Apple Pie Oatmeal

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It's a new year, the holiday's and all the non-stop eating that goes along with them have past. Fresh starts and resolutions abound. Eat more veggies, get more exercise, lose a few pounds ...Sound familiar? While all of those sound like perfectly wonderful things to strive for, I can't help craving comfort food when it's cold outside. On these wintry days, I crave hearty, stick to your ribs, kinds of foods. Rich hearty comfort foods and eating healthy don't usually have much in common. This apple pie oatmeal has the best of both worlds. It's a hearty, warm, comforting meal that's packed with all the goodness of oatmeal and apples. Isn't it great when you can have your cake (or apple pie) and eat it too!

Apple Pie Oatmeal

Ingredients:
2 large tart apples
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar (or substitute Stevia or Stevia in the Raw)
2 tablespoons maple syrup (or use honey, or just more brown sugar)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch ground nutmeg

Pinch of ground ginger
a large squeeze of fresh lemon juice, about a teaspoon or so
1/8 cup water

Cooked oatmeal. (I use steel cut oatmeal because I like the flavor and texture but  use whatever oatmeal you prefer.)

Method:

Core the apples and chop into small 1/2 inch pieces. In a skillet over medium heat, add the butter. When the butter is melted, add the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon, apples and water. Let cook for about 5-10 minutes or until all the apples are soft and tender. 

The apples can be made in advance and stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks.

 

To serve: I like to stir a spoonful or two (depending on how many servings of oatmeal I'm making) of the apples into the oatmeal when it's finished cooking then I divide oatmeal into bowls and serve with a dopple of apples on top. 

I suggest making a double recipe of the apples and keeping them in the fridge. This way on those busy mornings, you'll still have time for a bowl of apple pie oatmeal.

The apples are also delicious mixed into yogurt, on top of pancakes, baked into puff pastry for a quick dessert, or even served along with pork.

Cure for the winter doldrums?

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It's been a cold rainy week here in southern AL. I've been running low on cooking inspiration this week. The winter doldrums have set in for me, I think. Hubs has been gone for three months now and cooking for one has become a bit of a challenge. I'm much more creative when I've got to answer Hub's favorite question. So last night I decided to shake the winter doldrums with a nice dinner for one. I had a beef tenderloin steak that I wanted to use but wasn't really in the mood for a large hunk of meat. Crazy, I know some of you are thinking, but I wanted something more along the comfort foods line. I came across an old recipe I had from Fine Cooking for an updated Beef Stroganoff. It uses beef tenderloin and porcini mushrooms. Not exactly your mother's beef stroganoff! My mom's stroganoff was made with ground beef, with five kid's to feed making tenderloin into stroganoff was probably not an option. But for me on this cold wet dreary winter night, I thought, "why not!" It's a bit of a splurge recipe, but the porcini mushrooms give the sauce a nice earthy flavor and the tenderloin, WOW, so good. It definitely elevates this dish to a new level. You could substitute the tenderloin for chicken breast to make it a more practical family meal. I halved this recipe and used sour cream in place of the creme fraiche. I also made some fluffy mashed potatoes and wilted spinach. It was the perfect meal for one (with plenty of leftovers for tomorrow!).


Updated Beef Stroganoff
Serves four.

ingredients
1-1/2 cups beef broth (low-salt, if canned) or veal stock
1/2 oz. dried porcini mushrooms (about 1/2 cup)
3 Tbs. vegetable oil (not olive oil)
1/4 cup unsalted butter
8 to 10 oz. fresh cremini mushrooms, stems trimmed, caps wiped clean and thickly sliced
1 lb. beef tenderloin, cut into strips about 2 inches long and 1/2 inch wide
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbs. all-purpose flour
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
5 Tbs. crème fraîche

In a small saucepan, combine the broth and dried porcini. Bring to a boil, remove from the heat, cover, and let steep for 30 min. With a slotted spoon, lift the porcini out of the broth; chop coarsely and set aside. Strain the broth through a cheesecloth-lined sieve and set aside
Heat 1 Tbs. each of the oil and butter in a large sauté pan or skillet (a 12-inch skillet is perfect) over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the cremini mushrooms and sauté, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until the mushrooms are softened and well browned, 5 to 6 min. Take the pan off the heat and transfer the cremini to a bowl.

Season the beef strips generously with salt and pepper and dredge them in the flour. Return the pan to medium-high heat and add the remaining 2 Tbs. of oil. When the oil is very hot, swirl to coat the pan and then add the beef, spreading it in a single layer and stirring with the wooden spoon so that it browns quickly on all sides, 1 to 2 min. Be sure not to overcrowd the pan; work in batches if necessary. Sauté the beef just long enough so that it browns slightly on all sides; don't overcook it. Transfer the beef to the bowl with the cremini.
Still over medium-high heat, melt the remaining 3 Tbs. butter in the pan and add the onion. Sauté, scraping up the browned bits in the bottom of the pan with the wooden spoon, until the onion just begins to brown, 4 to 5 min. Pour in the reserved porcini soaking broth. Stir in the mustard and Worcestershire sauce and then add the porcini, cremini, and beef, along with any accumulated juices. Bring to a simmer while stirring. Cook just long enough so that the sauce thickens slightly, 1 to 2 min. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the crème fraîche, cooking just until heated through. Taste and adjust the seasonings.