Recipe of the Week: Apple Cranberry Crisp

I'm going to start off my recipe series the way most people would prefer to start any meal...with dessert! Yes, desserts can be an integral part of a healthy, low-fat, plant-based lifestyle.

This delicious dessert is easy to prepare, is low in fat, contains no cholesterol and contains fiber and anti-oxidants. As I will explain in future blogs, these are very important characteristics to look for in the food you choose as they will help you to improve your health.

Makes 8 servings.

2 large, tart apples, peeled and sliced

0.5 cup fresh or frozen cranberries (I usually can't find these so I use plenty of frozen, whole cherries.)

0.75 cup Grape-Nuts cereal or any high fiber whole wheat cereal

0.75 cup rolled oats

0.5 teaspoon cinnamon

1/3 cup brown rice syrup (Sometimes I use agave nectar.)

2/3 cup apple juice

0.25 teaspoon cornstarch or arrowroot

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Arrange apple slices in a 9"x9" baking dish, then sprinkle with cranberries.

In a bowl, mix cereal, oats, and cinnamon, then stir in brown rice syrup.  Spread evenly over apples.

In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix apple juice and cornstarch or arrowroot, then pour evenly over other ingredients.

Bake for 50 minutes, or until apples are tender.

Per 1/8 of the recipe:

148 calories

0.9 g fat

0.2 g saturated fat

5.3% calories from fat

0 mg cholesterol

35.1 g carbohydrate

3 g fiber

14.4 g sugar

2.5 g protein

84 mg sodium

3 mg vitamin C

20 mcg beta-carotene

0.2 mg vitamin

14 mg calcium

3.5 mg iron

This recipe is taken from The Cancer Project's Food for Life Weekly Recipe.