Deliciously Simple Pear Crumble

Dessert. That's the first word to leave the vocabulary when you decide to "watch what you eat". Dessert doesn't have to be laden with sugars, fats and complete unhealthiness to make it taste good. We don't keep sugars or "dessert-type" ingredients on hand. In a pinch I whipped this together, not sure how the family would respond. Everyone loved it ... and even the kiddos were asking for seconds!

Deliciously Simple Pear Crumble

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup old fashioned oats
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon stevia powder 
• dash of salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 2 very large pears, diced (approximately 3-4 cups)

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

Add the oats, cinnamon, stevia and salt to a small bowl. Mix well to combine. Add the vanilla extract and mix again. Add the coconut oil, mixing as you go, until the mixture is crumb-like. Spread the pears evenly in an 8x8 baking dish. Gently stir the oats into the pear mixture. Bake for 20-30 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.

Makes 4 servings.

Try this recipe with some different fruits -- apples, peaches, berries, etc.!

Simple Crockpot Applesause

Tis the season... for crockpots and apples! 

We picked about 25 pounds of apples today from some of our local growers. They're very inexpensive and taste so much better than the store-bought ones! Last batch of apples we picked, I made batches and batches of Crockpot Apple Butter and froze it in freezer containers so it's ready when we are. This time we decided to make applesauce (in addition to eating some of the apples, of course). School has started and applesauce is always a great "side dish" for the lunch box.

We just randomly picked a variety of apples. You can use whatever your favorite apples are to create a flavor for your own liking.  Enjoy!

Simple Crockpot Applesauce

Ingredients

• 5 pounds apples (cored, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice *

Preparation

Add all ingredients to the crockpot. Cook on high for approximately 4 hours (or low for 6-8 hours). Stir apples half-way through. Cook until apples are very soft and mash when stirring. Mash the applesauce to your desired texture. I used a wooden spoon for this batch. You can use a potato masher or a blender as well.

* You may need to adjust this measurement depending on the type(s) of apples you use... flavor, sweetness, tartness, etc.

Crockpot Congee (a.k.a. Chinese Oatmeal)

Congee is not a dish many people are familiar with. It is a (rice-based) porridge that has its origins all throughout Asia. There are no real "rules and regulations" for what you put in your congee. Various countries base their ingredients on what meal they traditionally eat their congee (meats and veggies for supper, various grains and fruits for breakfasts, beans, plain, etc.).

This variation is a delicious and hearty breakfast easily prepared in the crockpot ... which makes it a perfect breakfast for those cold mornings! Why waste money on a fast food breakfast when you can prepare a healthy dish faster than you can get through a drive through window!

Crockpot Congee (Chinese Oatmeal)

Ingredients

• 1 or 2 pears and/or apples, unpeeled
• 2/3 cups oat groats
• 2/3 cup brown rice
• 3/4 cup dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, prunes, etc)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
• 4 cups water

Preparation:

Wash and dice the apples (or pears). Place all ingredients into a 6 cup (1.5 quart) crock-pot. Stir and cook on low for 8 hours or overnight. 

Makes 6 cups of cereal.

Be sure to use a smaller (preferably 1.5 or 2 quart) crockpot so your congee does not dry out while cooking!

Try experimenting with the different dried fruits and spices (pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, etc.).

Easy Crockpot Apple Butter

Easy Crockpot Apple Butter

Ingredients:

• 12 "good sized" apples (approx. 5-6 pounds) - variety(s) of your choice
• 1 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• dash of salt, to taste

Preparation

Wash, peel, core and cut all of the apples into 1 inch x 1 inch chunks. Place the apples in the crock-pot. Add the honey and pumpkin pie spice to the crockpot. Cover. Cook on low for 8 hours, or until reduced to almost half. You can stir every few hours, as the apples cook down, to mix the honey and spices in.

Stir the apple mixture well to combine. Use a potato masher to mash the mixture until desired consistency. You can also use an immersion blender or blender as well. 

Be careful if using a blender!! Putting the steaming hot apple mix in there may cause it to blow the lid off the blender! Wait until the mixture cools a bit, then blend in small batches until desired consistency.

Enjoy on toast, pancakes, waffles, sandwiches, scones, biscuits.... possibilities are endless! 


Try this recipe with a variety of apples. Each apple has it's own texture, sweetness or tartness, and flavor. Use all one kind, or mix and match!