Many ways to get your apple a day

#Middlebury #Apples

My sister, Marcy, and I host local community health outreach events to provide workshops and curriculum about diet-related health issues and support for other non-profits to increase attendance at their events. Our main focus is on diet-related diseases and obesity. Being obese can increase your chances of dying from high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, respiratory problems, high cholesterol and uterine, breast, prostate and colon cancers.

We also host or partner with other non-profits to provide a healthy meal to the attendees at community health events. We couldn’t put these on without the support of local vendors like FarmHouse Delivery, Truckin’ Tomato, HEB grocery stores and the donations of Dasani water and low-calorie or no-calorie drinks from our local Coca Cola distributor.

FarmHouse Delivery gifted us with a treasure trove of their beautiful locally sourced fruits, herbs and vegetables. I was going through the donation boxes when I saw several lovely Fuji apples. They looked so delicious that I had to try one. The crisp crunch, explosion of sweet juices and the flavor of that apple brought back childhood memories.

Fuji, Gala, Honeycrisp, Cripps Pink, Jonathan, Red Delicious and Golden Delicious apples are in season until May. High-quality apples are smooth-skinned, crisp, juicy and well-colored for their variety. Varieties that are not solid red should have a yellow-green undertone, often called “ground color.” A ground color that is too green indicates a less sweet or under-ripe apple. Ground color that is too yellow identifies an apple that is overripe, soft and mealy textured. Avoid apples with bruises, soft spots or wrinkled skin.

Handle apples gently to avoid bruising them. Apples will remain crisp and juicy longer if refrigerated. Keep apples in plastic bags with small air holes to maintain a high moisture level and delay withering.

Apples are a dieter’s dream – a medium apple is only about 80 calories! Apples also are a good source of fiber, especially if you eat the peel, and they contain only a trace of sodium and fat.

Apple Tips:

• Quick-peel apples for cooking by dipping them quickly in and out of boiling water. The skin will come off much more readily.
• Apple butter cooked down on top of the range requires constant stirring to prevent scorching. No time to stir? Pour apple pulp mixture into a large roasting pan and bake in the oven at 300 F, stirring only occasionally. The butter thickens as it bakes without scorching.
• Dried apple slices can be rehydrated for use in crisps, cobblers and pies.

Apple Shake

6 to 8 apple slices
1/2 cup skim or 2 percent milk, or non-dairy milk
1 cup low-fat yogurt or vanilla ice cream

Blend ingredients together until smooth.

Lemon-Honey Apple Fruit Salad

2 sliced apples
2 cups pineapple chunks, fresh or canned, drained and juice added to dressing
2 oranges, peeled and cut into sections, or other fruit as desired
Lemon-Honey Dressing (see below)

Prepare the dressing and salad as directed below. Do not cut the fruit or dress it with the salad until ready to serve.

Lemon-Honey Dressing
2 rounded tablespoons honey or agave
Juice of 1 lemon, or juice of 1 lime, or 1/2 of each
1/4 cup of other fruit juices
1/8 teaspoon salt

Stir the dressing together in a medium bowl. Pour over all the sliced fruit and toss together to combine or use for individual servings as desired. Refrigerate up to 6 hours.

Bruschetta With Apples, Honey and Cheese

Bruschetta with goat’s cheese, apple and honey make a tasty breakfast, snack or appetizer with wine. (Depositphotos photo)

1 loaf bakery bread, sliced into 1/2-inch slices
1/4 cup olive oil
1 wedge or wheel of brie cheese, or 8 ounces goat cheese, or low-fat cream cheese
2 apples (Fuji, Gala, Honeycrisp, Cripps Pink, Jonathan, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious or Granny Smith varieties)
1-2 tablespoons of honey or light agave syrup
Freshly ground black pepper (optional)

1. Preheat broiler or set oven to 400 F or 450 F. Arrange bread slices on baking sheet and brush with olive oil on each side. Toast on each side, checking every 2 minutes to prevent burning.
2. Slice cheese or cream cheese into 1/2-inch thick slices, 2 inches long. Slice apples into thin half-moons.
3. Place toast on a cutting board. Lay 2 to 3 pieces of cheese on toast. Press cheese into the bread with fork. Lay 2-4 apple slices on the cheese. Drizzle with honey or agave syrup. Sprinkle with pepper, and cut into halves, if desired.

Angela Shelf Medearis is an award-winning children’s author, culinary historian and the author of seven cookbooks. Her new cookbook is “The Kitchen Diva’s Diabetic Cookbook.” Her website is www.divapro.com. To see how-to videos, recipes and much, much more, Like Angela Shelf Medearis, The Kitchen Diva! on Facebook. Recipes may not be reprinted without permission from Angela Shelf Medearis.

© 2019 King Features Synd., Inc., and Angela Shelf Medearis