Apple Crisp

OK so this recipe is one that I had made a million years ago, loved, and then forgot where I had found it. For years it was lost in the wilds of the internet, causing me to turn to other, lesser apple crisp recipes, but it has finally made its way home. Welcome home, Crisp. UPDATE April 7 2020 - We found this was too sweet so I reduced the sugar from 1 cup to 3/4 cup in both the apples and topping.

VERY GOOD APPLE CRISP

Ingredients

• 10 cups all-purpose apples, peeled, cored and sliced (I like granny smith apples which are not as sweet as other apples and stay firm when cooked)
• 3/4 cup white sugar (can reduce if using sweeter apples)
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup butter, melted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degree C).
2. Place the sliced apples in a 9x13 inch pan.
3. Mix the white sugar, 1 tablespoon flour and ground cinnamon together, and sprinkle over apples.
4. Combine the oats, 1 cup flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and melted butter together. Crumble evenly over the apple mixture.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 - 45 minutes, until apples are cooked and top is browning.

slightly adapted from allrecipes.com

I must try these baja avocado tacos sometime

http://www.yourveganmom.com/your_vegan_mom/2010/10/taco-night-giveaway.html

Lentil Tacos

"outstanding" -- M

Ingredients

• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/2 jalapeno, minced
  
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 1 cup dried lentils, rinsed
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 cup salsa
• salt
  
• 12 corn tortillas

TOPPINGS (these are the ones I like, use what you like):

• shredded lettuce
• minced cilantro
• minced onion
  
• chopped fresh tomato
• chopped avocado
  
• shredded cheddar cheese
• sour cream (can use low-fat)
• spicy habanero sauce
  

Directions

1. In a large nonstick skillet, saute the onion, jalapeno, and garlic in oil until tender. Add the lentils, chili powder, cumin and oregano; cook and stir for 1 minute. Add 3 cups of water and 1/4 tsp. salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Uncover; cook for 6-8 minutes or until mixture is thickened. Mash lentils slightly.
   
2. Stir in salsa. Taste and add salt if necessary.
   
3. Spoon about 1/4 cup lentil mixture into each tortilla. Top with toppings you like!

BONUS:

How to make the perfect taco:

1. microwave corn tortilla until warm and slightly pliable
2. add lentil mixture
3. add a sprinkle of raw onion and a smallish amount of cheese
4. add lettuce, cilantro, tomato
5. salt and pepper tomato
6. add avocado
7. salt and pepper avocado
8. add spicy sauce if desired and a small dollop of sour cream
9. EAT!

adapted from allrecipes.com

"Healthy Choice" at Tim Hortons?

In the last few months, M and I have been trying to eat healthier. We have also been travelling a bit, and I have found that healthy eating on the go is nearly impossible.

Recently, we found ourselves hungry for a snack, standing at a Tim Hortons trying to figure out what to order.


The display case was full of doughnuts and muffins. M automatically assumed a muffin would be healthier than a doughnut. Having worked at McDonalds at the past and well aware of how unhealthy the muffins there are, we checked out the nutrition information to find out:

As it turns out, doughnuts range from 210 - 360 calories and have 8-23 g of fat, while muffins have 290 - 430 calories and 2.5 (for the low fat options) to 19 g of fat!

That means even the low-fat muffins have just as many or MORE calories than the average doughnut (and they taste horrible). A regular-fat muffin will probably have more fat and calories than the doughnut that is probably what drew us to the display case in the first place.

The bad news? Basically, in terms of baked goods, in my opinion there is no healthy option for a nice snack at Tim Hortons.

The good news? If you are dead set on ordering something and having a sweet snack, skip the muffin and go ahead and order a decadent doughnut, you will probably be making the healthier choice anyway.

roasted brussel sprouts

We all need to be eating more vegetables, especially green leafy ones like brussels sprouts. In my opinion, this is the easiest and best way to cook brussel sprouts. You can thank me later.

YOU WILL NEED:

-- brussel sprouts (as much as you want)
-- oil
-- salt and pepper

METHOD:

1. Preaheat the oven to 400 degrees
2. wash brussel sprouts and cut off any brown leaves or brown stems
3. put brussel sprouts on cookie sheet or baking pan
4. drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. (can add a little spicy pepper like cayenne if you like here) and mix everything around so it is coated
5. put in oven. stir the brussel sprouts after about 15 minutes.
6. after 30 minutes, stir and taste, continue to do so every 10 minutes or so until sprouts are cooked all the way through and browning on the outside. It took me about 45 minutes to cook mine through the other day.

FOR EXTRA CREDIT: stick some beets, potatoes, or squash in the oven at the same time you are making these brussel sprouts for your next meal!