Oreo Caramel Apples: Just Right for Your Palate

Ingredients:

6-10 wooden pop sticks
6-10 small Gala apples or your favorite apple
2 Tbsp. skim or non fat milk
1 pkg (14 oz.) caramels or diet caramels
20-25 Oreo cookies, coarsely crushed
1 pkg dark chocolate chips
2 Tbsp. shortening

Method:

1. Insert pop sticks into tops of apples.  Place caramels and milk in a small saucepan. Heat and stir over medium-low heat, 3-5 minutes or until smooth, stirring frequently.  Dip apples in caramel mixture, coating completely.  Place on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet; let stand until set--about 10 minutes.
2. Place crushed cookies in a shallow bowl. In top of a double boiler or a metal bowl over hot water, melt chocolate chips and shortening; stir until smooth.  Dip apples in chocolate mixture; let excess drip off.  Roll apples through cookie crumbs.  return to baking sheet; refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes.  cut into wedges; serve.
3. Enjoy yourself.

Adapted from Jennifer Gilbert  Makes 12 servings.

Cook’s Corner: My Homemade Cinnamon Applesauce!

My Homemade Cinnamon Applesauce

                                        

Photo: © 2013 Anthony Sepe.  All Rights Reserved

.

Photo: © 2013 Anthony Sepe. All Rights Reserved.

 

 

Hi Everyone,
Here's some homemade applesauce! It is so good, and here's what I did.

Ingredients:

3 # McIntosh Apples, cored

100% Orange Juice (not from concentrate, no pulp)

Ground Cinnamon Spice (per tolerance)

Pumpkin Pie Spice (per tolerance)

 

Directions:

1.  Cored apples and placed them (with the skin on) in a deep pot on the stove.  (Leaving the skins on gives the applesauce a nice tinge of the red color and fiber.)

2.  Poured pure 100% orange juice (not from concentrate, no pulp) over the apples to just cover them. Brought the apples to a boil; turned down the heat to low until soft.

3.  Added: ground cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice, and stirred well.

4.  Removed from heat. Poured into blender and pulsed about 10-12 times, until the skins were blenderized and applesauce was smooth.

5.  Poured into serving dish and served warm.   Enjoy!

Hope you try it!   -Anthony 

Cooks Corner Recipe: Candied Apples

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 apple)

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 8  (4-ounce) Red Delicious apples, stemmed
• 1  cup  sugar
• 1/3  cup  light-colored corn syrup
• 1/3  cup  water
• 1/3  cup  cinnamon decorator candies (such as Red Hots)

Preparation

Line a large baking sheet with foil, and coat with cooking spray. Insert 1 (6-inch) white dowel into stem end of each apple.

Combine sugar, corn syrup, water, and candies in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat. Cook until sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally. Cook, without stirring, until a candy thermometer registers 300° (about 8 minutes). Remove from heat.

Working with 1 apple at a time, holding apple by its dowel, dip in syrup, tilting pan to cover apple. Turn apple quickly to coat evenly with syrup; let excess syrup drip back into pan. Place apple, dowel side up, on prepared baking sheet to harden (about 5 minutes).

Nutritional Information

Calories:

237 (0.0% from fat)

Fat:

0.2g (sat 0.0g,mono 0.0g,poly 0.1g)

Protein:

0.3g

Carbohydrate:

61.4g

Fiber:

2.7g

Cholesterol:

0.0mg

Iron:

0.2mg

Sodium:

20mg

Calcium:

8mg

Source:  Mark Scarbrough, Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2005

Enjoy!

Thank you for reading,

~Anthony

COUNTRY CAPTAIN CASSEROLE

I felt like I just wanted something a little different, but not too different, if you know what I mean.  I knew I wanted chicken; I wanted apples, and so, I found this recipe, which fulfilled my need for ‘something different.’  Let me know if it fulfills your liking for something good too.

Ingredients:

1. 2 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
2. 2 chickens ( 3 1/2 pounds each), each cut into 8 pieces and skin removed from all, but the wings or 3 skinless chicken breasts cut-up into pieces
3. 3 medium onions, chopped
4. 1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
5. 1 large green pepper, chopped (optional)
6. 3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
7. 1 Tablespoons grated, peeled fresh ginger or 1 Tablespoon of bottled dry ginger
8. 3 Tablespoons curry powder
9. 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
10. 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
11. 1 can (28 ounces) plum tomatoes in puree 1 3/4 cups chicken broth
12. 1/3 cup dark seedless raisins
13. 1 tsp. salt
14. 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

 

Preparation:

1. In nonreactive 8-quart Dutch oven, heat 2 Tablespoons oil over medium-high heat until very hot. Add chicken, in batches, and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side..  With slotted spoon, transfer chicken pieces to bowl as they are browned.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In same Dutch oven, heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat.  Add onions, apple, green pepper, garlic, and ginger; cook,stirring frequently, 2 minutes.  Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook 5 minutes longer.
3. Stir in curry powder; black pepper and cumin; cook 1 minute.  Add tomatoes with their puree, broth, raisins, slat, and chicken pieces.  Heat to boiling over high heat.; boil 1 minute.  Cover and place in oven.   Bake 1 hour.  To serve, sprinkle with parsley.

