Apple Blueberry Crumble by Coach BJ

February 26, 2021January 11, 2022

Apple Blueberry Crumble by Coach BJ

A healthy plant-based easy-to-prepare fruit crumble is sure to satisfy. A delightful dessert that is heavy on the fruit – apples and blueberries or apples and cherries – and heavy on nutritional value. When the blueberries or cherries are fresh, it makes a special treat but don’t stop there, make this sure-to-please dessert any time of the year with frozen fruit too. Just look at the beautiful colorful presentation, how much fun is that!

**APPLE BLUEBERRY CRUMBLE:** A Colorful, Yummy and Good for you Dessert!

Serves: 6 (cup size) ll Prep Time: 20 minutes ll Cook Time: 25 minutes

Main Fruit Ingredients:
5 baking apples (5 cups), peeled and cored, thinly sliced
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries or cherries ( no need to thaw)
5 (3 inch) pieces crystallized ginger, minced
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 medium lemon (juice from lemon plus 1 teaspoon zest)
1 -2 tablespoon sweetener (maple syrup, date sugar or brown sugar), to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Topping Ingredients:
1 cup granola
1/4 cup walnut pieces or slices almonds

Directions:
Preheat oven 350 degrees F. Prepare apples then place into a non-stick or parchment paper lined ovenware. Add remaining main ingredients into the ovenware; gently combine. Crumble the granola over the top of the fruit and add nuts on top. Bake for 25 minutes. Serve warm or cold.

ENJOY THIS DELICIOUS PLANT-BASED FRUIT CRUMBLE -WE DO!!

August 5, 2019August 5, 2019

North Square Farmers Market…to market we go.

We love our local farmers and enjoy supporting them! They work so hard to offer us beautiful vegetables and fruits, many products are organic or chemical-free. Our terrific farmers market in Chambersburg, PA is North Square Farmers Market. It is open on Saturday Mornings May-October from 8 a.m. – noon, rain or shine. Join us in supporting local vendors. They love dogs!

We took a quick trip last Saturday so only had time to take a few photos of produce and fruit stands…there’s so much more, check details for other vendors at North Square Farmers Market.

Zipper is a big hit at the market, he gets so excited when we round the corner at the market, everybody knows his name…haha. Here’s a photo tour:

Beautiful variety of fresh vegetables offered by vendors.

Look at those fresh leafy greens for us plant-based customers – Foot of the Mountain Farm.

Foot of the Mountain Farm – service with a smile!

Lovely arranged flower arrangements. — Lovely arranged flower bouquets.

Harvest Hills - beautiful PA peaches. — Harvest Hills – beautiful PA peaches, all shapes and colors are offered.

Kids and dogs at the market, you can't beat that! — Kids and dogs at the market, you can’t beat that!

Cheesetown Produce – Sunflowers and melons.

Tomatoes, potatoes and other fresh veggies. — Tomatoes, potatoes and other fresh veggies from Cheesetown Produce.

Zipper and a beautiful gigantic flower arrangement.
Time to leave the market, Little Zipper says goodbye until next week

When we get home, I can’t help but steam some fresh cabbage…yummy!

STEAMED CABBAGE FRESH FROM THE FARMERS MARKET: When I get home from the market, I love to taste something fresh, today it was cabbage which I steamed with a bit of garlic powder, salt and pepper. We love our local farmers!

April 26, 2019June 10, 2021

APPLE ORCHARDS in the spring in the valley – Franklin County, PA, USA

APPLE ORCHARDS IN THE SPRING - APRIL 2019

Rows and rows, miles and miles of blooming apple trees are plentiful in our valley during the spring…so BEAUTIFUL! Just take a ride and soak in nature around the country side, enjoy the lovely pink buds opening up into gorgeous white flowers tipped in pale pink. The end of this journey will result in lovely various nutritious produce – delicious local PA apples. Eat the fruit raw or cooked, sweet or tart, red or gold – APPLES, APPLES, APPLES!

Rows and rows, miles and miles of fertile ground and blooming APPLE TREES

An apple crate awaiting the collection of delicious Franklin County APPLES later in the year

Below are two recipes using apples:

Homemade Applesauce: Directions to cook applesauce in a crock pot:

Scrub, quarter and core apples (I do not peel to retain more nutritional value and I don’t mind if the applesauce is not totally smooth; but, if you wish, peel to make silky smooth applesauce.)
Cut into similar sized chunks, place in the pot, do not add water (add spices is you wish)
Cook for 4 or more hours on low. (To make apple butter, it takes 10 hours or longer.)
When the apples are breaking up and have a mushy texture, it’s time to blend with an immersion blender to make applesauce

Watch the video to see how easy it is to make applesauce to have fresh eating all year round. ENJOY!

