All about apples + a recipe!

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Hi hi beautiful people and welcome back to a nutrition-based blog post. As we have officially entered Fall, I thought it would be nice to highlight the sweet and crunchy apple. 

This juicy nugget comes in many colors and is loaded with healthy goodness. As is tradition with these food highlighting posts, I will first lay out the nutrition profile, a bit of the fruit’s trivia, and then close the post with a simple, yet delicious, recipe utilizing the fruit. 

So, without further ado, let’s dive into some apple factoids [1]:

  1. 2,500 varieties of apples are grown in the United States.

  2. Apples are a member of the rose family.

  3. 7,500 varieties of apples are grown throughout the world.

  4. The science of apple growing is called pomology.

  5. Apples ripen six to ten times faster at room temperature than if they were refrigerated.

  6. Archeologists have found evidence that humans have been enjoying apples since at least 6500 B.C.

  7. Don’t peel your apple. Two-thirds of the fiber and lots of antioxidants are found in the peel.

And a bit of the apple’s nutrient profile:

  • Calories: 52

  • Water: 86%

  • Protein: 0.3 grams

  • Carbs: 13.8 grams

  • Fiber: 2.4 grams

  • Fat: 0.2 grams

  • Potassium: 107 mg

Now, there are many festive fall recipes that make use of this crisp treat but I’ve included one of my go-to (and relatively healthy) ways down below. To me, Fall brings to mind changing leaves, thick chunky sweaters, and baked dishes. Apples are super versatile, so feel free to include them in your morning oatmeal, shred them into cookies, or bake them into this mouth-watering crumble:

Apple Crumble 

Recipe by Teresa Cutter

Ingredients (serves 6 (use 1 apple per person)

Filling:

  • 6 medium sized apples (pink lady or golden delicious work great)

  • Generous splash of apple juice or water

  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon

  • Pinch of salt

Crumble topping:

  • 1.5 cups rolled oats (150g)

  • 1.2 cup (50g) desiccated coconut

  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

  • 1 tsp vanilla extract or paste

  • 1-2 T maple syrup or honey (optional)

  • 3-4 T extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil or butter

Method:

  1. Wash the apples.

  2. Cut into wedges or dice with the skin left on- make sure to remove the center.

  3. Place the apples into a large heavy based pot.

  4. Combine with the apple juice or water, vanilla and cinnamon

  5. Cook over a medium heat for about 15-20 minutes- stirring occasionally until the apples have completely softened and collapsed. Taste them and adjust level of cinnamon, salt, etc.

To make the crumble:

  1. Preheat your oven to 160C. Fan forced.

  2. Combine the rolled oats, coconut, cinnamon, vanilla, maple syrup/honey and olive oil, then rub the ingredients together with your fingers to combine.

  3. Pile your apple mixture into a suitable sized baking dish. *Optional: Add a handful of blueberries to the apple before filling.

  4. Scatter the crumble over the top.

  5. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the crumble is golden.

  6. Remove from the oven and serve with thick greek style yogurt.

What are some of your favorite ways to incorporate the apple into your cooking? I hope that you all liked this post and learned a little something about one of Fall’s most famous fruits. If you have any requests for foods you’d like to see highlighted on here next, just let me know down below :)

See you all here next Tuesday for a fresh blog!

Xoxo,

Alexandra 

Sources:

1. “Apple Facts.” Apple Facts - Apples and More - University of Illinois Extension, 2019, web.extension.illinois.edu/apples/facts.cfm.