By Selma Williams Gila Community College Wellness Center Coordinator

While I am not a big fan of apples, I eat them because they are good for me. Last year Honeycrisp Apples changed that for me.

My husband bought some honeycrisp apples. I had never had the pleasure of eating one before. The texture, flavor, and crispness were like no other apple. I actually think about them all morning being in my lunch bag waiting for the hour when I get to savor it.

This wonderful apple got me wondering where it came from. Sometimes it is marketed as Honey Crisp; this is a crisp, and predominantly sweet, modern variety from the United States.

It is a Macoun and Honeygold cross (the Honeygold itself a cross between the Golden Delicious and Haralson). The honeycrispwas developed by the University of Minnesota’s apple breeding program in the 1960’s, but started to be popular in the early 90’s.

Specifically grown for cultivation in cold climates, the honeycrisp is one of the most cold hardy of apple varieties.One medium Honeycrisp apple has 80 calories, 5g of dietary fiber, 17g of sugars and 0g of protein.

I found a no-bake sweet recipe at WHFoods.org called No-Bake Apple-Walnut Tart; it sounds so yummy I thought I would share.

Prep and Cook Time: 30 minutes, chilling time: about 1 hour

Ingredients

Crust

•           2-1/2 cups walnuts

•           1-1/2 cups dates (Medjool dates work well)

•           Sea salt to taste

Filling

•           3apples, such as Honeycrisp, sliced

•           Juice of 1 lemon in 2 cups water

•           1/4 tsp. cinnamon

•           1/2 tsp. allspice

•           1/8 tsp. ground clove

•           2 TBS honey

•           1/2 cup apple juice

•           1/4cup raisins

Directions

1.Com bine walnuts and dates in food processor. Make sure you remove pits if dates have them and cut off end where stem was. Process until well mixed and ground, but not smooth (about 40 seconds). It should be a coarse texture when done. Press evenly into a 9-inch tart pan. Set in refrigerator while making the filling.

2. Slice apples by cutting into quarters. Cut out core and slice crosswise in 1/4 inch thick slices. Put into lemon water while you finish cutting apples. Drain well in colander when done.

3. Place apples in a large skillet with rest of the ingredients and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently on medium heat.

4. Remove apples with a slotted spoon from hot pan to a bowl and cool completely.

5. Reduce liquid to about half the volume and then cool.

6. Spread apples evenly over crust. Brush apple-juice syrup over apples. The tart can be served right away or it will keep in refrigerator until needed. Keep tart covered in refrigerator so it doesn’t pick up moisture. Top with a little vanilla yogurt if desired.

If you try this let me know what you think.

Until next time, Woo Hoo!

Selma

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