Fibre-rich baked apples

Whether you eat them as a dessert at the end of the day or for breakfast at the start, baked apples are an excellent source of good health… and comfort.

Apples provide vitamin A, B, C, but their greatest benefit, it would seem, comes from a flavonoid called quercetin, which is a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, and that’s why they may be linked to heart health and cancer prevention. In addition, apples are a good source of fibre, and help with clearing cholesterol and keeping you regular.

Ingredients

4 Granny Smith apples
Stuffing:
250 g dried soft-eating figs, finely chopped
Zest of 1 orange peel
2—3 T (30—45 ml) honey
2 T (30 ml) dried cranberries finely chopped (optional)
500 ml pressed apple juice
1 cinnamon stick

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Core apples, but be sure to leave a bit of flesh at the base to hold the stuffing in place.
3. Next, gently cut around 2/3 of the circumference of the apple, about 2cm from the top, creating a “lid”; this will prevent the apples from bursting and hold the shape beautifully while baking.
4. Mix stuffing ingredients together, and fill the cavities.
5. Place apples in a baking dish and pour over apple juice, add cinnamon stick and bake for 35—40 minutes or until soft, but not falling apart. Serve with fat-free plain or vanilla flavoured yoghurt.

Additional notes:

1. Try replacing the soft-eating dried figs with Verlaque’s sun-dried Turkish figs in Hanepoort and Ginger syrup, and use the syrup instead of the honey.
2. Feel free to add chopped nuts or seeds to this stuffing mixture.
3. Ring the changes with your favourite dried fruit.

Nutritional Information