ingredients

These 10 Simple Swaps Will Make Your Baking So Much Better

Marla Walters — Tue, 26 Apr 2016 09:30:27 +0000

Ever get halfway into baking a cake and realize that you are missing one of the ingredients? Or, maybe you have a recipe that you love, but feel so guilty making it due to the fat or calorie content. Time for a "swap," or a substitution. Here are 10 that you may even prefer to your regular recipes. (See also: 10 Indulgent Desserts That Are Actually Good for You)

1. Double the Benefits of Juicing

Like to make carrot-ginger juice in your juicer? Save the pulp! My regular muffin recipe calls for ¾ cup of milk; I just decrease that to ⅓ and then use a cup of pulp. Talk about healthy and frugal.

2. Not-So-Many-Pounds Cake

The next time you make pound cake, lighten it a little with avocado. Try using ¼ cup of butter and ½ cup of mashed avocado instead of, well, the pound of butter. The result will be a moister, silkier texture — and you get the healthy benefits.

3. Buttermilk Makes It Better

I can always tell a baker (or a lover of fried chicken) if I open their refrigerator and find buttermilk. Just substitute buttermilk for the liquid in a boxed cake mix. You won't believe how much better the texture will be. I use low-fat buttermilk and it works well.

4. Yogurt

This swap works really well in a white cake mix, making a delicious lemony loaf. The yogurt makes it very light (and it will have fewer calories). Don't completely substitute yogurt for butter or oil, though. Taste of Home has these helpful guidelines:

When a recipe calls for butter, replace half the butter with half as much yogurt. For instance, instead of 1 cup butter, use ½ cup butter and ¼ cup yogurt.
When a recipe calls for shortening or oil, replace half the oil with ¾ the amount of yogurt. For example, instead of 1 cup oil, use ½ cup oil and ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons yogurt.

5. Reduce Those Chocolate Calories

Just substitute mini-morsels for full-size chocolate chips. You still get the chocolatey flavor, but just less of it.

6. Coffee Lover?

To a Devil's food cake mix, substitute cooled coffee for the water. That gives it a rich "mocha" flavor. I like to bake in a bundt pan and then sprinkle with powdered sugar.

7. French Toast

My husband always adds a teaspoon of Angostura bitters, rather than vanilla, to the milk-egg mixture and then soaks the bread. This adds a flavor reminiscent of cloves and allspice.

8. Banana Bread

I like a really tropical flavored banana bread. To my regular recipe, I add 1½ teaspoons of coconut extract instead of vanilla. Then I top the dough with sweetened, flaked coconut before baking.

9. Chocolate-Orange Cake

Another great swap is to use orange juice in place of water in a chocolate cake mix. Drizzle with ganache; garnish with orange sections dipped in melted chocolate.

10. Get Rid of (Some) of the Guilt

Substitute applesauce for oil in a brownie mix. They will be a little drier, so plan to eat them immediately (joke).

The final word? Experiment! Take a look in your pantry and refrigerator; investigate using healthier substitutions.

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This article is from Marla Walters of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

How Frugal Is Coconut Oil, Really?

Max Wong — Wed, 09 Dec 2015 12:00:15 +0000

Coconut oil is this year's kale. It is everywhere. If you pay attention to the opinions of daytime talk show hosts, then you already know that coconut oil is the magical food of unicorns that will give you the power of invisibility.

Okay, I lied about the invisibility part.

I have used a variety of coconut oil brands in the past with success, but I prefer Dr. Bronner's because they have a proven track record of fair trade business practices. I use Dr. Bronner's White Kernel Organic Virgin Coconut Oil for cooking, and the slightly less expensive Dr. Bronner's Whole Kernel Organic Virgin Coconut Oil for everything else.

Coconut oil, like apple cider vinegar and baking soda, is a staple product in my home. I use it for cooking, personal hygiene, and for general housekeeping projects. Here are some of its many uses.

In the Kitchen

There are so many ways to use coconut oil as an everyday ingredient in your favorite foods. Such as….

