Strawberry Split Banana Boat 

What You Need:

1 banana
2 tsp. strawberry preserves
2 tsp. whip topping
1 tsp. raisins

How to Make It:

Peel and split the banana down the center.
Place the banana in a boat shaped dish.
Fill the middle with the strawberry preserves.
Add the whip topping over the top.
Sprinkle with the raisins.

1 Serving

Pineapple preserves work well also.  Add a few chopped strawberries for a little extra treat.

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Passionate Strawberry Sundae

What You Need:

2 passion fruit, split in half and pulp removed
2 C strawberries, chunked and divided
2 peaches, chunked
2 C low fat vanilla yogurt

How to Make It:

Place 1 C of the strawberries into the blender.
Puree until smooth.
Place the mixture into a bowl.
Place the passion fruit pulp into the pureed strawberries and mix together well.
Place 1/2C of the yogurt into each of 4 sundae dishes.
Place the remaining strawberries and the peaches equally into the sundae dishes.
Pour the sauce over the top and serve.

4 Servings

What a great way to surprise the family.  Other fruits mixtures such as pears, pineapple, mango or oranges also taste great in this sundae.

If you haven’t spent a lot of time in the apple growing regions, you may not know how versatile this fruit is. Apples come in all sorts of shapes, colors, and tastes; not just the two or three you may know from your local grocery store’s bagged produce department. Apples grow in just about every corner of the globe.  Apples can be used in a variety of dishes from appetizers to main dishes to desserts. Let’s get down to the core and see where apples come from and how they earned their rightful place in almost every aspect of our dietary lives.

What is it?

Apples are the fruit borne from, well, apple trees, of course. They come in various shades of red, yellow, and green and most have a white flesh that varies in texture from crisp to soft. Spanning the taste spectrum from sugary sweet to pucker-up tart, apples are one of the more versatile foods in the marketplace.

History

Apples have been around in one form or another for over 4,000 years. They were first brought to the United States in the early 1600′s by explorers and settlers. Apples were highly valued and became a staple food in most households because they stored well fresh and were easily dried, then became the star of the home-canning world. Today, apples are still treated the same way –  with appreciation for their versatility in recipes, ease of storage,  and variety of preservation methods.  For these reasons, apples are enjoyed by thousands around the globe.

Health Benefits

Apples have proven to be beneficial in every health aspect from bone protection to alzheimer’s prevention, and even diabetes management and cancer prevention. The reason apples are linked to all of these health benefits is because of the two integral layers – the skin and the pulp – both being an excellent source of vitamin C, just to name the most obvious and well known nutrient.  Along with the added nutrients, the things that are missing from apples also make them noteworthy under the ‘health benefits’ tag; namely, apples are fat free, sodium free, and cholesterol free.

Pectin in the meaty part of the apple helps manage diabetes by supplying galacturonic acid which lowers the body’s need for insulin. Phloridzin, a flavanoid found only in apples, may help protect menopausal women from the frightening occurrence of osteoporosis. A nutrient found in apple skins, boron, has been found to strengthen bones.

Fun Facts

Apple trees can live for many years; sometimes well over a century. There are more than 7,500 varieties of apples grown in the world and about 2,500 of those are grown in the United States. Red Delicious is the most popular and well-known apple in the USA, with Golden Delicious following behind in a close second. Granny Smith apples are fast approaching these two powerhouse apples in popularity. The average American eats more than 70 apples a year, and considering apples are free of fat, salt, and cholesterol, as well as being a good source of dietary fiber and vitamin C, it’s no wonder our doctors are trying to get us to eat one a day.

The Illustrated World Encyclopedia of Apples: A comprehensive identification guide to over 400 varieties accompanied by 60 scrumptious recipes
~ Andrew Mikolajski ~
This is a comprehensive guide to growing, harvesting, storing, and cooking an array of apples from around the globe. It truly is an encyclopedia, complete with full descriptions and beautiful pictures.

