Vegetarian Friday: Quick apple wrap

This is sort of like an apple turnover, but much better for you.

This isn’t the prettiest thing I’ve ever made, and I’m not even sure what to call it, but it tastes good, takes about five minutes to make, and is loaded with fiber and various other nutrients that make it an excellent snack for refueling after a long run, a hard workout, or a day in the garden.

Ingredients
Apple
Whole-wheat, low-carb tortilla (I like the ones La Tortilla Factory makes — expensive but nutritionally excellent)
Cinnamon
1 tsp. caramel ice-cream topping or honey
Butter

Core the apple and cut it into thin slices (I use a corer/slicer gadget similar to this one to save time, then cut each slice in half).

Microwave the slices until soft (about 2 minutes in my microwave, but your mileage may vary). While the microwave is running, melt about half a tablespoon of butter in a skillet.

I used caramel sauce because I was craving a caramel apple, but honey or a little butter and brown sugar would work just as well.

Place slices in the center of a tortilla. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon and drizzle with caramel sauce or honey.

I left this in the pan a bit longer than necessary and probably had the temperature too high. Cook yours on medium, and watch it closely if scorched spots bother you.

Wrap up the tortilla like a burrito and fry gently on both sides. Don’t scorch it (as I obviously did) — you just want it in the pan long enough to warm it and pick up a little bit of butter.

If you use the fancy tortillas like I did, you’ll end up with a snack that’s got about 10 grams of protein and 17 grams of fiber, along with just a few simple carbs to replenish your blood sugar after a workout.

Emily

Vegetarian Friday: No-bake recovery treats

These are a good, quick recovery snack after a hard workout.

This recipe isn’t particularly glamorous or photogenic, but it’s an absolute godsend if you happen to be an endurance athlete, because it’s an easy make-ahead snack you can keep in the refrigerator and grab quickly after a long run or a hard hill workout to give yourself a nice balance of protein, fiber, and sugar to keep you from crashing and speed muscle recovery.

Ingredients

1 c. rolled oats
1 c. peanut butter, almond butter, or a mix
2 tbsp. honey
1/2 c. mini chocolate chips (optional)

Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Scoop out about a tablespoon of the mixture and form it into a ball. If the mixture seems too squishy, add more oats. If it seems too dry and crumbly, add more nut butter and/or honey. (The proportions aren’t precise, because the consistency of the nut butter you use will vary by brand, type, and oil content.)

Once you’ve adjusted the proportions as needed to make a workable texture, form the rest of the mixture into balls, place on a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper, and chill until firm. Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Emily

Vegetarian Friday: Kettle corn

One of the foods I always associate with fall — along with hot cider and caramel apples — is kettle corn, which shows up at a lot of county fairs and harvest festivals.

I’m sharing the recipe now because I’m thinking of it, but you can make kettle corn at any time of year, and it’s way easier than you’d think. Cheap, too; I used to make it for our scholar-bowl team at Webster, and a batch big enough to feed two teams and all their alternates took about 50 cents’ worth of popcorn and sugar. The kids loved it and were disappointed if I let a game slip by without making it.

The big trick with kettle corn is having all your equipment ready so you can move fast once the oil heats up.

Equipment
Big saucepan or small stockpot with a lid
Big spoon
Oven mitts
Big bowl
Measuring cups

Ingredients
About 1/3 c. popcorn (use Orville Redenbacher, not the cheap stuff)
About 1/4 c. sugar
Enough canola or peanut oil to coat the bottom of the pan about 1/8″ deep
Salt

Step 1: Pre-measure the popcorn and sugar and set them next to the stove, along with the spoon and the big bowl.

Step 2: Pull the battery out of your smoke alarm and turn on the exhaust fan above your stove, because you’ll probably screw up and burn this the first couple of times you do it. It gets easier with practice.

Step 3: Put on the oven mitts. No matter how well your lid fits, oil and steam can escape around the edges and scald you.

Step 4: Cover the bottom of the pan with oil, throw in three kernels of popcorn, and heat on high until they all pop.

Step 5: Dump in popcorn and sugar — in that order — stir quickly, and cover. Remove from heat and shake vigorously every three seconds, holding the lid onto the pan as tightly as possible.

Step 6: Once corn pops (about five minutes or less), dump it into a large bowl, sprinkle lightly with salt, and enjoy.

If you let it cool down completely and then store it in a sealed container, it will stay fresh and crispy for several days.

Emily

P.S.: The little strings on the popcorn in the picture aren’t hair. They’re strands of melted sugar. The sugar melts into the oil, coats the popcorn, and basically turns into candy as it cools.