1. Pop Delicious Popcorn

Because of its high smoke point (350 F for unrefined, 400 F for refined), coconut oil is ideal for frying and sauteing food, which is why it is still the go-to oil for movie theater popcorn (which contains more calories than a pepperoni pizza). Personally, homemade popcorn is one of my favorite uses for coconut oil, calories be damned. Then again, I'm the person who usually pops her popcorn in bacon grease, so…

2. Fry Coconut Donuts

I don't know why this recipe's author doesn't fry coconut donuts in coconut oil. But I do, and the results are delicious.

3. Sear Meat

My vintage kitchen doesn't include an oven fan. One of the reasons why I like cooking with coconut oil is that I can sear meat or fish without setting off the fire alarm in my house. I also like the twist the light coconut flavor imparts to classic dishes like garlic and rosemary lamb chops.

4. Season Cast Iron Pans (Vegan Friendly)

For Southerners who regularly cook with lard or bacon grease, maintaining a perfectly seasoned, non-stick cast iron pan is a no-brainer. However, for vegetarians and vegans who like the feel of cast iron and the additional nutritional value from cooking on iron, it's hard to keep a pan properly seasoned with vegetable oil. With its high smoke point and its saturated fat content, coconut oil is the perfect, animal-friendly solution.

5. Brew Bulletproof-Style Coffee

Fatty caffeine is not a new idea. The Tibetans have been doing it for centuries with yak butter tea. What is new is the trend of replacing breakfast with coffee that has been laced with butter and coconut oil. Aka, Bulletproof coffee. It's super tasty, but I would personally suggest this beverage is best as an occasional treat.

6. Graze on Great Granola

Speaking of breakfast, coconut oil works well as part of a solid meal. For example, replacing the olive oil in a favorite granola recipe is all kinds of win.

7. Thicken Smoothies

It seems super weird to add oil to a smoothie, but beverage manufacturers do it all the time. Just look at the ingredients of non-dairy coffee creamer or soft-serve shakes. I like to add coconut oil to my smoothies because I don't like the texture of blended bananas.

8. Create Raw, Non-Dairy, Gluten-Free Sorbet

For everyone else on the planet who has no trouble with blended bananas, this recipe for raw banana ice cream with coconut oil is a great base for all sorts of non-dairy sorbets.

9. Indulge on Lactose-Free, Vegan-Friendly Chocolate Cake

One of the reasons for coconut oil's rise in popularity is that is an excellent vegan alternative to butter and lard in baking. Before substituting it for butter or shortening, novice bakers should try a few recipes that call specifically for coconut oil to get a handle on how it performs in baked goods. Butter contains a lot more water, so substitutions will definitely impact texture as well as flavor and cooking times. This chocolate cake recipe is a great starting point for baking with coconut oil and includes a recipe for vegan chocolate fudge frosting.

10. Bake Gluten-Free Brownies

I originally tried this recipe to use up some sorghum flour I'd received as a gift. Now I find myself buying sorghum flour just to make these brownies, using coconut oil, of course.

11. And Coconut Rice Krispie Treats

The name says it all: Coconut Rice Krispie Treats. Add some shredded coconut for extra coco-nuttiness.

In the Bathroom

Although I love using coconut oil in the kitchen, I think I use equal amounts of the stuff in the bathroom. In a downsizing frenzy, I replaced my gigantic collection of lotion, moisturizers, foot creams, and other random lubricants with grape seed oil and coconut oil. My bathroom is much tidier and my wallet thanks me.

12. Use as Makeup Remover

Coconut oil is a great alternative to cold cream. It even removes waterproof mascara without tugging. I like the fact that it not only removes every speck of make-up, but it leaves my face moisturized.

13. Swap Out Your Night Cream

Coconut oil is anti-bacterial and anti-fungal, so for me it works well as a facial moisturizer. (Fair warning: acne-prone adults report both great and terrible results with coconut oil). Since I can feel the weight of the oil on my face (a sensation that I don't find pleasant), I use coconut oil as a night cream.

14. Create a Dewy Glow

Coconut oil gives skin a dewy glow, without makeup. If overall shine isn't your thing, use a little coconut oil, and spread it as a highlighter just across the cheekbones.

15. Fade Age Spots

Tons of beauty blogs make this claim. However, as someone who uses coconut oil daily I can tell you that I am just as spotty as ever. I will say that coconut oil does reduce the appearance of small wrinkles around my eyes, which makes me look younger, spots and all.

