Healthy Apple Treats
Nov 15, 2015 in gluten free, healthy snacks, recipes, sweets, vegan, vegetarian, apples, baking, balls, cinnamon. Read the original on: Oat&Sesame
Dr. Campbell is author of the “China Studyâ€Â which takes a comprehensive look at the relationship between the consumption of animal products and chronic illness.
His overall message to the public is to eat a whole foods, plant-based diet. A few of his research results suggest that disease is prevalent past a tipping point within consumption of animal based products. If animal product consumption rose above about 10% of food intake, his results show a significant jump in the level of chronic disease (a side note – his research was conducted on lab rats).
Really the message of eating more fruits and vegetables has always been at the top of nutrition recommendations – it’s nothing new.
Nutrition doesn’t have to be confusing, but the food industry has created a “food politics†that has created a dollar driven vs. health driven economy with consumer advertising at the core. (I’m currently reading a book by Marion Nestle, Ph.D. called “Food Politicsâ€)
Take from this what you will, but this week I’ve really had plant based eating on my mind. My dad had a quadruple bypass surgery about a year and a half ago, so it’s something very real for me. I’ve always leaned towards a diet comprised of less meat and dairy, but I’m really interested to continue to dig into this research.
Dr. Campbell’s newest book “Whole: Rethinking Nutrition† has been added to my “must read†list for the winter. There is also a documentary that came out this past summer – trailer here – which I am really interested in watching. I’m hoping it will be part of a nutrition based film series that I help coordinate each year in my community.
I’m still working on bushels of apples from my apple picking travels (here). So I thought I’d use some to create healthy snacks for the week – starting with simple dried apple rings and apple-ginger spiced snack bites.
Homemade Dried Apples
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Prep time
15 mins
Cook time
2 hours
Total time
2 hours 15 mins
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Author: Oat&Sesame
Serves: 30-40 pieces
Ingredients
- 4 medium apples, cored and sliced into thin rings. ¼" thick slices will produce a crispier dried apple, ½" thick will produce a dried apple with a little more substance and chewiness.
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- â…› teaspoon ground ginger
- â…› teaspoon ground cardamom
- Pinch of ground cloves
Instructions
- Heat oven to 200 F.
- Wash, core and slice apples.
- In a large bowl, gently toss apples and spices.
- Lay each individual ring/piece flat on a rimmed, parchment lined baking sheet.
- Baking time will vary depending on thickness and how crisp you want your apple rings.
- Take a wooden spoon and use it as a wedge to prop the oven door slightly ajar during the drying process. This allows the moisture to escape the oven.
- A general timeline would be 1.5 - 2 hours, flipping the apples halfway through and rotating the cookie sheets. 2 hours will give you crisp apple rings that are more like apple chips.
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Apple Ginger Spiced Snack Bites
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Prep time
15 mins
Cook time
10 mins
Total time
25 mins
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Author: Oat&Sesame
Serves: 15 balls
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups rolled oats, lightly toasted
- ½ cup almond butter
- ¼ cup honey
- 1¼ cups dried apple, finely chopped (recipe above)
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- â…› teaspoon ground cloves
- â…› teaspoon ground cardamom
- 10 small pieces candied ginger, finely diced
- 12 whole raw almonds, to top (optional)
Instructions
- Place oats on a rimmed baking sheet and toast at 350 F for 10 min until just lightly browned. (If you're short on time, you can skip toasting the oats. I like them to have a little crunchy texture.)
- In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients except whole almonds. Mix throughly.
- Scoop out about a tablespoon and then roll between your palms to create the balls. It's helpful to wet the palms of your hand a little bit before rolling to prevent sticking. I wet them a few times during the process.
- Place one whole almond on its side on top of each ball. It is helpful to add a little dot of honey on top of the ball to hold the almond in place.
- Store in an air tight container or gallon-size bag in the refrigerator or freezer.
Notes
adapted from a recipe found @ fitfoodiefinds.com
3.5.3208
Get the recipe for mypeanut butter energy bites here.
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Read the original on: Oat&Sesame
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