Peach and Blackberry Crisp

Stone fruit and berries sprinkled with a blend of oats and nuts just barely crumbled together with a touch of butter (or coconut oil), and baked just enough to make each bite burst with flavor….hmmhmm summer has arrived!

Mix some plain Greek yogurt sweetened with honey to taste and add a dollop on top of the cooled crisp.

Or for a special treat, place a scoop of simple vanilla ice cream over a hot serving and savor the contrast of the frozen ice cream melting into the fruit.

Variations:

  • Instead of peach, use nectarines or plums
  • Instead of blackberries, any other berries or a mix of berries – or no berries, just increase the peach by a cup or two

 

Peach and Blackberry Crisp
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Peach and Blackberry Crisp
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Ingredients
Adjust servings:
Units:
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 375°F and butter (can use coconut oil) a 9 x 9 baking dish.
  2. Combine berries, peaches, juice and zest in a bowl and mix well. Place in baking dish.
  3. In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients with hands until moist and crumbly. Scatter crumb mixture evenly over fruit in baking dish.
  4. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until fruit bubbles and top is golden brown.
Recipe Notes

Modified:

Epicurious: Blackberry and Peach Crisp

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Pumpkin Apple Muffins

Every bite of these muffins tastes like fall, evoking cooler weather and a kaleidoscope of orange, gold, rusts and red color in the trees.

The flavor and texture is so lovely and the nutrition of pumpkin, apple, nuts and seeds motivate me to make them at other times of the year as well.

[su_expanding_quote_book source_author=”Steven Pratt, M.D., and Kathy Matthews” source_title=”SuperFoods Rx: Fourteen Foods that Will Change Your Life” affiliate_link=”http://amzn.to/1TGUOyo” full_quote=”Pumpkin packs an abundance of disease-fighting nutrients, including potassium, magnesium and vitamin C and E. The key nutrient that boosts pumpkin to the top of the Superfoods Rx list is the synergistic combination of cartenoids. Pumpkin contains one of the richest supplies of bioavailable cartenoid known to man. Cartenoids are deep orange, yellow or red colored compounds that help protect us from free radicals, modulate our immune response, enhance cell-to-cell communication, and decrease the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration. Cartenoid-rich foods have been shown to reduce the risk of various cancers, lower and rates of heart disease.” short_quote=”Pumpkin packs an abundance of disease-fighting nutrients, including potassium, magnesium and vitamin C and E”]
pumpkin and apples
Pumpkin Apple Muffins
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Servings
18 muffins
Servings
18 muffins
pumpkin and apples
Pumpkin Apple Muffins
Print Recipe
Servings
18 muffins
Servings
18 muffins
Ingredients
Adjust servings: muffins
Units:
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease muffin pan with a pastry brush (or paper towel dipped in) expeller-pressed canola or coconut oil.
  2. Mix first flour, cardamom and baking power into medium bowl.
  3. Stir pumpkin, oil, sugar and eggs in large bowl until well mixed. Mix in dry ingredients. Add apples, raisins and walnuts mixing just until blended.
  4. Place equal amounts of batter into prepared cups, fill almost to rim. Sprinkle pumpkin seeds on top.
  5. Bake 25 – 30 minutes.
Recipe Notes

Adapted from Epicurious: Pumpkin Apple Muffins

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Oatmeal with Pear and Pecans

In general I use rolled oats, also known as old-fashioned oats. The difference between rolled oats, steel-cut oats and instant oatmeal is how the oat graots are processed. Oat groats are the inner kernel of the grain. First the outer hull is removed exposing the groat, then the groats are steamed which gives them a longer shelf life (otherwise their natural enzymes make them go rancid). Groats are then either rolled into old-fashioned flakes or chopped into small pieces called steel-cut oats. Instant oatmeal is an extremely thin form of oat flakes. Because they are the most processed, they have a higher glycemic index value meaning that their starch is converted into sugar and released in the bloodstream more quickly. Most instant oatmeal is highly sweetend and laden with artificial flavoring and additives, making it a sweet treat rather than a healthy, satisfying breakfast.

Oats have extensive nutrional benefits, in particular the benefits of oats on blood sugar and cholesterol are well known.