16. Use as Tropical Lube

Long lasting, chemical-free, and it doesn't taste like poison. Improve sexy-times with coconut oil. It works well as massage oil and as personal lubricant. Just don't use coconut oil (or any oil) with latex condoms!

17. Use as Foot Balm

In addition to being a bang up massage oil, coconut oil softens dry, cracked feet. I apply coconut oil to my feet at bedtime (I wear socks to bed to keep my sheets clean) and wake up with the softest toes.

18. Body Lotion

Overshare: I rub myself down with coconut oil at night before bed, and marinate in it while I sleep. My husband tells me it's like sharing a bed with a lady pirate. Of course, now I want to know how many lady pirates he knows.

19. Shaving Cream

Speaking of my husband, I haven't asked him to test out coconut oil as a shaving cream for his face, but coconut oil gives me a close shave on my legs and doubles as body lotion.

20. Body Scrub

Why pay for expensive spa treatments when you can make your organic version at home for pennies? This three-ingredient sugar scrub would make a great gift!

21. Lip Balm

Since I am a beekeeper, I use my bees' own wax mixed with coconut oil to make my lip balm, but plain old coconut oil works well too.

22. Hair Conditioner

After applying coconut oil to my skin as a lotion, I rub the residue on my hands into the ends of my hair to prevent split ends. A little oil goes a long way.

23. Scalp Treatment

Coconut oil can sooth a flaky scalp. Coconut oil is anti-fungal, which means it can help kill off Malassezia, a very common fungus that causes dandruff. Since I am one of those annoying dirty hair evangelists, I avoided using coconut oil as a scalp treatment since it would leave my hair looking greasy. But then I found this recipe for an egg rinse, which sounds disgusting, but totally works as a post-hair mask degreaser.

24. Cure Cradle Cap

Coconut oil is also a safe treatment for baby scalps.

25. Ease Eczema

My Ayurvedic doctor introduced me to coconut oil. She prescribed it as a topical treatment for my stubborn creeping crud skin condition. It works better than my $60 tube of prescription skin cream.

26. Breast Feeding First Aid

Is your baby literally chapping your hide? Soothe your sore nipples with a little coconut oil. It's cheaper than nipple cream, safe for babies, and an alternative for vegans and women with lanolin allergies.

27. Diaper Rash Help

Use plain coconut oil to sooth diaper rash and provide a barrier between the baby and the diaper or use it to mix up your own diaper cream.

So, Is Coconut Oil Frugal?

Although it is becoming mainstream, coconut oil is still a specialty food that comes with a specialty food price. If you use coconut oil as a substitute for cheaper vegetable oils, then your grocery bill is going to take a hit. However, if you are like me, and substitute coconut oil for more expensive products in the kitchen and your beauty routine, then coconut oil can be very cost-effective.

Are you a coconut oil lover or a coconut oil hater? Explain yourself in the comments section.

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This article is from Max Wong of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Best Money Tips: 50 Ingredients to Stock Up On

Amy Lu — Thu, 26 Mar 2015 19:00:08 +0000

Welcome to Wise Bread's Best Money Tips Roundup! Today we found some great articles on ingredients you should stock up on, real health benefits of red wine, and how getting free stuff can cost you.

12 Unusual (But Necessary!) Staples to Add to Your Pantry

Linsey Knerl — Wed, 10 Dec 2014 22:00:07 +0000

If you've ever seen a basic household organizer, it usually comes with a basic shopping list for pantry staples and other grocery items to keep on hand at all times. These are usually very simple items that a household of any size, background, or dietary preference will share in common.

What can make or break a delicious meal, evening of entertainment, or delicious treat, however, is the not-so-ordinary ingredient. Recipes won't be the same without them, and they should have a place in all cupboards and fridges. (See also: The 12 Herbs and Spices Every Pantry Should Have)

Here's the list of rarely mentioned, super important items I keep on hand at all times.

1. Capers

These salty little garnishes are actually the buds of flowers. They taste amazing in dishes that use lemon-cream sauces, and can take a cutlet from "ho-hum" to "how did you do it?" One tiny jar can last quite a long time after opening, provided you keep it in the fridge.

2. Artichoke Heart Quarters

Drain them and add to salads, a relish tray, or a pizza. I can't think of a cheesy dip that won't be even better with these as an ingredients; try them in spinach dip, for example.

