Apple Cranberry Pie

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The best meals are visually appetizing and have a taste that is even greater.

THIS pie - oh man. 

I always eat with my eyes first, and the moment this pie came out of the oven I knew I'd created a keeper.  

I absolutely love when I get requests for recipes and this pie was inspired by my dear friend Samantha. She was looking for a lightened up apple pie for the holidays. We all know a traditional apple pie has both a base crust and a top pie crust. While that is very very delicious (READ: double the buttery crust), it maybe isn't ideal if we are trying to be smart about our dessert choices this holiday season.

Instead of a top pie crust I covered this pie with a delicious almond meal streusel - you won't event miss that top crust! This allows the real stars of this pie to shine - the soft and sweet apples mixed with the occasional POP of tart from the cranberries. I've greatly reduced the amount of sugar added to this pie, leaving it to be mostly sweetened naturally from the apples.  

This is such a great holiday dessert. It will be fantastic for Thanksgiving but even more perfect for Christmas time, which is right around the corner!

Apple Cranberry Pie

Prep Time:

Bake Time:

Servings: 8-10 slices

Ingredients:

For the Pie:

• 1 Mamaw's Pie Crust
• 3 lbs of apples (5-6 medium) - I use a mix of honey crisp and golden delicious
• 1 cup fresh cranberries
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp arrowroot powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 cup coconut palm sugar

Streusel Topping:

• 1/4 cup almond meal/flour
• 2 tbsp coconut palm sugar
• 1 tbsp butter, softened

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Prepare pie crust per directions. Once completed place in refrigerator to keep chilled while you continue on with the rest of the recipe. 
3. Peel, core and slice apples. My method is to first peel the apples, remove the core, slice in half and then cut 1/4" slices. Place apples in a large mixing bowl with cranberries and toss with lemon juice. 
4. In a small bowl, mix together cinnamon, salt, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, coconut palm sugar and arrowroot. The arrowroot acts as a thickener in the pie to hold it together. Add to the apples and cranberries and mix until all of the fruit is evenly covered with the spice mixture. 
5. Remove the pie crust from the refrigerator and fill with apple/cranberry mixture. Prepare the streusel by combining all ingredients in a small bowl and mixing until a meal-like consistency forms. Spread evenly over the top of the pie. 
6. Loosely cover the pie with foil and bake at 375°F for 30 minutes. Remove foil after 30 minutes and continue baking uncovered for an additional 30 minutes. 
7. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 3-4 hours (or ideally, make this pie the night before you plan on serving!). If you cut the pie too soon from the oven you run the risk of it not setting and becoming difficult to serve. 

Nutritional Information (1 slice out of 10 slices)

200 calories - 1.5 g Protein, 31 g Carbohydrates, 8 g Fat

Ham, Leek & Sourdough Dressing

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The holiday season is so close I can taste it. Literally. I have already starting practicing my dishes for the holidays!!

From now until Christmas, I’ll be sharing with you my family favorites – all with my twist to make them easier on the diet this season. Going through contest prep during the holidays is no easy task. I’m starting to realize more and more how disciplined I must be to make sure I stay on course. Nothing I can’t handle, however!

First up for my holiday favorites and just in time for Thanksgiving: Dressing. Or stuffing…the great debate.

The main reason I love the holidays is that each family has their own traditions. Mine, for example, calls that deliciously bready side dish served with turkey DRESSING, not stuffing. Why? Because stuffing is stuffed and cooked in the bird while dressing is cooked in a casserole outside of the turkey. Perfectly logical if you ask me. Whatever your family calls it, dressing or stuffing, there are hundreds of variations.

Because dressing is one of my favorite side dishes, I wanted to create a recipe I would have no problem eating this Thanksgiving while staying in line with my contest prep. Traditionally, dressing (or stuffing) is made with sausage. As tasty as it may be, it is extremely high in fat. I opted for ham – same animal, leaner cut of meat! 

I also recently found my new favorite gluten free bread: Bread SRSLY. This stuff is AMAZING. Gluten free breads usually tastes like gluten free breads. Not this. No, this actually tastes like an amazing slice of sourdough. Instead of relying on the bread to be the bulk of the dressing (like normal) I cut back significantly on the bread and loaded up on other vegetables and the ham.

With sourdough and ham being the foundation of the dressing, now comes the other fillers. A must-have in my family’s dressing are water chestnuts. They add the perfect crunch! I used leeks instead of onions as I feel they bring a greater depth of flavor to the dish. Celery, fresh cranberries, rosemary and thyme round things out.  Not only is this dish full of flavor, it is also beautiful and full of color!

Ham, Leek and Sourdough Dressing

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. Gluten-free sourdough bread (or whichever you prefer - I recommend Bread SRSLY), cubed (about ½"), yields 4 cups
• 1 lb. country ham steak, cubed (about ½")
• 1-1/2 tbsp. butter
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium leeks, bulb and lower leaf portion, 2 cups thinly sliced and halved
• 2 cups celery, sliced
• 1 tbsp. fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp. fresh thyme, finely chopped
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1 can water chestnuts (5 oz. can)
• 1-1/2 cup fresh cranberries
• 1 cup chicken stock (see note 5 below)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Slice bread into ½" cubes, yielding about 4 cups of bread. Spread out evenly on a baking sheet and bake in oven for 10 minutes or until toasted.
2. While bread is toasting, prepare the ham, leeks and celery. Slice the ham into ½" cubes like you did the bread. Slice the celery and leeks, setting aside. Remove bread from oven after it has toasted and set aside. Increase temperature to 375°F.
3. In a large cast iron pot (or soup pot) sauté ham over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the outside starts to brown and caramelize. Remove and set aside.
4. Melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic, celery, leeks, herbs, salt and pepper. Sauté for about 5 minutes or until leeks soften and become slightly translucent. (This part smells SO flavorful!!). Turn stovetop heat off.
5. Add drained water chestnuts, cranberries and ham back to the pot with the vegetables. Stir to mix evenly. Add 1/2 cup of the chicken stock, stir to incorporate, and then add the bread. If all liquid has soaked up, add remaining 1/2 cup of chicken stock. We don't want our mixture to become too wet - if liquid starts to pool at the bottom of the pot we've added too much! We want the mixture to be saturated but not swimming!
6. Transfer to a casserole or baking dish. Cover dish with tin foil and bake at 375°F for 20 minutes covered. Remove tin foil after 20 minutes and continue baking for another 30 minutes uncovered. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.