Apple Cherry Crumble: Apples and Cherries together make this a wonderful dessert. The difficulty is trying not to eat the fruit before you make the crumble. The colorful beautiful presentation is a bonus for this healthy crumble delight!

Serves: 6 || Prep Time: 20 minutes || Cook Time: 25 minutes
5 baking apples (5 cups), peeled and cored, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 medium lemon (juice and 1 teaspoon zest)
3/4 cup fresh or frozen cherries (no need to thaw)
1-2 tablespoon date sugar or maple syrup (to taste)
5 (3-inch) pieces crystallized ginger, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup granola

++++++++++++++++

Preheat oven 350°F. Prepare apples then place into a non-stick ovenware dish. Add remaining ingredients (except granola); gently combine. Crumble the granola over the top, bake for 25-30 minutes. Serve warm or cold.

Nutrition Facts
Calories 154 Cal from Fat 9, Total Fat 1g, Saturated Fat 0g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 8mg, Total Carbohydrate 35g, Fiber 4g, Total Sugars 23g (includes 11g added sugars), Protein 2g

**ENJOY PLANT BASED EATING WITH APPLES!**

July 20, 2018

Blueberries – T’is that Season

Blueberries are an antioxidant superfood… they are packed with phytonutrients with plenty of potassium, vitamin C, folate, vitamin B6 – truly heart healthy. They are anti-inflammatory, contain fiber and are lo-cal. Just looking at blueberries, you know they are wonderful nuggets of nature. Don’t you just love the blue color, the beautiful shape and the natural sweetness.

They are so versatile, use in breakfast cereal, add to salads and sweeten desserts. I am working on a new book containing pies and cakes, I have enjoyed using fresh blueberries to make blueberry pies and cakes.

Shown below are a few recipes that I’m currently working on.

BLUEBERRY CAKE: Using up fresh blueberries. Topped with blueberries, this cake makes a special healthy whole foods, plant-based dessert.

BLUEBERRY PIE: Testing various fresh blueberries and ingredients. The blueberries were so sweet they only needed a little help. Here is a small 6 inch crustless pie. It was fabulous tasting with plenty of nutrients!

ENJOY FRESH BLUEBERRIES!

June 5, 2018June 5, 2018

Rhubarb – a Spring cooking gift

RHUBARB PIE: Garden fresh garden red and green rhubarb. I made my first rhubarb pie...ever! If I must say so, it turned out well and was tasty...nice seasonal Spring plant-based dessert.

Rhubarb is a perennial plant, considered a vegetable but used mostly as a fruit in desserts. Locally I have seen green and red stalks. In our neck of the woods, Pennsylvania USA, rhubarb is available in the spring, it is currently in season now in June. The stalks are used in cooking, the leaves are cut off and are not eatable.

RED RHUBARB PLANT: June red rhubarb plant in Pennsylvania, USA. Great for pies, cakes and sauces. — RED RHUBARB PLANT: June red rhubarb plant in Pennsylvania, USA. Great for pies, cakes and sauce.

The nutritional values of rhubarb is fantastic including fiber, protein, various vitamins, calcium, potassium and magnesium. The taste is tart and sugar is usually added in desserts. It is often paired with strawberries, as these two plants are harvested around the same time, the sweet and tart flavors are a good match.

If you’re lucky enough to have a plant, you can freeze the extra stalks. Cut off the leaves and chop into small similar size pieces, place in a freezer bag, remove the air and freeze.

GREEN RHUBARB PLANT: June green rhubarb plant in Pennsylvania, USA. Great for pies, cakes and sauces. — GREEN RHUBARB PLANT: June green rhubarb plant in Pennsylvania, USA. Great for pies, cakes and sauce.

I keep finding new ways to use rhubarb by creating new recipes for cakes and pies with jams and sauces yet to be explored. Unfortunately we don’t grow it in our garden but I’m putting a bug in Tom’s ear. Stalks have also been available in the grocery stores for a few weeks now. I recently learned how to pick rhubarb, you grab the stalk at the crown and pull it straight up…voila…it worked perfectly! I’m lucky to have a friend, Tanny Nitterhouse, who offered me a gifted batch of fresh red and green stalks and boy did it make a lovely plant-based pie!

ENJOY SPRING!