Source:Good Housekeeping Chicken Easy and Delicious Recipes

Cider Chicken with Apples & Thyme

 

I absolutely love Granny Smith Apples, which I had 2 today.  This particular recipe calls for Golden Delicious, but Granny Smith Apples would work well in this recipe, too.   This is yummy.  Enjoy and thank you for reading.

INGREDIENTS:

1. 4 – 5 oz. boneless skinless chicken breasts
2. 1/2 tsp salt
3. 1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
4. 2 tsp olive oil
5. 1 Cup frozen pearl onions, thawed
6. 4 strips of turkey bacon, sliced
7. 1 Golden Delicious or Granny Smith Apple (unpeeled), cored and cut into chunks
8. 1 Tbsp. of freshly chopped Thyme or 1 tsp. dried Thyme
9. 1 Cup of apple cider
10. 1/4 cup of low-sodium chicken broth
11. Thyme Sprigs for garnish

PREPARATION:

• Sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt and pepper
• Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the chicken and sauté until golden and tender; about 4 minutes on each side.  Transfer the chicken to a plate.
• Add the onions and bacon to the skillet.  Cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until the onions are softened and browned; approximately 8 minutes.  Add the apple and thyme; cook until the apple is tender and golden- about 5 minutes.  Stir in the cider and broth.  Raise the heat to high and cook until the sauce boils and thickens slightly- about 5 minutes.  Return the chicken to the skillet and heat through.  Arrange the chicken on a platter, spoon the sauce on top, and garnish with the thyme sprigs.

Nutritional Information per serving:

270 calories; 7g total fat; 1 g saturated fat; 92 mg cholesterol; 617 mg sodium; 16g total carbohydrate; 2g dietary fiber; 35g protein.  Weight Watcher Points: 6 Serves: 4    Source:  Weight Watchers Make it In Minutes

Crispy Apple Chips—A Healthy Snack Choice

A former patient knew that I love apples of all varieties.  Today, I received a special package from her with all kinds of healthy things for the Holidays.  One of the things, which I received:  Crispy Apple Chips (Granny Smith) made by Seneca.  These chips were so good, and I wanted to share them with you.  It is my hope that should you have these at a market anywhere near you, that you give them a try and enjoy these chips, as much as I have. Happy Snacking!

 

Nutritional Analysis:

Serving Size 1 oz.

Servings per bag: 2.5

Calories 150

Total Fat 9g

Saturated Fat 1g

Trans Fat 0g

Cholesterol 0mg

Sodium 10mg

Dietary Fiber 3g

Weight Watchers Points: 3

Source: Seneca Foods Corp www.senecafoods.com

Thank You Readership: Registered Dietitian, Jacqueline Gutierrez, Shares Healthy Low-fat Apple Pie Recipe from Red Apple Concepts

By Anthony J Sepe

http://www.medicalnutritiontherapyservices.com

http://fromadietititiansperspective.blogspot.com

 

Dear Readers:

This post was originally posted on July 26th; however, something happened and was was not able to be accessed.  Therefore, it is my pleasure to re-post this information for you.  Please accept our apologies for the inadvertent mishap.

***

Each Sunday, I thank my readership for their loyalty and dedication to my blog, by providing a healthy recipe.  To those that know, this is a healthy repeat, but for those that are unaware and are new to the blog, this is my way of “giving back.”  It is also a way to “Pay it Forward.”  Each Sunday, not only will you have a healthy recipe, but you will have an expert in the field of dietetics, food and nutrition, provide the healthy recipe to you.  It is my pleasure to introduce this week, my colleague, Guest-Chef, Jacqueline S. Gutierrez, MS, MSEd, RD, CDN.

Jacqueline S. Gutierrez, MS, MSEd, RD, CDN has fifteen years of experience as a Registered Dietitian. She has a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Hunter College and a master’s degree in Medical Biology and Nutritional Science from Long Island University, C.W. Post Campus. She also has a master’s degree in Secondary Education from Queens College. Her experience as a Registered Dietitian covers many areas, including both clinical and foodservice components. Through her own business, Red Apple Concepts, she offers nutrition counseling and seminars. She also has helped various populations with diet, nutrition, and foodservice issues including developmentally disabled adults, nursing home residents, and restaurant managers. She wrote continuing education modules about food safety, HACCP, vegetarian nutrition, modified consistency diets for developmentally disabled adults, and the biochemistry of taste. In addition, she is currently teaching online nutrition classes in addition to working with developmentally disabled children and adults.