How to Eat Raw Apples

Eating a raw apple is as simple as diving teeth-first through the crisp skin right into the sweet or tart insides, and letting the juice run down your chin. If you wish to give your teeth a more gentle approach, and keep a neater smile, you can also core and cut the apple into wedges. Once you have these juicy little wedges, you’ll be looking for goodies to dip them into.  You don’t have to look much further than peanut butter for a classic snack.

Apples can be diced and added to a fruit salad, tossed into a crunchy tuna salad with celery, or dipped in chocolate and caramel and topped with nuts. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of ways to eat a raw apple.  If you are lucky enough to be around an apple orchard, then there is nothing like picking a ripe apple from a tree, still warm from the sun, and enjoying each bite right in the shade of the branches of the apple tree.

How to Eat Cooked Apples

You can get as fancy as you want or as down-home simple as can be with apples. From apple pie to apple crisp and apple pastries to apple omelets, cooked apples are a favorite food around the world. Looking for something simpler than a pie?  Just simmer the apples until they get soft, throw in a little sugar and cinnamon, and mash them into, you guessed it, applesauce. Eat it as it is or serve over ice cream.

What if you don’t have a sweet tooth?  Apples are often found in side dishes with cabbage, collard greens, spinach, or other savory vegetables.  You will find a delightful mix of flavors when you add apples to a skillet full of harvest vegetables, onions, and a splash of balsamic vinaigrette.  And, don’t forget to try your hand at an apple glaze for your next pork tenderloin. Think beyond apple pie and you’ll discover a whole world of recipes for your next bag of apples.

No matter how you decide to eat your apples, just remember the old adage, ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away.’  Now we have the scientific studies showing all the nutrients there are in apples, so there’s no excuse not to add this versatile fruit to your diet.  Of course, that cool, crisp crunch of an apple alone should convince you to take a bite!

This is a great recipe for when it’s just too hot to cook. If you are taking this dish to a potluck dinner, wait until you arrive to add the fresh fruit. It will not have to be heated or refrigerated.

Ingredients:

2 cups of cooked long grain rice

2 Tablespoons of olive oil

2 Tablespoons of orange juice

1 Tablespoon of vinegar

2 teaspoons of chopped shallots

¼ teaspoon of salt

¼ teaspoon of pepper

1 cup of chopped fresh peach

¾ cup of fresh blueberries

¾ cup of fresh strawberries

3 Tablespoons of toasted almonds

Preparation:

Heat a small, dry skillet, add almonds and stir until toasted.  Whisk together the oil, juice, vinegar, shallots, salt and pepper. Add the almonds, cooked rice, peach and berries and toss gently.
Prep Time: 15 minutes Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

8 cups of applesauce
4 cups of sugar
4 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons of  ground allspice
2 teaspoons of ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons of ground cloves

Directions:

Stir all ingredients together well in a large bowl. Transfer to a crockpot and cook, UNCOVERED, on high for 6 to 7 hours. It isn’t necessary to stir it. Cool and place into containers. Keep refrigerated or may be frozen

Sweet Grilled Orange

Grilled oranges are simple and inexpensive to make, yet the flavor is rich and delicious.

They can be used as a side dish, garnish or even a light dessert. I prefer them cooked on a freshly cleaned grill as to keep the distinct contrast of the citrus and sweet. If you prefer though, you can cook them after you’ve grilled a flavorful meat and they will take on a light smoky flavor.

Ingredients

2 – 4 Navel Oranges
Honey
Brown Sugar

Amounts will vary depending on how many oranges you use and how sweet you want the end results to be.

Preparation:

Cut the oranges into approximately ¼ inch thick slices. You can do this with the rind on or if you prefer, you can first peel the oranges.  We’ve chosen to cook two oranges and to leave the rind on as they tend to be easier to flip.

Preheat the grill to a low temperature. Spray the grate with nonstick cooking spray to keep the fruit from sticking.

Place the orange slices on the warm grill and allow them to cook about 5 minutes. Flip them over and continue cooking another 3 minutes.

Place the orange slices on the warm grill and allow them to cook about 5 minutes. Flip them over and continue cooking another 3 minutes.

Once they begin to soften, sprinkle each one with a little brown sugar.

Drizzle with honey and allow it to cook for another minute or two.

Remove from grill. Best served warm.

Enjoy!