USING UP THE FALL BOUNTY: APPLES AND PEARS

Apple and Cranberry Oat Crisp

This has been a great year for apples and pears, and those of us with friends who are generous with their bounty are busy trying to use it up in ways that will insure that it does not get lost at the bottom of the freezer! (By the way, sometimes people are downright desperate to get rid of extra fruit this year. Don’t forget your local Food Banks, food salvage, gleaning and reclamation programs, church programs, and other social agencies that feed people.)

Having already made applesauce and apple butter, and also pear sauce (make it the same way as applesauce— smooth or chunky but with some ginger —it’s good!), I was searching for some low-fat ways to use up the rest of this bounty that keeps coming my way (I’m not complaining!). I didn’t want to make pies this year because we’re trying to keep off the weight we lost earlier in the year. (But, if you want to make pie, there are a couple of yummy pies on the recipe list below.) So, #1, I made pear chutney, because we love chutney and it keeps well, plus I had everything I needed in the house already.

I’ve been asked, “What do you serve chutney with if you don’t eat meat or cheese?”. Well, curries and other Indian dishes, of course; veggie “sausages” and seitan; smoked tofu (this is a terrific combination!) or tofu cream cheese on crackers—and that’s just for starters!

And, #2, I had some cranberry sauce leftover from Canadian Thanksgiving, and I decided to mix that with an impressive amount of apples to make a very large and low-fat apple crisp, some of which could be frozen for a future desserts. Both of these recipes were hits and now I’d like to share them with you.

PS:
Here are more pear and apple (including crabapple) recipes on this blog (Updated in Oct. 2014):

Breakfast, Beverages, Breads:

Peruvian Quinoa and Apple Beverage
Apple-Cinnamon-Bulgur Cereal; and Panko-Coated Vegan French Toast w/ Poached Apples

Rustic Ginger-Pear-Pecan Muffins with Cornmeal

Salad and Main Dishes:
Oat Groats w/ Chanterelle Mushrooms & Apples in Creamy Wine Sauce

Cheesey Grilled Seitan Sandwich with Salted Caramel Pear Butter

Massaged Kale Salad with Red Cabbage, Apples, Pecans And Pomegranate Molasses Dressing, À La Nava Atlas

Vegan Irish Stew with Stout

Crispy Marinated Tofu/Breast of Tofu with Apples & Onions in Creamy White Wine Sauce

Chard and Apple Salad with Maple-Glazed Squash and Raspberry-Balsamic Vinaigrette
Pear Pizza with Vegan "Goat Cheese", Pecans and Arugula

Sherried Autumnal Apple and Potato Stew

Desserts:
Irish Apple Bread Pudding

Apple-Polenta-Pecan Crisp

Apple Roly-Poly
Rhubarb and Apple Crisp with Orange and Mint (wholegrain oat/pecan crumb topping)

Frozen Delights:

Roasted Applesauce/Amaretti Vegan Gelato
Sparkling Crabapple-Cider Sorbet

Pies:

Rustic Apple-Raisin Pie with Low-Fat Olive Oil Pastry

Ginger Apple Crumb Pie and Creamy Cashew/Pear Dessert Sauce

Cakes:

Rustic Apple/Pecan Crumb Cake with Gianduia (Chocolate Hazelnut Spread) Drizzle

Rustic Apple-Almond Cake

Applesauce, Preserves, Miscellaneous:

Creamy Pear-Based Vinaigrette (Tarragon Version)

Slow Cooker Salted Caramel Pear Butter

Chunky Roasted Applesauce

Apples Galore, and what I did with them today

Making smooth applesauce the easy way!
Mahogany Slow-Cooker Crabapple Butter

Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S PEAR CHUTNEY WITH RED PEPPERS
Servings: 32
Yield: 4 cups
This chutney is both colorful and delicious.

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
4 medium red bell peppers, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 lbs ripe pears, peeled and cubed
3 cups water
2 cups white vinegar
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup organic unbleached granulated sugar
1/2 cup raisins
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
1 tablespoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
freshly black pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large pot. Sauté the onion, pepper and garlic in the oil over medium heat until tender. Add the pears, vinegar, water, mustard seeds, ginger, orange peel, salt, cayenne, cinnamon, brown and white sugars, and raisins.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45-60 minutes, or until the chutney is thick but the fruit still holds its shape. Taste for salt and pepper. Cool completely. Refrigerate in tightly-sealed jars until ready to serve. OR water bath can in sterilized half-pint jars.

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per 2 tablespoons): 83.6 calories; 10% calories from fat; 1.1g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 216.1mg sodium; 144.9mg potassium; 19.7g carbohydrates; 1.6g fiber; 15.3g sugar; 18.1g net carbs; 0.5g protein; 1.4 points.



Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S APPLE-CRANBERRY OAT CRISP
Servings: 12

This crisp uses up about 4 lbs of apples and makes a big 9 x 13-inch dish of delectable dessert! I only used 1/4 cup of Earth Balance for 12 servings, which works out to 1 teaspoon for each serving. I used some homemade cranberry sauce left over from Canadian Thanksgiving.

Oat Topping:
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups wholewheat flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup Earth Balance (non-hydrogenated “buttery spread”)

Filling:
4 lbs apples (approximately) (if they are organic, don't peel-- just cut away any bad spots)
2 cups whole-berry cranberry sauce
1 cup brown sugar or organic unbleached granulated sugar (or 1/2 and 1/2)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375° F. Grease a 9 x 13" baking dish with a little oil or Earth Balance.

Make the Topping by mixing together the oats, flour, sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in the Earth Balance with your fingers until crumbly-- set aside.

Core and slice the apples about 1/4" thick. In a large bowl, mix the sliced apples with the cranberry sauce and sugar, and then sprinkle with the cornstarch and cinnamon and mix well to evenly distribute it.



Pour the Filling into the prepared baking dish and spread it out evenly. Cover with the Topping and press it evenly over the fruit.

Bake for about 70 minutes. Cool it for at least 20 minutes before serving.

NOTE: you could divide this between two smaller baking dishes and freeze one of them for a later date-- that's what I did! In that case, bake for only 60 minutes.

Serve plain, or with nondairy milk or soy creamer poured around it; or with plain soy or coconut yogurt; or with your favorite nondairy whipped topping or nondairy vanilla "ice cream".

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 428.7 calories; 10% calories from fat; 5.1g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 149.1mg sodium; 410.6mg potassium; 96.0g carbohydrates; 7.5g fiber; 68.7g sugar; 88.5g net carbs; 4.7g protein; 8.2 points.

Enjoy!