Honey Mustard Pork Medallions with Apple Slaw

This recipe is great for a summer dish. All you need is one pan, one bowl, and little prep time. With a sweet honey mustard sauce on quick cooking pork slices, and a side of crunchy coleslaw, this recipe will have you hooked!

Ingredients:

Pork tenderloin (small tenderloin of any size)
3-4 Tbs. honey mustard dressing
2 Tbs. brown sugar
1 tsp. Frank's Red Hot Sauce
1 Apple (Fuji), cored, quartered and thinly sliced
1/4 c. honey roasted peanuts, chopped
4 oz. coleslaw mix (cabbage and carrot)
4 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

In a large mixing bowl, combine the apple, slaw mix, half the vinegar, 2 tsp. olive oil, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Toss everything together and set aside.

Cut the pork tenderloin into 1/2 inch thick round slices. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Preheat a medium size pan to medium-high heat and add 2 tsp. of olive oil and the pork medallions to the pan. Cook on each side for 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a plate and rest for 3 minutes.

To the same pan, add the honey mustard dressing, brown sugar, remaining vinegar, and hot sauce and stir. Bring the pan to a boil, reduce, and simmer 1-2 minutes until it reaches a thicker consistency. Add the pork slices back to the sauce in the pan and coat.

Serve the pork slices with a healthy portion of slaw on the side. Drizzle the pork with the sauce from the pan.

Baked Peanut Butter Apple Oatmeal

Meal prep always makes life easier. This baked oatmeal recipe is amazing when re-heated throughout the week or eaten cold straight out of the refrigerator. Add some fresh fruit or drizzle some maple syrup on top! The flavors can be endless!

Ingredients:

3 c. oats
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
5 1/2 c. milk, 1 %
1/2 c. peanut butter
3 eggs, beaten
1 c. diced dried cinnamon apples (from Nuts.com)
1 c. mini chocolate chips

Combine the oats, brown sugar, milk, peanut butter and eggs in a large saucepan and stir on medium heat. Stir occasionally for 10-12 minutes until the oats start to thicken.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9x13 pan with non stick cooking spray. Pour the prepared oats into the pan, sprinkle the top with mini chocolate chips, and bake for 20 minutes.

Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Apple Pie Chia Pudding

The natural sweetness from the dates, mixed in with the tart green apple, makes this a perfectly balanced chia pudding for a mid day snack or fulfilling breakfast!

Ingredients:

1 green apple, peeled, cored and chopped
2 pitted dates
3 Tbs. chia seeds
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. almond milk

Add the milk, apple, dates, cinnamon, ginger and vanilla to a blender, cover, and liquefy.

Stir in the chia seeds by hand. Pour into 4 serving dishes. Refrigerate overnight. I topped mine with extra chia seeds and some chopped date.

Apple Zucchini Bread

The perfect pair for a fall bread! The shredded zucchini makes the bread soft and the chunks of apple makes the bread even more sweet!

Ingredients:

3 eggs
2 c. Splenda
1/2 c. oil
1/2 c. applesauce
4 c. zucchini, shredded
3 apples, peeled cored and chopped
2 tsp. vanilla
3 c. bread flour
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large loaf pan or small loaf pans with non stick cooking spray with flour. In a large bowl, mix the eggs, Splenda, oil and applesauce together. Add in the vanilla, flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and baking soda and stir together. Lastly, add the apples and zucchini. Divide among the bread pans, filling about 1/2 way to 2/3 full. Bake the large loaf pan for 45 minutes, and small for 35. Insert a toothpick in the center to make sure it is fully cooked.

Apple Bars with a Walnut Crumble

Ready for one of the best recipes for apple bars EVER?

Ingredients:

Apple Mixture:
4 medium size apples, cored and peeled, small rough chopped
3 Tbs. butter
1/2 c. sugar
2 Tbs. lemon juice
2 Tbs. flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Crust Mixture:
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
6 Tbs. butter, softened
3/4 c. dark brown sugar
1 egg

Crumble Mixture:
1/2 c. sugar
2/3 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
6 Tbs. butter, cold, diced
1/4 c. chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In an electric mixer, combine the sugar and butter together until a paste forms. Add the egg and mix until well combined. With the mixer off, add the dry ingredients on top. Turn the mixer on slow and gradually increase speed as the ingredients mix. Line a 13x9 pan with tinfoil and spray with non stick cooking spray. Pour the crust mixture into the pan and press on the entire bottom and 1/4 inch up the sides. Set aside.

In a medium size saucepan, melt the 3 Tbs. butter. Add the apples and sugar and cook for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the lemon juice, flour and cinnamon and let cool slightly.

Meanwhile, using the same mixing bowl, combine the sugar, flour, salt, butter and walnuts together until small crumbs form.