3. Maraschino Cherries

Even tea-totalers will enjoy dropping one or two of these into their mixed drinks. They make a sundae special and add flavor to cookies and cakes.

4. Panko

These super-crunchy bread crumbs are all you need for perfectly crispy homemade chicken strips, fish sticks, breaded stir-fry meats, and crunchy appetizers. Since they are light and golden brown, you can ensure that your finished foods won't be soggy or bland.

5. Ramen Noodles

This quick-to-prepare pasta is a brilliant way to serve any Asian-inspired stir-fry or meat. It takes less time than rice, and can be tossed into sauces (minus the seasoning packet) for a fun noodle experience.

6. Dried Lemongrass

One jar in your spice cupboard can go a long way to amp up dishes and add dimension to new Thai flavored recipes.

7. Shallots

These beautiful greens look like big green onions, and taste a bit like a cross between a very mild onion and garlic. Dice them up for a pleasant addition to potato soups, or substitute them for cooked white onions in most any dish.

8. Coconut Oil

While the health benefits of substituting this oil are becoming pretty well known, it's also a very useful beauty product to keep on hand. What other ingredient can be used to lightly fry tortillas for tacos and also be used as a leave-in conditioner for baby's hair?

9. Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans)

This crunchy "nut" is actually a bean, and it makes a perfect topping for chef salads. You can also try roasting them for a savory, crunchy alternative to packaged products like Corn-Nuts.

10. Ladyfingers

These sort-of sweet cookies are the stuff tiramisu is literally made of. Use them as a layering ingredients between puddings and fruits; you'll have an amazingly simple trifle to delight your guests with!

11. Basmati Rice

Forget the "minute rice" or even plain boring white rice, and enjoy this fragrant version readily available at most grocery stores. The texture and flavor are subtly superior to the rice most of us are used to, making your common rice recipes feel special each and every time you prepare them!

12. Blue Corn Chips

These are now available by many snack food brands, and they add wonderful color to your party spread without any additional effort. Mix them in with regular corn tortillas or just serve them alone. I find them to be pleasantly "nuttier" tasting.

While everyone will have their own special ingredients, playing with new ones can broaden your horizons and add new experiences to your lunches and dinners.

Which one of the ingredients above will you start using first?

This article is from Linsey Knerl of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Best Money Tips: Expensive Ingredients You Can Replace

Amy Lu — Mon, 01 Dec 2014 21:00:12 +0000

Welcome to Wise Bread's Best Money Tips Roundup! Today we found some great articles on expensive recipe ingredients you can replace, stores with the best return policies, apps to help you reach your daily goals, and more!

10 Flavorful Foods Worth Splurging On

Camilla Cheung — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 10:24:03 +0000

I get it, you're trying to be frugal with your grocery budget. I feel your pain; I've been trying to shrink my grocery budget by reducing food waste, shopping according to the "Dirty Dozen, Clean Fifteen" list, and buying filling but inexpensive staples like beans and seasonal squash. But although I'm trying to keep grocery costs down, there are a few flavorful foods I will often splurge on. It's worth it to spend a little more to get top-quality versions of these flavor-boosters, because they add so much additional flavor to the rest of your food. (See also: Cheap Ways to Add Big Flavor)

1. Parmesan

A little grated parmesan on a salad or on pasta can elevate the dish to a whole new level of deliciousness. That's why it's worth splurging on a parmigiano-reggiano or grana padano that has that really deep, funky, cheesy flavor. Add just a little quality parmesan and olive oil to a bowl of plain pasta, and you've got a flavorful dish, whereas with cheaper parmesan, you can grate a whole mountain onto your dish (or worse, shake it out of a can) and just taste the salt.

Parmesan lasts a long time, so a little bit goes a long way. You can even use the dry rind when you've finished the cheese — just throw the rind into a soup or stew to add an extra depth of flavor (remove it before serving). (See also: 5 Easy Homemade Cheeses)

2. Tomato Paste

A squirt of tomato paste adds umami — that dark, complex, savory flavor — to almost any dish. I like to buy the tomato paste that comes in a squeeze tube, although it tends to be a little more expensive. This way, I can add just a little bit to a variety of dishes (stews, sautes, sauces) and save the rest for later.

