Arugula, Goat Cheese, and Apple Salad

I don't know about you guys, but my Thanksgiving was full of family and food, then more family and food, and then more family. With some food.

I had a blast. The past three years, I've gone over to my Aunt and Uncle's for a kind of pre-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving meal. I usually see them on other breaks, as well, and the company is fantastic. Not to mention the food. Because do NOT, and I repeat do NOT, get me started on the pure deliciousness that graces their kitchen and dining room table. I'm talking homemade pie, cornbread stuffing, roasted vegetables, and everything else my little vegetarian heart desires.

But! Whenever I visit my Aunt and Uncle in the Bay Area, there is a recipe that comes to mind. When I was younger, I went to California over Spring break with my dad, and we had the chance to go and visit my them for dinner and some delicious cheese. While sharing stories and memories around the dinner table, my Aunt brought out one of the most delicious salads I have ever tasted. Creamy goat cheese, tangy and complex lemon vinaigrette, crisp apples, and bold arugula... 

UGH. SO GOOD.

When I returned back to home, I kept craving that salad. I couldn't stop thinking about it, about how the flavors had blended perfectly together to create a bright, refreshing, and somehow decadent salad. How many people use that word when describing salad? 

See, I told you that ya shouldn't have gotten me started on the food.

Arugula, Goat Cheese, and Apple Salad

Serves 2  

Ingredients:

• 4c. baby arugula, washed and patted dry*
• 2oz crumbled goat cheese
• 1 medium Gala or Fuji apple, cut into large bite-sized cubes
• 1.5 tbl olive oil
• 3tbl fresh lemon juice
• 1/2tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2tsp sugar
• salt and pepper (to taste)

Instructions:

1. Toss together the baby arugula, goat cheese, and apples. 
2. To prepare the dressing, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon, sugar, and spices to taste. Let sit on the counter for about 10 minutes to let the flavors mingle and develop. Season as needed. 

Nutrition Information:
Sodium: 145mg
Total Fat: 16g
      Saturated: 6g
      Monounsaturated:9g
      Trans: 0g
Sugar: 12g
Protein: 7g
Calories: 230

Cinnamon and Maple Baked Apples

 
IT'S FAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLL (!!!!!!)

Therefore apples apples apples apples apples apples apples apples apples apples apples apples and pumpkins pumpkins pumpkins pumpkins pumpkins pumpkins pumpkins pumpkins! And cinnamon, and stews, and brown sugar caramel lattes to warm up frozen fingers at 7AM as college students travel to their morning classes.

I have a lot of energy and so much to say, but I'll keep it simple:
 
These apples are amazing.

You should eat them.

You brain will thank you.

That is all.
 

Cinnamon and Maple Baked Apples

Serves: 2 (can easily be changed to serve however many you want) 

Ingredients:

• 2 small Gala apples, washed
• 2/3c. water
• 1/3c. reduced sugar orange juice (such as Trop50)
• 1/4c. reduced sugar maple syrup
• Cinnamon for dusting

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Meanwhile, core the apples (being careful not to go all the way through to the bottom, because they need to hold the maple syrup), creating a cavity. Make sure all seeds are removed.
3. In a small, shallow oven-safe baking dish, combine orange juice and water. Set the apples, core-side up, in the baking dish. Fill each apple with 2tbl of the maple syrup (if the syrup overflows into the pan because the cavity is too small, no worries-- that just means more flavor in the cooking liquid!)
4. Bake for approximately 1 hour, or until apples are quite tender. Remove from oven, and let cool for at least 7 minutes. To serve, sprinkle with cinnamon and top with 2tbl of the whipped topping. If you want an extra citrus punch, pour the cooking liquid over the apple too.

Nutrition Information
Sodium: 90mg
Total Fat: 0g
      Saturated: 0g
      Trans: 0g
Sugar: 32g
Protein: 0g
Calories: 154

Upside-down Apple Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

I am in love with the idea of apples right now.

