Baked Apples wth Maple Syrup and Pecan Nuts

Food Articles | October 17, 2008

Fall recipe for Baked Apples, with nutriton advice and health tips

Once a popular pudding, good old baked apples seems to have fallen into decline - now is the time to resurrect them. Baked in their skin apples retain their nutritional goodness. You can vary the filling according to taste - try chopped apricots and almonds, or maple syrup and pecans and sunflower seeds. You could also bake the apples without any filling and serve with granola

Apples are sometimes passed over, in favor of the more exotic or fashionable "super foods" such as the goji berry, whilst I'm not disputing these are full of wonderful health enhancing nutrients, more often or not they have travelled along way to get here, so think about your carbon foot-print before picking up a carton of these and go for something home-grown instead like apples or blueberries.

Serves 4

4 large cooking apples

Mixed dried fruit (allow 1 dessert spoon per apple)

Mixed nuts (allow 4-5 per person) – (not suitable for those with nut allergies)

1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds

Honey, maple syrup or molasses1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
Serve with: vanilla yoghurt, or low fat crème fraiche or custard.

Wash the apples - remove core and any pippy bits. Mix together dried fruit, nuts, (if using) and cinnamon, with 1 tablespoon of either honey or maple syrup. Divide equally between the four apples. Place in oven-proof baking dish and bake for about 25 minutes in a medium oven. Serve warm with chosen accompaniment.

Nutrition Note

Apples are a great source of a nutrient called quercetin. Research has indicated that quercetin - a flavanoid found in foods such as apples and onions can be especially beneficial in reducing inflammation, and may be helpful for people with allergies. Apples are also a good source of soluble fibre, a partially digestible sort of fibre, which has many other health benefits other than “keeping us regular”. Soluble fibre such as that found in apples, oats, beans and pulses, acts like a sort of sponge in the gut which binds to, and absorb cholesterol, helping to maintain healthy cholesterol levels. Keeping cholesterol levels within a healthy limit is known to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease

Article Tags: Baked Apples, Maple Syrup

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rebecca is a practicing Nutritional Therapist in the south of England, and a member of The British Association for Applied Nutrition and Nutritional Therapy. She write many articles, and a blog with nutritional advice and healthy recipes.

http://thenutritionconsultants.blogspot.com/

http://www.thenutritionconsultants.com/