3. Balsamic Vinegar

The difference between a $3 bottle of balsamic vinegar and a quality aged, estate-produced balsamic vinegar is like night and day. The latter is syrupy, mellow, slightly sweet, and complex — perfect for dipping strawberries into or drizzling over a grilled chicken and fig pizza. Varieties imported from Modena have the most famous pedigree, but any vinegar that has been aged several years from a reputable source is likely to be good, and sometimes costs just a few dollars more than the standard grocery store bottle. Use the cheap balsamic for cooking and perhaps even salads, and save the good stuff for dipping and drizzling.

4. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

A fruity extra-virgin olive oil isn't just a cooking oil, it's a condiment in its own right. Try it drizzled on avocado toasts with flaky sea salt and fresh-ground black pepper, or tossed with roasted vegetables. If you're splurging on the good stuff, save it for dressing and drizzling, not for cooking, which alters the flavor.

5. Herbs and Spices

For the best bang for your buck, buy good quality dried herbs and spices instead of fresh (Penzey's is a good place to start). They will add so much flavor to your cooking, and they last a long time. Once you have good quality herbs, you'll never go back to the cheap but flavorless powdery stuff. Fresh herbs are great too, if you can afford them (and if you use them all before they wilt) — better yet, grow them yourself to have them on hand anytime you need them. (See also: Foods You Can Grow in Your Home)

6. Coffee

Having a good coffee at home that you love to drink will ultimately save you money by preventing you from spending a small fortune at the coffee shop. For best results, invest in a coffee-bean grinder that will give you the freshest-tasting coffee. (See also: Top 5 Coffee Grinders)

7. Chocolate

Chocolate is one of those little luxuries I will always splurge on. One or two squares of a high quality dark chocolate is enough to satisfy me (the flavor is more intense, and I limit myself because of the price). It's a much healthier way to indulge, rather than to gorge yourself on bars of mediocre chocolate, which are filled with sugar, carnauba wax, and other unpronounceable ingredients.

8. Butter

I often buy the cheapest butter at Trader Joe's, especially if I'm doing a lot of baking and I know I'll be going through a lot. But on the few times that I splurge on deliciously creamy, European grass-fed butter (like Kerrygold), my scones turn out tender and rich, my cookies are sweet and decadent, and my icings are creamier and fluffier. When spread on a toasted English muffin, a good quality butter needs no other adornment. Go ahead and splurge once in a while, especially if you're primarily using the butter for spreading.

9. Eggs

You may think it's hard to justify spending $4-5 dollars on a dozen free-range eggs when you can get a regular dozen for $1.50. However, the added nutrients and (more importantly) the richness of flavor make quality eggs a worthwhile purchase. Chickens that are allowed to forage and eat insects, seeds, and grass (rather than just corn and soy) lay eggs with bright orange yolks that just taste, well, eggier. I often save my free-range eggs for frying, boiling, and scrambling, and cut costs by using regular eggs for baking.

Try roasting a bunch of asparagus and topping it with a poached free-range egg. Let the rich, silky, creamy yolk run down over the asparagus as you eat it. It's positively decadent.

10. Greek Yogurt

Greek or Balkan-style yogurt is strained to remove some of the water content, making it thicker and higher in protein. I find that most Greek yogurt brands also taste better than their non-Greek counterparts — they have fewer artificial flavorings, are much creamier, and have that tangy taste that many non-Greek yogurts lack.

For the best bang for your buck (and the healthiest), buy plain Greek yogurt and flavor it with fresh fruit and honey. Add some to a smoothie to pump up the protein content, or eat it with cereal. Greek yogurt can even be used in savory dishes: slathered on Tandoori-spiced chicken, or as a stand-in for sour cream in a dip or on a taco.

What foods do you like to splurge on? Share with us!

This article is from Camilla Cheung of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

4 Inexpensive Breakfasts in Under Five Minutes

Thursday Bram — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 22:00:00 +0000

For breakfast, would you like a greasy McBreakfast or an expensive caffeine boost from CoffeeBucks? Or would you like something that is not only fast and cheap, but actually might be good for you?

I know that time is a precious commodity in the mornings, but there are options beyond the drive through. Some of these recipes can be made even cheaper, if you’re willing to put in a few extra minutes somewhere along the way.

