Basic No-added Sugar Vegetarian Mincemeat

Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins Preparation Time: 45 mins Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• 3 cups apples, pulp some skins
• 1/2 large lemon, with peel ground
• 1 medium orange, with peel ground
• 1 cup seedless raisin, ground
• 1 cup seedless raisin, whole
• 1 cup currants (or more raisins)
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 3/4 teaspoon clove
• 2 tablespoons flour (or 1 tb arrowroot)
• 3/4 teaspoon allspice (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
• 1/4 cup date sugar (optional)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons rum flavoring (optional)

Recipe

• 1 quarter and core apples, but do not peel.
• 2 grind in old-fashioned meat grinder (food processor makes them too fine), using medium-coarse blade.
• 3 remove seeds from lemon and orange, grind and add to apples.
• 4 grind 1 cup raisins.
• 5 mix all ingredients except rum flavoring in large bowl, stirring in spices and flour, then date sugar if desired.
• 6 add flavoring and mix again.
• 7 place in covered bowl or other container with tight lid; refrigerate at least one week before using or canning.
• 8 canning:.
• 9 1/2 inch head space, boiling water bath 20 min for pints after water returns to boil, longer for altitudes over 1000 ft.
• 10 if any jars fail to seal, freeze for later use. to freeze after refrigerating for the recommended week, place in clean freezer containers or jars, leaving 1/2 inch at top. cover with clean lids and place in sharp-freeze section of freezer until frozen.
• 11 thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.
• 12 makes 1 quart, enough for 2 8-inch pies.
• 13 1/4 cup 116 calories, 2 diabetic fruit exchanges protein 1, fat 0, carbohydrate 28 grams, 0 cholesterol if salt omitted, 1/4 cup contains 7 mg sodium.
• 14 source: canning and preserving without sugar by norma m. macrae, r.d. third edition 1993.