Creative Apple Crumble

The time it takes to put together this dish is pretty much the time it takes to prepare your apples–and its very easy. It’s also a great way to deal with a bunch of apples you have sitting around!

Apple Filling
Apples, peeled and sliced (6-8; I used a mixture of Galas and Granny Smiths to balance sweet and tart)
Brown Sugar (1/2 cup)
Cinnamon (1 tsp or more)
Nutmeg (dash)

Crumble Topping
Flour (1/2 cup)
Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bar, Oats and Honey Flavor (1 bar–use 2 if you love oats)
Brown Sugar (1/2 cup)
Butter (1/2 cup for tasty version, 1/4 cup for healthy version)

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Once your apples are peeled and sliced, start assembling your topping. First you need to break down the granola bar. I used a blender, which took about 2 seconds, but a food processor, mortar & pestle, or anything really would work. Combine the result with the flour and brown sugar. Then place the whole chunk of butter (NOT melted) in with your dry ingredients. Use you fingers to break down the chunk and combine little pats with the flour mixture. When you’re finished you will have many little butter/flour lumps, which is just what you want.

You’re almost done. Place the apple slices in an even layer in a baking dish. Pour a mixture of brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg on top. Toss so that the apple slices are evenly coated. Next, pour the crumble mixture on top of the apples, making sure all apples are covered.

Place in the oven, covered, for 15 minutes. Then uncover and bake again for a further 30 minutes to brown the crumble. Enjoy!

Quick, No-Can Pickled Beets

My man loves pickled beets and whenever I have beets around, this is what I do with them because I don’t have a canner. You can also use store-bought regular canned beets for this recipe, which makes it much easier.

Beets (approx. dozen small-medium beets) OR 1 quart canned beets
Vinegar (1 cup)
Sugar (3/4 cup)
Salt (1/2 tsp)
Mustard Seed (2 tsp)
Celery Seed (1/2 tsp)
Cinnamon (1 tsp–to taste)
Cloves (1/8 tsp)

Peel and slice or quarter beets. This definitely where most of the effort comes in, hence the canned beets instead. Cook the beets in boiling water, which can take quite a while–over an hour, depending on how chunky your slices or quarters are. It’s extremely important that the beets are fully cooked, because no further cooking will happen to them after this process… and you don’t want crunchy pickled beets. When the beets are done, DO NOT REMOVE THEM FROM THE WATER. You want to keep enough of their cooking water so that they are mostly covered. This liquid will contribute to their “pickling” juice. If you’re using canned beets, likewise, keep all the beet juice they were canned in and add the entire cans to a pot and heat up the mixture.

Add vinegar, sugar, salt, mustard seed, celery seed, cinnamon and cloves to the beets and their juice. Cook until the sugar is dissolved. All done. Store in glass containers (or something that won’t stain–I use old pickle jars) and refrigerate for at least 24 hours for flavours to blend. Store in fridge for no more than a few weeks… these aren’t real pickles, after all, so enjoy quickly!

Moroccan Carrot Salad

Carrots (pre-grated bought OR 6 medium OR 1 lb bag baby carrots)
Garlic (powder to taste OR 1 pressed clove)
Cumin
Honey
Salt
Turmeric
Cinnamon
Cayenne Pepper
Lemon Juice OR Orange Juice
Orange Segments OR Mango Pieces
Olive Oil
Greek Yogurt (optional)

If you have bought pre-grated carrots, cook them. I just zap them in the microwave, but they could also be boiled. If you have a good food processor with a grater attachment, if you have whole carrots, also cook them first and then grate them. I use baby carrots by chopping them in the blender and then zapping them in the microwave. The appearance isn’t as nice, but it’s quick and easy.

Add remaining ingredients and stir. If you like a creamy salad like I do, add a dollop of Greek yogurt. For best flavor, let marinate overnight.

Slow Cooker Curry

This is a mild curry on the sweet side, kind of a combination korma/butter chicken. This is a very flexible recipe–and very easy if you have the ingredients. No marinating necessary, because it cooks so long. I haven’t included amounts because I usually add to taste, depending on how much I’m making.

Chicken (chopped)
Onion (1 medium, chopped)
Tomato Paste OR Diced Canned Tomatoes
Greek Yogurt OR Cream OR Coconut Milk
Lemon Juice OR Lime Juice
Honey
Cashews (optional)
Green Onions (optional)
Butter
Spices to Taste: Pick and choose!
Curry Powder
Chili Powder or Paste
Ginger Powder or Fresh Grated
Garlic (1 head, chopped)
Turmeric
Paprika
Cloves, ground (1/8 tsp)
Cinnamon
Cumin
Cardamom

Add butter and chopped onions to slow cooker first. Then add chopped chicken, lemon juice, tomato paste, garlic, honey, green onions and cashews (if using). Add spices to taste. When mixture is completely cooked, add yogurt, cream or coconut milk–do not add it earlier or it will curdle slightly (but even if it does, it’s still delicious!).

Yummy Yummy Couscous

Pinenuts
Israeli Couscous (large grain)
Onions or Shallots, diced
Chicken Broth
Salt
Pepper
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Lemon Juice
Parsley
Raisins
Cranberries, dried
Optional:
Corn, frozen
Chicken, slivered

Toast the pinenuts in some oil. Take out the pinenuts and keep the oil in the pan. Add couscous and onions and toast until some of the couscous turns golden brown. Add broth, salt, pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cook until the couscous is done. Add corn and chicken bits near the end of cooking if you want those (or anything else you might come up with–black beans, chickpeas, maybe?). When its completely done, add pinenuts, lemon juice, parsley, raisins and cranberries (if you add the raisins any sooner they get kind of soggy and gross… unless your raisins are particularly dried out).

Inspired by: TJ Israeli Couscous Recipe

Apple Cranberry Fruit Compote

Apples, peeled, diced
Cranberries, frozen, sliced, seeded
Lemon Juice
Sugar (approx. 4 tbsps)
Water (at least 1/3 cup)
Cornstarch
Cinnamon
Nutmeg

Place the apples in a pot with lemon juice and cook until tender on medium heat. Set aside. Place cranberries and sugar in pot on medium-low heat and cook until sugar is dissolved. Add water (add more if you want the compote to be more syrupy). Mix up some cornstarch and cold water and add it to the pot. Heat until cornstarch thickens. Add cinnamon and nutmeg to taste. Final result will look prettier if you add red food colouring, but it’s tasty either way!

Inspired by: Hungryman