Whiteley Creek Homestead

Last night, Dick and I were hungry for a little snack, so I made some super simple nutritious "apple crumble". A very tiny bit of brown sugar is used for sweetness… just enough. It would make a tasty breakfast, too, if you are wanting to break away from the bowl-of-cereal routine. My "Good Mornin' Apple Crisp", is another option. It is similar to this recipe but instead of brown sugar it uses pure maple syrup and evaporated cane juice for sweetening (a healthy alternative to refined sugar), flax seed instead of wheat germ, and Muesli rather than oatmeal.  

 

Apple Crumble with Toasted-Oat Topping

From an “Arrowhead Mills”/”Hain Pure Foods” Cookbook

Makes 6 servings

3 apples, cored, peeled and thinly sliced (Use a sweeter apple such as gala, red or golden delicious, etc. to naturally sweeten the dish since the amount of brown sugar used is so small.)

¼ cup unsweetened applesauce

1/3 cup old-fashioned oatmeal

1 ½ tbsp wheat germ (raw or toasted)

1 ½ tbsp brown sugar

½ tsp cinnamon

1 ½ tsp canola oil

1 ½ tsp butter (or Earth Balance), cut into small pieces

Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly coat a casserole dish or 8X8 baking dish with oil. Combine the apples and applesauce then put in prepared baking dish. In a small bowl, combine the oatmeal, wheat germ, sugar, and cinnamon. Add the oil and butter. Mix with your fingers to form crumbs. Sprinkle the oatmeal mixture evenly over the apples. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the topping is golden and the apples are tender firm.  

 

For lunch today, I coated chicken breast strips with a mixture of wheat germ, bran, flax seed, and several seasonings that was a quick meal on a busy day.

 

Wheat Germ/Bran-Crusted Chicken Tenders

Recipe is from Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food Magazine.

Makes 8 servings with 2 tenders per serving.

½ cup wheat germ

½ cup unprocessed bran

¼ cup plain dried bread crumbs

2 tbsp ground flax seed

2 tbsp grated Parmesan

½ tsp onion powder

½ tsp garlic powder

1 ½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

2 eggs

1 ½ lbs boneless skinless chicken breast tenderloin (about 16 strips)

barbecue sauce for dipping (optional)

Preheat oven to 450°. Line a baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper. Combine wheat germ, bran, breadcrumbs, flax seed, Parmesan, onion and garlic powders, salt, and pepper. Add oil and mix. In a shallow bowl, lightly beat eggs. Dip chicken in eggs (allowing excess to drip off), then dredge in crumb mixture, patting to adhere. Place on parchment-lined pan and transfer to oven. Bake until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Serve with barbecue sauce, if desired.