Crustless Apple Pie

Gosh I love apples and they're starting to come into season again.  I made a bit of apple sauce last winter and stored it away in my pantry.  I'm just finishing off the last jars now just in time for the next season!

Last night, this is what I had for a treat after work: Spiced Apple Sauce with Whipped Cream on top aka Crustless Apple Pie.

Spiced Apple Sauce

10 medium apples, peeled and chopped

juice of one lemon

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

3 cinnamon quills

1 star anise

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp cloves (whole)

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Put all ingredients in a slow cooker and cook for 12 hours.  Remove cinnamon quills and star anise. Process apple sauce with a hand blender until smooth. Spoon into sterilized jars and seal. 

Serve in a little bowl or ramekin and top with whipped cream and a sprinkling of cinnamon.  Voila!

The Custard Apple

Also known as a Cherimoya here. Have you ever eaten one of these before?  They're not very common in the supermarkets.  They grow in sub tropical climates; I think ours come from Australia but they're also commonly grown in Southeast Asia, Taiwan, India & Africa.

I'd describe the taste as a combination of mild mango, banana and a touch of apple.  It really is a lovely taste and it has a creamy texture as the name suggests.

Nutritionally it has an excellent source of Vitamin C, a good amount of dietary fibre and respectable amounts of  of Vitamin B6, magnesium and potassium.  Not exactly a superfood, but definitely a tasty fruit!

Not only is the fruit nutritionally sound, the leaves and bark of the plant it grows on is used in natural remedies.  The leaves are used as a tonic for cold or digestive remedy; it can also be added to baths to aid rheumatic pain such as tired muscles and aching joints.  The bark and roots are given as a tonic to halt diarrhea .  The root itself can be administered as a drastic treatment for dysentery.  The seeds are toxic and can be crushed to treat head lice. Very interesting!

As I don't eat them very frequently, I have never used them to cook with or use them in a recipe; I usually just enjoy them as is.  To serve, I usually slice it in half and scoop out the flesh with a spoon.  As you can see you have to dodge quite a few stones.  I imagine they would make quite a tasty dessert if you choose to use it in recipes; I did find one recipe for Custard Apple cream which looks very nice from the Australian Custard Apple Growers Association website.

Custard Apple Cream

3tsps gelatine
1/3 cup boiling water
500g soft light cream cheese
½ cup caster sugar
190ml cream
2 custard apples, cut into segments, deseeded and pureed with a squeeze of lemon

Dissolve gelatine in one-third of a cup of boiling water. In a bowl beat softened cream cheese thoroughly then add gelatine mixture, caster sugar and cream. Add custard apple puree and beat until smooth. Pour into dessert glasses or pots. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

My New Favourite Vegetable

My new favourite vegetable is Kale: Brassica oleracea var acephala.  I like the name Kale better - much easier to say.

Photo Credit

For some reason Kale isn't very common in New Zealand.  I haven't seen it sold in conventional supermarkets, or standard fruit and vegetable shops.  I buy mine from a special organic whole food store. I'm not sure why it's not popular here; it is quick and easy to grow.

I'm actually trying to grow my own kale at the moment, only one lone shoot out of twelve I planted two weeks ago.

Grow little kale, grow!!

Kale is thought to be the first cultivated brassica.  It is regarded a superfood; one cup of steamed kale has more than enough vitamin A and vitamin K for an adult for the day.  It also contains considerable amounts of vitamin C, manganese and dietary fibre. Anti-oxidants such as lutein and beta-carotene are found in kale; they protect our body from oxidative stress and health problems related to oxidative stress. Of these anti-oxidants, lutein in particular is important for eye health and helps prevent or slow down development of age related macular degeneration and cataract.

One thing to watch out for if you eat a lot of kale is oxalates.  If they become too concentrated they can crystallize in the body and cause kidney and gallstones.  I did read that asparagus contains asparagine which helps break down oxalates, so really it's a matter of a balanced diet of different fruit and vegetables and not having too much of one thing.

Kale can be stored for two to three weeks in the refridgerator and freezes well, however it is best used within a week.  The longer it is stored, the more bitter its flavour becomes.  I usually purchase 2-3 bags and use it every day in salads and smoothies and it is usually used within a week.  I have my own hopping greedy compost maker aka Daisy that will eat the tough stalks that I don't use on the curly kale, so there is no wastage.

I like Kale because it's more fibrous and holds it's shape well when cooked;  I use it to replace spinach in a lot of recipes.  I do like spinach, but I get a whole bag of it from the store and it cooks down to the size of a tennis ball.  It also makes my teeth feel funny after eating it (weird I know).  Kale barely shrinks if you lightly steam it and my teeth feel normal after eating it.


Some ways I enjoy kale:

Kale chips
Sauteed with garlic, onion, vegetable stock
In smoothies or "green monsters".  I usually use about 10-15 leaves.
Lightly steamed and tossed in salads
Chopped and steamed then tossed with pine nuts and feta cheese

If you have not tried this vegetable yet, go get some kale today!

Meal Planning

A while ago I mentioned wanting to start planning my meals for the week.  I figure it would be a good idea as it would allow me to shop only what I need for the meals therefore saving money and wastage of food.  Even though it's been ages since I read about it and decided to do it I've not put my thoughts into action. So this week I have FINALLY got off my ass (so to speak) and made a plan for this week.

Tuesday - Pumpkin Curry with a side of Beef strips and Spinach
Wednesday - Slow Cooked Chicken (whole) with roasted vegetables (potato, sweet potato & carrot)
Thursday - Mexican beef in Tortilla shells
Friday - Coconut Red Cod, Oven Chips & Broccoli
Saturday - Spicy Parsnip Soup, Almond Crusted Chicken & Mixed Vegetables
Sunday - Slow Cooked Roast beef with mashed potato
Monday - Sweet 'n Sour Pork

I think how most people meal plan is they find out what's on special that week at the grocery store and plan their meals around that.  That's how I'm planning to figure out my meals.  I'll get hold of the flyer on Monday's and on Monday night work out my meals for the week and go shopping on Tuesday evening.  I'm hoping I'll be able to save a bit of money on food by meal planning too!

Pumpkin Pie Filling

Pumpkin Pie Filling

300g cooked pumpkin
1 scoop vanilla protein powder (or similar - I use Muscle Milk Cake Batter)
Pumpkin Pie Spice (50% cinnamon, 25% ginger, 12.5% nutmeg, 12.5% allspice)
Splenda or Stevia to taste

I actually had this while I was dieting for my competition now and again and it was heaven! It has around 20g of carbs and depending on what protein powder you use, around 20g of protein.