Pour the apples on top of the prepared crust, leaving half of an inch from the edges in case the apples and liquid expand while baking. Use your hands to grab a handful of the crumble, warming it slightly, and sprinkle on top of the apples. Bake in the oven for 35-38 minutes until the edges are golden brown. Let the bars cool fully before trying to cut them into squares (if they aren't cooled, they will not hold shape).

Cinnamon Hasselback Apples

 

Have you ever made hasselback potatoes before? And on top of that, ever though of making a dessert version? These apples turn out fork tender with a cinnamon sugar crust on top that if gently tapped with your fork, makes a crunchy noise like fresh french bread. It has every great texture from chewy to soft and melt in your mouth, to crunchy and creamy. It is a great apple dessert and could easily take the place of pie for me (I am not a pie crust girl).

Ingredients:

2 firm, tart apples, peeled, cored and halved vertically
4 Tbs. brown sugar, divided
3 Tbs. butter, melted, divided
1 tsp. cinnamon, divided
2 Tbs. oats
1 tsp. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
*Vanilla frozen yogurt
*Caramel ice cream topping

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Starting at one end of one of the apple halves, cut slices about 3/4 of the way through, every 1/8th of an inch or so. Repeat for the other three apple halves. Place in an 8 inch baking pan that has been lined with tinfoil and sprayed with non stick cooking spray (non-sliced through side down). Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine 1 Tbs. brown sugar, 1 Tbs. butter and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. Spoon over the apples and spread out so that it covers the entire top.

Cover with tinfoil and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake for 10 minutes.  In a small bowl, combine the remaining 3 Tbs. brown sugar, 1 1/2 Tbs. butter, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, oats, flour and salt. Divide evenly among the tops of each apple and press gently so that the cinnamon mixture gets between the slices. Bake again in the oven for 10 minutes. Turn the broiler on high and broil for 2 minutes to get the tops nice and crunchy.

To send these over the edge, top with small scoops of vanilla frozen yogurt and caramel ice cream topping. The frozen yogurt will melt and create a great creamy sauce for the apples!

Homemade Applesauce in the Slow Cooker

The hardest part of this recipe is peeling apples, and coring, and then chopping them into non-uniform size pieces. I don't know how cooking could get any easier. For this recipe,  you throw the apples, along with two other ingredients into a slow cooker and walk away. It can be a very versatile one in that you could add different spices or fruits to this. I kept it simple so that I could use this as a side dish with pork, or as a topping for Latkes.

Ingredients:

8-10 medium size apples, peeled, cored and chopped
1 c. water
1/2 c. brown sugar (could get away with less if you want a fully natural applesauce)

Place the above ingredients into the slow cooker. Cook on high heat for two hours. Reduce to low heat for one and a half to two hours. To leave this recipe chunky, you don't need to mash with a potato masher. That, to me, doesn't leave the bigger chunks in and you might as well just put it in the food processor and fully puree them. Just use a large spoon to stir everything together, and as you stir the apples somewhat break down a little bit further. Cool slightly before serving, or divide into mason jars or containers and let sit and cool fully before refrigerating.

 (Makes 10-12 servings, 3 WW points per serving)

Cran-apple Turkey Grilled Cheese

There is only one photo for this recipe. I thought the photo pretty much spoke for itself. This is a great way to use up leftover cranberry sauce (homemade or from a can, it doesn't matter). And of course it also includes my life motto, "everything is better with an egg on top!" Only, technically, it isn't on top and is instead nestled into this delicious grilled cheese.

Ingredients:

1 small apple, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
10 slices deli turkey
2 eggs, cooked over-medium
4 Tbs. cranberry sauce
2 Tbs. Miracle Whip, light
2 tsp. yellow mustard
2 sandwich style slices of Muenster cheese
4 slices Potato bread (or any other style bread)
Spray butter (Parkay)

Heat a large skillet to medium low heat. Lay out the bread and spray one side of each slice with the butter spray. Place two slices of the bread butter side down on the skillet. In a small bowl, mix the mustard and Miracle whip together, divide in half and spread on top of the bread. Place the Muenster cheese slice on top. Lay out half of the apple on once slice, and the other half of the apple slices on the other piece of bread. Top with five slices of deli turkey on each. Add the eggs. Spread the cranberry sauce on the top slices of bread and place cranberry side down (obviously). Using a spatula, flip the sandwiches over to get golden brown on the other side. If the cheese is having a hard time melting, Place a pot lid on top so that it makes the head hover over the sandwiches. Once the other side is a golden brown, remove from the head and let cool slightly before cutting in half.

Apple Crumble Pie

My new favorite apple pie recipe! You have to try it out! The apples are soft, and the crumble is so crunchy!

