Back to school… Jolly Apples

Back to School…..

“Yaaay!!”, cheer all the moms!

It can be a hard transition going from the freedom of summer to the structure of the school year. But as we all know, it’s totally worth it.  Find what excites you, and learn more about it!

Apples are invading my consciousness and somehow go hand and hand with school, or at least in my mind.  The old adage “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”, is still pretty cool even for kids to say these days. You know some of those old phrases grandparents say, um yeah.

Apple picking is one of my favorite back to school time festivities. There’s nothing quite like picking an apple fresh from the tree. Apples as we know it, are one the healthiest foods to eat. Apples are packed with vitamins C, A, fiber, and flavonoids and with smaller amounts of phosphorus, iron and calcium. According to Chinese Medicine, apples strengthen the heart, quench thirst, lubricate the lungs, decrease mucous and increase body fluids.

Interesting apple facts:

• There are more than 7,500 varieties of apples.
• The apple tree is a member of the rose family.
• When you eat an apple you are consuming a lot of air; 25 percent of their volume is air.
• Apples have 5 percent protein.
• Apple trees can live to be 100 years old!
• The largest apple weighed three pounds.
• In ancient Greece when a man proposed to a woman he would toss her an apple and if she decided to catch it, it meant she accepted.
• It takes the energy from 50 leaves to produce one apple.Vegan Apple Cranberry Crumble

Vegan Apple Cranberry Crumble

Recipe courtesy of Chef Peter Berley, author of The Flexitarian Table.

SERVINGS
8

INGREDIENTS
3 pounds apples such as Golden Delicious, Gala, Winesap, or Mutsu, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup cranberries
1 tablespoon arrowroot powder or corn starch
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the Topping:
11/2 cup unbleached flour/ or any type of flour
3/4 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup natural brown sugar/ or coconut sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 pinch salt
8 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, coconut oil, or vegetable oil

PREPARATION
1. Set the oven to 375. In a large bowl, add the apples, maple syrup, cranberries, arrowroot, lemon zest, and cinnamon and toss well. Transfer to 1 or 2 pie dishes.

2. To make the topping: Combine the flour, almonds, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt and mix well with a whisk. Add the butter or oil and toss with your fingertips to form a crumbly topping. Spread over the apples and cover with foil.

3. Bake for 30 minutes then remove the foil and bake at 350 for another 20-30 minutes until the apples are bubbling and the topping is nicely browned. Remove the crumble from the oven and allow it to cool for 20 minutes before slicing.

“Give a bowl of rice to a man and you will feed him for a day. Teach him how to grow his own rice and you will save his life.” -Confucius

Namaste!