairy-free chocolate chips

Raw vegan caramel sauce

For the sauce:

1 cup dates (soaked in hot water for about 20 minutes)

2 tsp almond butter (or any nut or seed butter)

3/4 cup water

1 1/2 Tbsp coconut oil

dash of salt

Combine all the sauce ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth, adding more water if needed to achieve the desired consistency.  

To assemble the "nachos":

Thinly slice the apples and soak in a mixture of water and lemon juice to discourage browning, pat dry. Layer apple slices onto a plate or platter.  Melt the chocolate chips (you could add a bit of coconut oil to thin the chocolate more) until it is runny. Drizzle the chocolate over the apples. Drizzle the caramel sauce over the apples.  Top with the almonds, cranberries and coconut (or whatever toppings you like)!

This recipe is my own twist, and is inspired by the caramel filling in Angela Liddon's  Oh She Glows Cookbook, (Penguin Canada Books, Toronto, 2014).