Apple Cinnamon Instant Oatmeal

This first recipe I found on Joseph Hall’s blog. He has several other options for improving on plain old instant oatmeal (Peach Ginger, Strawberries ‘n’ Cream, Cranberry Orange) — but I’m an old-fashioned girl when it comes to flavors and I love this option.

3 tablespoons chopped dried apples
1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 to 3 teaspoons dark brown sugar
1/2 cup plain instant oats

According to Joseph, all you have to do is the following:

Add dry ingredients to a pint- or quart-size resealable bag. Seal and shake to distribute evenly. Unseal, press out the air, and reseal. When ready to serve, pour into a bowl and cover with hot water. Allow to sit for at least a minute before stirring. Add more water, milk, cream, etc as you like. Add sugar or salt to taste.

Time and Expense: Even if you count washing the dishes afterwards, you’ll only barely graze the five-minute mark. You can make numerous batches ahead of time and even take them along to work if you can get hot water there. Want to make this option as cheap as possible? Wait for apple season to roll around, buy your apples at the lowest price possible and then dry them yourself.

Bacon Muffins

I know the name sounds a bit weird, but if you have a little time in the evening, I recommend whipping up a batch of these muffins — they’ll make several days’ breakfasts and will last for quite awhile in the fridge. You can customize the recipe as you please and they are a great grab-and-go breakfast.

Basic muffin mix

2 cups all-purpose flower
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup milk
2 eggs, well-beaten

Mix ingredients until well-blended. Pour into greased muffin tin. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.

While mixing ingredients, I add about 4 slices bacon — cooked and crumbled. You can swap in just about any pre-cooked meat, or even vegetables. I go with bacon because I like a little protein to get me started and I can use turkey bacon if I’m in a hurry — it comes pre-cooked. There are plenty of fruit-based muffins as well.

Time and Expense: This recipe takes a little planning ahead, but you can have up to 12 breakfasts made and ready to go in about 30 minutes. With the exception of bacon (a relatively cheap meat), these ingredients are not only cheap but also versatile.

Crockpot Breakfast Casserole — Southwestern Style

Crockpot cooking is the epitome of easy cooking: Toss stuff in, stir and leave it over night. Open it up in the morning, and you’ve got breakfast. This is a great option if you’ve got plenty of hungry mouths to feed — we’re not talking about breakfast for me and my cat here.

8 eggs
1/2 pound breakfast sausage
1 small can green chilis
1 medium onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 cup grated Pepper Jack cheese
1 teaspoon butter

Grease the crockpot with the butter. Layer meat, veggies and cheese, repeating until you’ve used all the ingredients — your last layer should be cheese. Beat the eggs and pour over the mixture. Cover the crockpot and turn on low. Cook for 7-8 hours. Serve with salsa or sour cream.

Time and Expense: While there is a little bit of prep necessary, there’s only five minutes needed in the morning to dish up and serve this breakfast casserole. And you can mix up the ingredients and use up what you have on hand. The only real must is the eggs.

The Breakfast Shake

This recipe is one of the easiest I know of that you can customize to what you actually have around. I’ve been known to just use up little bits of several kinds of fruit or to swap in frozen condensed juice with no problems. Fresh fruit is also an option, but you’ll need to substitute ice cubes for a portion of the yogurt or milk.

1/2 cup frozen fruit
1 cup yogurt or milk

Break larger fruits (like bananas) into pieces. Blend ingredients for about 30 seconds. Add sweeteners as to taste.

Time and Expense: While you can mix up a batch of shakes for practically cents per serving, this is one of the messier breakfast recipes I know of — especially if you’re feeding small children. It can still be made and cleaned up in under 5 minutes, but cleaning the blender might wind up left for later.

This article is from Thursday Bram of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

When Good Food Goes Bad Part VI: Apples

Andrea Karim — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 05:59:27 +0000

I hail from The Apple Capital of the World, so I know a thing or two about apples. For instance, eating three apples a day helps you lose weight.

That is, if you can manage to eat three apples a day. As somone who really loves apples, I can attest that apple fatigue is REALLY easy to come by.