 

© Lowfat Apple Pie Recipe

Recipe developed and reprinted with permission

by Jacqueline Gutierrez, MS, MSEd, RD, CDN

Ingredients:

Pie dough:

1 cup unbleached flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp sesame seeds

2 Tb butter

1/2 cup water + extra water if needed

Filling:

5 to 6 cups of sliced apples, skins and seeds removed

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 Tb cornstarch

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1 Tb butter

1 Tb lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla

1) Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

2) Mix the unbleached flour, whole wheat flour, and sesame seeds together.

3) Mix in the butter. Use a fork or pastry cutter to break up the chunks.

4) Add 1/2 cup water, and a little more as necessary to make the dough pliable but not runny.

5) Grease a 9 inch pie pan or spray it with cooking spray.

6) Use about 2/3 of the crust mixture to make the bottom crust by flattening it out and pressing it into the pie pan.

7) Save the remaining 1/3 of crust for strips to be placed on top of the pie.

8) In a large bowl, mix the apples, brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and vanilla.

9) Place the filling mixture into the pie shell.

10) Dot with small pieces of butter.

11) Use the remaining crust to make a top for the pie. Roll it into snake strips, and flatten them out. Place the strips across the top, and be sure to use a little water to stick the ends of each strip to the bottom crust.

12) Bake at 450 degrees F for 10 minutes and then reduce the heat to 350 degrees F. Bake another 35 to 45 minutes until the top is golden brown.

• Visit Jackie at the following:

Jacqueline S. Gutierrez, MS, MSEd, RD, CDN

RedAppleConcepts

Website:  http://www.redappleconcepts.com

E-mail:    JackieRD@redappleconcepts.com

Health Spending Related to Obesity Doubles in Decade

By Anthony Sepe

http://www.medicalnutritiontherapyservices.com

http://fromadietitiansperspective.blogspot.com

 

Lauran Neergaard of the Associated Press revealed that obesity’s not just dangerous, it’s expensive.

New research shows medical spending averages $1,400 more a year for an obese person than for someone who’s normal weight.  Two-thirds of Americans are either overweight or obese, and this average American Today is 23 pounds overweight, said Dr. Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Obesity, and with it diabetes, are  major health problems that certainly appear to be getting worse in this country, and they ‘re getting worse rapidly.  It seems that this is a societal problem—not an individual problem, any longer; however, as individuals, it is my opinion, we must take responsibility for ourselves because we make the decision what to consume on a daily basis. Ask yourself the next time you take a bite of something:  Do I want this?, or do I want something that might be even healthier for me.  Either way—you are the captain of your ship!

Follower Sunday: “Thank You Readership!” Guest-Chef and Registered Dietitian Sophia Medinsky Shares Healthy Recipe for Kids

by Anthony J. Sepe

http://fromadietitiansperspective.blogspot.com

http://www.medicalnutritiontherapyservices.com

 

Each Sunday, I thank my readership for their loyalty and dedication to my blog, by providing a healthy recipe.  To those that know, this is a healthy repeat, but for those that are unaware and are new to the blog, this is my way of “giving back.”  It is also a way to “Pay it Forward.”  Each Sunday, not only will you have a healthy recipe, but you will have an expert in the field of dietetics, food and nutrition, provide the healthy recipe to you.  It is my pleasure to introduce this week, colleague Sophia Medinsky, RD, CDN, with a  Strawberry Cottage Cheese Recipe.

This is a delicious snack every child will love.

©  Strawberry Cottage Cheese

Recipe submitted and reprinted with permission by Sophia Medinsky, RD.

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced

2 cups Low Fat 2% cottage cheese, drained

Slivered almonds for garnish

Preparation:

In 4 dessert cups, layer cottage cheese and sliced strawberries alternatively until cups are full. Garnish with slivered almonds if desired.

4 servings

Nutrition Information per serving:

Calories: 130

Protein: 17 g

Total fat: 2 g

Dietary Fiber: 2 g

Calcium: 91 mg

Recipe: Cranberry Jell-O Salad

by Anthony J Sepe

http://fromadietitiansperspective.blogspot.com

 

 

Ingredients:

1. 1 pkg cherry Jell-O or raspberry Jell-O
2. 8 oz cranberries
3. 1 orange
4. 1 apple
5. 1 cup sugar
6. 1/4 tsp salt
7. 1/2 cup walnuts

 

Preparation:

1. Prepare Jell-O according to package directions. 
2. Grind all cranberries, apple, orange and add to Jell-O.
3. Add sugar, salt and walnuts; let set.