With the weather cooling down, I’ve found myself craving the sweet, warm goodness of one of fall’s best fruits. There are all these recipes going around about baked apples, apple pie, apple ice cream, apple everything. My friend is fantastic at making baked apple chips (I don’t know how she gets them so perfect every time, it’s insane), so I’ve basically been on an apple fest the past few weeks. I was looking on Pinterest (because yes, I am a stereotypical white college girl who browses Pinterest when I should be studying) and I saw this recipe for Pineapple upside-down cake. It reminded me of a recipe I’ve been making for years: Apple Upside-Down Cake.

When I was in high school, I was inspired by a recipe from Relish, which I followed avidly while in Arizona (our local newspaper got Relish snippets on Thursdays, and I would wait with bated breath to see what was inside). Seeing the cake on Pinterest made me want to make these again! These upside-down apple cake squares are so perfect for welcoming fall. Well, here in CO, it’s hard to actually call it “fall”—after all, we just switched from a 32 degree day to a 72 degree weekend. Talk about crazy. I feel like CO skips around between summer and winter as it pleases, and if we are lucky then fall lasts a few weeks. It’s so sad! One of my favorite things about fall is the leaves changing, and it doesn’t last very long here.

Anyways! Back to the food (which is what we are all here for, let’s be honest). The cake itself is light and fluffy and made extra special with a touch of cornmeal. Cinnamon is perfuming my entire house right now, plus the apple-maple combo is practically intoxicating. To top it all off, I added a maple-cream-cheese drizzle over the top to balance some of the sweetness and to make it look even more tempting.

These are best eaten while warm out of the oven, but I remember that I once took them cold into my English class in high school and they got devoured. No one had any clue that they weren’t sugar-loaded or unhealthy. Ok, I’m salivating just thinking about it. I’ll hurry it on up, and get to the recipe!

Upside-down Apple Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting 

Serves 12  Serving Size: 1 square

Ingredients:

• 2T light margarine
• 1/3c. sugar OR splenda
• 1/4c. sugar free maple syrup
• 2 crisp apples (I used gala), peeled, cored and cut into slices
• 1/4c. light margarine
• 2/3c. sugar OR splenda
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 2 room temperature large eggs
• 1c. all-purpose flour
• 1/2c. whole wheat flour
• 1/2c. yellow cornmeal
• 1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2tsp salt
• 1/2tsp cinnamon
• 1/4c. no sugar added applesauce
• 1c. lowfat vanilla yogurt
• 1/2c. low fat cream cheese
• 3T to 1/3c. sugar-free maple syrup (use less for a thicker glaze, more for a thinner glaze)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Melt butter in a large skillet over low heat. Add apples (in a solid, even layer) and sugar and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat. Flip over apples (or move around in pan), add maple syrup, and cook an additional 5 minutes or until tender. Set aside.
3. Meanwhile, beat margarine and sugar using a electric mixer until light and fluffy. Mix in vanilla and eggs. Combine flours, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Combine applesauce and yogurt. Alternate adding in the flour mixture and the yogurt mixture in batches, starting and ending with the flour mixture (ex. flour, yogurt, flour, yogurt). Mix until well blended.
4. In a 9x9 square metal pan sprayed with cooking spray, layer out the apples so there are no gaps on the bottom and so the layer is even. Pour any liquid that is with the apples into the pan as well. Spoon the batter over the apples, making sure to start with the edges and work inward (in order to avoid the maple syrup bubbling up the edges of the pan). Place in over and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and cooked (springy to the touch).
5. Remove from oven, and let cool at least ten minutes (if you don't, your cake falls apart when you flip the pan over). Invert the pan onto a serving tray. Carefully remove the pan from the cake. 
6. Beat the cream cheese and maple syrup with an electric mixer until desired consistency is reached, and drizzle over cake while still warm. Cut into squares and enjoy!

Nutrition Information (Sugar):
Sodium: 210mg
Total Fat:6g
       Saturated: 2g
       Trans: 1g
Sugar: 14g
Protein: 5g
Calories: 198


Nutrition Information (Splenda):
Sodium: 210mg
Total Fat:6g
       Saturated:2g
       Trans:1g
Sugar:6g
Protein: 5g
Calories: 164