Tag: quercetin

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Lemon Ginger Apple Butter for your Meatless Monday (GF) (V)

As the saying goes, an apple a day keep’s the doctor away. The old adage is more than just a common cultural phrase, it’s a health claim backed by science. According to one of my favorite NYT columns, Well, consuming apples is linked to a decreased risk of stroke. Apples are also an excellent source of dietary fiber, which may be effective for those with high blood pressure. Like other colorful fruits, apples contain a number of antioxidants and  phytonutrients, including the flavonol quercetin, which has been associated with reducing inflammation in the body.
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The best part about apples, in my opinion, is that unlike berries and (my personal favorite) pomegranate seeds, they are relatively inexpensive. And at this time of year, it’s easy to source them locally–or better yet, pick your own!
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After a recent trip to Stribling Orchard in Markham, VA I was left with a bounty of apples in need of a purpose. Since my slow-cooker is my chosen culinary best friend this fall, I decided to give apple butter a whirl. The result is a deliciously lemon-ginger spiked treat, perfect atop your Sunday morning pancakes or cup of plain yogurt.

Lemon-Ginger Apple Butter 

What You’ll Need:

8-10 medium to large apples

zest of one lemon

juice of one lemon

1 inch grated fresh ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp. allspice

1/2 tsp cloves

1/2 cup Demarra cane sugar

How to Make It:
1. Wash and core apples, then rough chop them (leaving skin on).
2. Fill a 5 quart slow-cooker with your apples then toss together with lemon, zest, spices and sugar.
3. Cover and cook on high for 5-6 hours.
4. Blend the cooked apples until smooth with a hand blender or in a food processor.
5. Let cool then serve immediately or give canning a try to preserve your pickings all winter long.
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Baked Apple Chips w/ Cinnamon

Admittedly, a lot of the recipes I put on my blog are not the most simple of sorts. They have a lot of ingredients and if you don’t already love to cook, the multitude of steps might scare you off before you even try. This recipe for Baked Apple Chips with Cinnamon is truly E-A-S-Y. It’s just two simple ingredients and requires nothing more than a knife, oven and cookie sheet. If you have a mandoline (not to be confused with the mandolin), it’ll make your life even easier!

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Having recently started my Sports Nutrition and Performance degree, you know I have to drop some nutrition knowledge on my readers. To start with, apples–a superfood–are rich in a phytochemical called quercetin. Quercetin is a proven cancer preventative. Be sure to leave the skin on because the highest concentration of this good stuff is found right up under and within the skin. Apples are also a great source of dietary fiber and boron, a mineral that may reduce the risk of developing osteoarthritis and help decrease joint pain, swelling and stiffness.

Believe it or not, the real nutritional rock star of this combo might just be the cinnamon. If apples are a superfood, cinnamon is definitely a super-spice. First off, it has anti-inflammatory and anti-clotting properties. Little know fact, cinnamon helps fight against bacteria that can lead to yeast infections and ulcers. Cinnamon has also been found to lower bad cholesterol (LDL) and may be effective  against diabetes because it helps control glucose levels in the blood. Finally, cinnamon is a powerful antioxidant and interacts with proteins that regulate growth-promoting signals, thereby suppressing the growth of tumor cells. In a nutshell, it’s one hell of a natural remedy for a lot of degenerative diseases we all want to avoid.

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What You’ll Need:

  • 3 small or 2 large apples, cored and thinly sliced (I like Honey Crisps, sweet and tangy!)
  • Cinnamon to taste

How to Make Them:

  1. Preheat oven to 250 °F
  2. Use a mandolin to slice your apples 1/8″ thick (or do it the good old fashioned way with a knife)
  3. Using a nonstick cookie sheet (or lining a regular cookie sheet with parchment paper), lay out your apple slices
  4. Sprinkle with cinnamon
  5. Bake at 250 °F for 1 1/2 to 2 hours (depending on the oven). After 45 min to an hour, flip them so they’ll bake evenly. Be sure to check on them after 45 min and every 15 min after that because you don’t want to burn them
  6. Once they’re slightly crispy to the touch (but not burnt and brittle) remove them from the oven and allow to cool

The best part about this recipe?  It’ll make your kitchen smell like warm apple pie…mmmm.