Ingredients:

1 recipe Cinnamon Swirl Pie Crust
5-7 medium apples, peeled and cored, cut into thin slices
1/4 c. sugar
2 tps. cinnamon
1 stick margarine, softened
1 c. flour
1 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbs. sugar
Optional* Caramelized Cinnamon Acorn Squash Seeds

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix the apples, 1/4 c. sugar and cinnamon together. Pour into the prepared cinnamon swirl crust, brushed with the egg. In another bowl, cut the margarine into the flour and brown sugar. Most use a pastry blender for this, I like to use my hands because the warmth of my fingers helps the mixture become buttery crumbles instead of a more dry and flour like consistency. Sprinkle the crumble on top of the apples, trying to cover the entire top of the pie. Sprinkle with the 1 1/2 Tbs. sugar. 

Bake for 55-60 minutes until the crumble is a golden brown and the apples are softened. Let the pie cool before slicing to give the juices from the apples a chance to become like a thick syrup. Top with some whipped cream and a few pieces of caramelized cinnamon acorn seeds!

Apple Cider Jell-O Shots

I am not a person who drinks often. In fact, my birthday and Halloween party every year are the two I usually count on. These are dangerous! Apple juice since I was a kid has always been my favorite, and apple cider is a pretty close second. Add cinnamon flavored Fireball mixed in? I'm in trouble..... These turned out amazing, and jell-o shots are one of the best ways ever to consume alcohol!

Ingredients:

2 c. apple cider
1 c. water
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin (Knox)
1 c. Fireball

Heat a small saucepan to medium heat and add the water and apple cider. When the liquid is warm/hot, add in the envelopes of gelatin and whisk until all of the lumps are out and the gelatin is incorporated into the apple cider. Add in the fireball and whisk again for about 30 seconds to a minute. I worked with half of the liquid at one time, and poured it into a 2 cup glass Pyrex measuring cup that already has a spout at the top. Pour into individual disposable cups (I went to Gordon Foods and grabbed ones with lids, that are about the size of the ketchup containers you get at fast food restaurants). Place the lid on top and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve!

Copycat Cracker Barrel Fried Apples

I was looking for a side dish that would go good with the pork tenderloin that we were cooking for dinner over at my mom's house. This recipe that I found for Cracker Barrel's Fried Apples sounded like it would work perfectly. We usually eat applesauce with plain pork, so this is like a classy step up from that... right? Regardless, they tasted amazing together, and if I had made these apples with no one around, I would have topped them with light Cool Whip and ate it all as a pie with no crust!

Ingredients:

1/2 stick margarine
1/2 c. Apple Cider
1 Tbs. cornstarch
4 large apples, peeled cored and sliced
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. allspice
1/4 c. brown sugar

Melt the butter in a large skillet on low heat. Add the apples, brown sugar and spices. Let cook for about 3-5 minutes until the slices are tender but still slightly firm. Remove the apples and place in your serving dish, leaving the liquid in the pan still. Whisk the apple cider and cornstarch together and add to the pan. Whisk the sauce for about a minute or so until the sauce starts to thicken, and then pour on top of the apples.

Bloomin Caramel Apples

Well, it's officially fall, and even though it is my favorite season of the year, summer went by WAY too fast! This season focuses on some of the yummiest flavors of the year; apples, pumpkin and spice. It's the season of jeans and a sweatshirt (especially here in the UP), eating a bowl of apple cobbler with ice cream on top, sitting by a bonfire and sipping on hot chocolate. This recipe highlights the apple, adding some familiar flavors that go along with them like caramel and brown sugar.

Ingredients:

2 apples (I used Braeburn, you can use honeycrisp or fuji or any crisp apple)
2 Tbs. margarine
3 Tbs. brown sugar, heaping
1 Tbs. flour
2 tsp. cinnamon
4 caramels, soft, taken out of plastic
* Frozen vanilla yogurt, low fat
* Caramel ice cream topping

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Take each apple, and cut about 1/5 of the top off. Using a melon baller (not an apple corer, that goes in too far), scoop out the seeds from the inside leaving a hole in the center of both (as shown in above picture). Using a paring knife, cut two internal circles spaced out evenly, and make sure not to go all of the way down to the bottom. Flip the apples over, placing them cut side down. Starting at about 1/3 inch down from the top, use the paring knife to make narrow cuts around the apple. Flip them back over and place them in an oven safe baking dish. Place two caramels in the center of each apple.

In a small microwave safe bowl, heat the margarine and brown sugar together for about 25 seconds or until the butter is most of the way melted. Add the flour and cinnamon, and stir until a thick sauce forms. Pour the mixture on top of both apples, letting the sauce run over the top and cover the sides. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes, depending on the size of the apple.

Remove from the oven and place each apple in your serving dishes. Spoon the brown sugar sauce on top of each. Spread out the "petals" slightly so that the sauce seeps into the cracks. Top with frozen yogurt and caramel sauce if desired.