For more about the health benefits of oats: Health Studies on Oats

Oatmeal with Pear and Pecans
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Variations: 1. Replace pear with apple, mango, peach, berries or other fresh or frozen fruit 2. Replace pecans with any other nut, pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds,
Servings
2
Servings
2
Oatmeal with Pear and Pecans
Print Recipe
Variations: 1. Replace pear with apple, mango, peach, berries or other fresh or frozen fruit 2. Replace pecans with any other nut, pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds,
Servings
2
Servings
2
Ingredients
  • 3/4 cup rolled oats
  • 1/2 teaspoon cardamom (or cinnamon), ground
  • 1 1/4 cup milk I use almond or soy milk.
  • 1 - 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
  • 1/2 pear cored and chopped into bite-size pieces
  • 1/4 cup pecans (or other nut) chopped
  • 1 tablespoon flaxseed ground (optional)
Adjust servings:
Units:
Instructions
  1. Mix oats and cardamom in a small saucepan, mix in milk and maple syrup (or honey) and cook over medium heat for 5 –8 minutes until the oats are tender.
  2. Sprinke ground flaxseed over oatmeal and mix in. Gently mix in pear and pecans.
  3. Add more milk or sweetener pending on your personal preference.
Recipe Notes

[su_original_recipe]

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Carrot Apple Muffins

Loaded with carrots, apples, pecans and raisins these muffins fill the belly and get the day off to a good nutritious start.

They can also convert from breakfast food to a teatime delight with cream cheese icing and coconut sprinkled on top. Simply mix 2–4 tablespoons of cream cheese with half that amount (1–2 tablespoons) of plain Greek yogurt, 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla and just enough sugar to suit your taste.

carrot muffins
Carrot Apple Muffins
Print Recipe
18 muffins
carrot muffins
Carrot Apple Muffins
Print Recipe
18 muffins
Ingredients
Adjust servings:
Units:
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Oil eighteen 1/2-cup muffin cups.
  2. Into a large bowl sift together flour, baking soda, cardamom, and salt and whisk in sugar.
  3. Coarsely shred enough carrots to measure 2 cups and chop pecans. Add shredded carrots and pecans to flour mixture with raisins and coconut and toss well.
  4. In a bowl whisk together eggs, brown sugar, oil, applesauce and vanilla. Core apple and coarsely shred. Stir shredded apple into egg mixture. Add to flour mixture, stirring until batter is just combined well.
  5. Divide batter among muffin cups, filling them three-fourths full, and bake in middle of oven until puffed and a tester comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes.
Recipe Notes

Instead of spelt flour, use 1 cup whole-wheat flour and 1 cup white flour.

I like using spelt flour because it is more nutritious than white (wheat) flour, but is also light whereas whole-wheat flour makes the muffins dense.

 

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Cilantro Pesto

This pesto really dresses up roasted fish fillets or broiled chicken breasts. It makes a delicious spread for wraps or sandwiches, and can also be used as a dip with pita chips. Mix it with an equal amount of soft goat cheese and it becomes a popular dinner party appetizer.

For a special dinner, use pistachio nuts instead of walnuts. The cardamom is optional but truly enhances the aromatic flavor making each bite a delight to the senses.

[su_expanding_quote alignment=”right” source_author=”Margaret Wittenberg” source_title=”The Essential Good Food Guide” affiliate_link=”c” full_quote=”Cilantro is a good source of vitamin K. About 1/4 cup of cilantro has 16 percent of the daily intake of vitamin K for an adult. Your body stores the vitamin K you ingest in fatty tissue for times of need. The nutrient is essential for blood coagulation, necessary when you cut yourself. Along with calcium and other nutrients, vitamin K also promotes healthy bones. It also has antibacterial properties.” short_quote=”Cilantro is a good source of vitamin K.”] [su_expanding_quote alignment=”left” source_author=”Joe Fuhrman, M.D.” source_title=”Super Immunity: The Essential Guide for Boosting your Body’s Defenses to Live Longer, Stronger and Disease Free” affiliate_link=”c” full_quote=”Walnuts have served medicinal purposes for millennia. Modern science confirms nuts actually prevent and reverse disease; hundreds of medicinal studies demonstrate nuts dramatically extend life and protect against disease.*
Walnuts are one of the only plant foods that contains appreciable amounts of omega-3 fatty acid (omega 3 helps increase immunity, reduce inflammation and risk of cardiovascular disease. They also high in phytochemicals which given them high amounts of antioxidants” short_quote=”Walnuts have served medicinal purposes for millennia.”]

 

Variations

  • Can use almonds, pecans, pistachio instead of walnuts
  • Can use parsley, kale, spinach, arugula instead of cilantro
Cilantro Pesto
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Prep Time
15 minutes
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cilantro Pesto
Print Recipe
Prep Time
15 minutes
Prep Time
15 minutes
Ingredients
Adjust servings:
Units:
Instructions
  1. Toast the walnuts over medium heat in a saucepan for about 5 minutes. Cool.
  2. Put 1/2 cup olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, cardamom and salt in food processor or blender.
  3. Trim ends off cilantro tips and chop coarsely. Place half of cilantro leaves in processor. Using on/off turns, process until smooth. If too chunky, add 2 tablespoons of water.
  4. Add remaining cilantro and process until smooth.
  5. Season with pepper.
Recipe Notes

Recipe adapted from Epicurious: Chicken breasts with Pistachio cilantro Pesto

 

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