STEWED APPLES, APPLE CRUMBLE AND OVERNIGHT OATS
I had a lot of apples from my apple trees, so I decided to make stewed apple. It is so versatile and can be used in lots of delicious ways.
The way I make my stewed apple is: apples, peeled and sliced, freshly squeezed orange juice and cinnamon. The amount of juice I use depends on how many apples I am cooking. I find that using the freshly squeezed orange juice gives the apples a delicious flavour (without making them taste like orange), and also means I don’t have to add sugar. I cook them on a low heat and keep an eye on them, as they go from being quite liquidy to dry very quickly. (Apples are excellent sources of soluble and insoluble fibre both of which are good for your digestive system).
From these apples I then made overnight oats and apple crumble for dessert.
The overnight oats serves 2 to 3 (I find them quite filling) and I use 50g oats, 1 tablespoon chia seeds and 150 mls of coconut milk. Mix them all together in a bowl, and leave for a few minutes, Mix again, leave again, and mix for the final time. This stops the chia seeds from clumping together. Then put the oat mixture into your bowl/glass, and top with the stewed apple. Put into fridge so they are ready for the next morning. When eating them, I top them with some almonds and blackberries, but you could add what ever you wanted, eg any kind of nut (for good fats) and some extra berries (for antioxidants). The chia seeds are a good source of protein and omega 3 fatty acids, and the oats are a good source of a fibre known as beta-glucan which has been shown to have positive results in lowering cholesterol and balancing blood sugar levels.
I also made a crumble with the rest of the stewed apples. I used white flour (I could have used brown, but had run out), butter and brown muscavado sugar to make my crumble mixture and then added oats and flaked almonds. (200g flour, 100g butter rubbed in till it looks like bread crumbs, then add 50g brown muscavado sugar, 50g oats and 30g flaked almonds and mix together) Put this mixture on top of the stewed apple and bake in a moderate oven till nicely brown on top. This can take from 30 to 45 minutes depending on your oven.
I have tried lots of “healthy” recipes using coconut oil, no sugar etc for crumble but my kids just don’t like the finished result. This is where balance comes in, they are getting the benefit of the apples, the oats, the almonds, the butter (rich in vitamin E and K and a beneficial fatty acid CLA) and yes they are also having a bit of sugar and white flour. And they are very happy to be eating a delicious dessert!!!
Sorry I forgot to take a photo of it when it came out of the oven !!!