February 3, 2018March 22, 2020

ColeSlaw with Fruit

One of my favorite sides – coleslaw with fruit! It’s easy to make tasty plant-based coleslaw with pre-packaged coleslaw mix or, of course, you can make your own slaw. To add visual interest and ramp up the taste, just add various fruits. In this case golden raisins, Granny Smith apples and colorful grapes. The bottom line…it is nutritious, easy on the eyes and fabulous tasting!

Serves: 8

1 (12-ounce) package coleslaw mix
1/2 onion, quartered
1 clove garlic, quartered
1 cup golden raisins (divide)
1/3 cup raw cashew nuts (soak overnight or microwave)
1/3 cup water (to be used for cashew soak)
1 Granny Smith apple (core and cube with skin, soak in lemon juice)
1/2 lemon juice
1 tablespoon Stone-ground or Dijon style mustard
1/4 cup or, as needed, non-dairy milk
1/4 cup (or more ) black or red seedless grapes, halved
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds (sprinkle on top)

Pre-soak: In the 1/3 cup water, soak 1/3 cup cashew pieces overnight or soften in the microwave for a few minutes.

Dressing: In a food processor, puree pre-soaked cashews with onion, garlic, lemon juice, 1/4 apple with skin, 1/3 cup golden raisins and mustard. Add non-dairy milk, as needed, for desired consistency. Blend in food processor until dressing is smooth.

Combine Dressing with Slaw: Place slaw in a large serving bowl. Mix the prepared dressing into the slaw. Add remaining 2/3 cup raisins, 3/4 cup cubed apples and grape halves to the slaw; toss gently. Sprinkle celery seeds on top. Refrigerate a few hours so that the flavors meld.

ENJOY THE RECIPE

January 10, 2018

Cornbread topped with Cranberries

I revised my basic cornbread recipe to accommodate my extra cranberries this winter. It’s been so much fun photographing cranberries…they are colorful and beautifully translucent. During those chilly days it was uplifting to spend time in my studio photographing these lovely fruit dishes. The warm sun coming through the windows was marvelous! One bonus was enjoying the cornbread after the photo shoot.

CORNBREAD TOPPED WITH CRANBERRIES: Simple healthy corn bread with fresh Cape Code cranberries.

Serves=10
1 cup cranberry sauce – see recipe – (make before preparing cornbread)

1 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
1/3 cup water
1/2 lemon (juice plus 1 teaspoon zest)
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoon date paste or maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons flaxseed meal
3 tablespoons aquafaba (chick pea brine)

Preheat oven to 375° F. In a small bowl measure non-dairy milk and water, add juice and zest from 1/2 lemon into this liquid. Set aside. In a medium size bowl mix these dry ingredients – flour, corn meal, baking soda and baking powder. To the wet ingredients add sweetener, vanilla, flax seed meal and aquafaba then whip this mixture. Combine wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Pour batter into non-stick loaf pan. Place cranberry syrup on the top of the batter. Bake for about 30-35 minutes. Cool before slicing.

Nutrition Facts (without cranberries)
Calories 120 Calories from Fat 13, Total Fat 1g, Saturated Fat 0g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium108mg, Total Carbohydrate 24g, Fiber 2g, Sugars 3g, Protein 2g

CAPE COD CRANBERRIES – Beautiful fresh cranberries are full of antioxidants for a healthy heart.

Enjoy adding cranberries to your winter baked goods especially when they are fresh from Cape Cod, can’t be beat!

December 12, 2017November 11, 2021

Let’s Make Cranberry Sauce

‘Tis the season for wonderful, healthy Cranberries – fresh from Maine. The raw berries are bitter-tasting but full of powerful antioxidants. I will add some unprocessed sugar and orange flavoring to make a tasty syrup to use in healthy plant-based baking. The cranberries will gel from their natural pectin, causing the sauce to thicken. The color and texture of the cranberry syrup is stunning, the translucent berries are especially captivating for a photographer.

CITRUS - CRANBERRIES and ORANGES — CITRUS: Oranges, lemons and cranberries.

SIMPLE CRANBERRY SAUCE RECIPE (to be used in desserts):
Quantity: After cooking, makes about 1 cup sauce.

2 cups raw cranberries, wash and sort
1/3 cup sugar-in-the-raw type sweetener (or to taste)
1/3 cup orange juice (fresh squeezed or 100% juice)
1 Tablespoon Grand Marnier (orange-flavored liqueur)

****************
So easy to make Cranberry Sauce: Add sugar, orange juice and Grand Marnier to a small skillet. Stir and heat until sugar dissolves. Add raw cranberries, stir gently, bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Some of the berries will pop. Don’t over stir or over cook, leave some berries whole.