My mother, in addition to supplying my Peeps habit, is my apple dealer. OK, apple-giver. When she comes to visit, she brings me bags of apples from the warehouses of our hometown, where apples are much, much cheaper and can be purchased directly from growers. And I eat at least an apple a day, and it's true that I do feel better and get sick less when I keep up the "at least one per day" regimen. I still go see my doctor, though, because he is incredibly handsome.

Anyway, I recently found myself, through a chain of events that is far too boring to recount here, to be the recipient of at least three bags of apples. Even eating three a day, I wasn't getting anywhere. My newly-restarted veggie and fruit deilvery service delivered another bag, and my fridge was starting to look like the apple warehouses back home.

So, apples: I tend to make apple sauce and apple tarts, just so I can get my fix. The apple sauce still falls within the realm of healthy eating - the tart, alas, counteracts most of the goodness brought by the apples. And of course, the BEST way to eat an apple is raw. But if you've got too many and you're worried about one bad apple spoiling the whole bunch, here are a couple recipes to help you prevent waste and eat happily.

Apple-Berry-Sauce

The great thing about apple sauce is that you cook it and mash it up quite a bit, the result being that you can't really tell what was in there before. Any kind of apple will do. I also throw in other fruit that is looked threatening aged. Tonight, for example, my apple-fruit sauce consisted of three Granny Smith apples, five pink lady apples, one mango, a bag of organic blueberries, the juice from one orange that was starting to mold on th outside, and one Fuji apple for good luck. I don't add any sugar to my apple sauces, because I like them a little tart, and there's enough sugar in fruit as it is - but that's really up to you.

Ingredients:

Bunch of fruit, sliced into large chunks, rinsed
Water

Directions

Throw about 1/2 cup of water in a big pot. Boil, add fruit, boil for 10 minutes, then cook on low for about an hour or until everything is mushy. Smash with a potato masher or blend in a food processor. Add sugar (or Stevia, or Splenda) to taste with each individual serving.

Fruit Tart

Because I'm diabetic, I can't have lots of pastries. So I compromise by making the apple tart without the tart.

Ingredients:

Lots of apples and pears (peeled or unpeeled, enough to more or less fill a baking dish), sliced thin (I bought a mandoline to do this)
Additional fruit (optional)
Brown sugar
Kosher salt
Half stick melted butter or margarine
Chopped nuts of your choice
Wheat germ (optional)

Directions:

Layer the apple and pear slices in a thin layer at the bottom of a large greased baking pan. Drizzle melted butter on top, then sprinkle with chopped nuts and wheatgerm. Repeat layers until all ingredients are used up. Every third later, sprinkle an eensy bit of salt.

Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 degrees until the volume has decreased by about half. Uncover, turn off heat, but leave the pan in the oven to brown the top lightly. You can broil it if you wish to get a more crispy top. Slice and eat. REALLY good with ice cream.

This article is from Andrea Karim of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

ingredients

These 10 Simple Swaps Will Make Your Baking So Much Better

1. Double the Benefits of Juicing

2. Not-So-Many-Pounds Cake

3. Buttermilk Makes It Better

4. Yogurt

5. Reduce Those Chocolate Calories

6. Coffee Lover?

7. French Toast

8. Banana Bread

9. Chocolate-Orange Cake

10. Get Rid of (Some) of the Guilt

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How Frugal Is Coconut Oil, Really?

In the Kitchen

1. Pop Delicious Popcorn

2. Fry Coconut Donuts

3. Sear Meat

4. Season Cast Iron Pans (Vegan Friendly)

5. Brew Bulletproof-Style Coffee

6. Graze on Great Granola

7. Thicken Smoothies

8. Create Raw, Non-Dairy, Gluten-Free Sorbet

9. Indulge on Lactose-Free, Vegan-Friendly Chocolate Cake

10. Bake Gluten-Free Brownies

11. And Coconut Rice Krispie Treats

In the Bathroom

12. Use as Makeup Remover

13. Swap Out Your Night Cream

14. Create a Dewy Glow

15. Fade Age Spots

16. Use as Tropical Lube

17. Use as Foot Balm

18. Body Lotion

19. Shaving Cream

20. Body Scrub

21. Lip Balm

22. Hair Conditioner

23. Scalp Treatment

24. Cure Cradle Cap

25. Ease Eczema

26. Breast Feeding First Aid

27. Diaper Rash Help

So, Is Coconut Oil Frugal?

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