Cooking Lessons for Dad

Cooking Lessons for Beginners

Crockpot Pine-Applesauce

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Try this easy, healthy apple and pineapple recipe in your crockpot! Karen Breyer’s cooking video shows you how to make this delicious Crockpot Pine-Apple sauce. Is it a applesauce recipe or a pineapple sauce recipe? It is both! This is a delicious combination of baked apples with a pineapple accent. Watch this cooking video to see how easy this recipe is to make in your crockpot or slow cooker!

Yield: 8 servings

Crockpot Pine-Applesauce

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup dried pineapple, chopped
  • 1 cup water
  • 8 cups apples, sliced and cored
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, ground (optional)

Instructions

  1. Add the pineapple and water to a blender. Before blending, let set for 30 minutes to soften the pineapple.
  2. Core and slice the apples.
  3. After the pineapple has soaked, blend it until it is smooth.
  4. Add the apples and pineapple mixture to the crockpot and stir so the apples are coated. Stir in the cinnamon and nutmeg if you would like.
  5. Cook the apples until they are soft. On low for about 3 1/2 to 4 hours. On high for about 2 1/4 to 3 1/2 hours.
  6. When the apples are soft, mash them with a potato masher until they are as chunky or smooth as you would like them.
  7. Stir in the vanilla if desired. Serve warm, chilled or room temperature.

Notes

Honeycrisp, Fuji, McIntosh, Jonathan, Golden Delicious, Braeburn, and Rome apples are good choices for applesauce. Fuji and Honeycrisp apples are pretty sweet and very good choices. You can mix different types of apples.

You can peel the apples if you want to. If you don’t make sure to wash the apples well.

You can slice or chop the apples. They do not need to be neat since you are going to mash them later.

Softer apples with cook faster than firm apples. Small pieces will cook faster than firm apples.

Instead of a using a potato masher, you can blend the cooked apples with an immersion blender or blend them in a high-speed blender.

You can substitute 2 tablespoons of lemon juice for the pineapple and water. These additions are to keep the apples from browning.

You can store this applesauce in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 weeks and in the freezer for about 2 months.

See a cooking demonstration of this Crockpot Pine-Apple Sauce recipe on the Cooking Lessons for Dad YouTube channel.

© Karen Breyer

 

Couscous

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Yield: 6 servings

Couscous

Ingredients

  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup, regular or whole wheat couscous, dry

Instructions

  1. Combine water and salt in a medium sauce pan.
  2. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat.
  3. Add couscous to the pan and stir well.
  4. Cover pan and let stand 5 minutes.
  5. Fluff with a fork and serve.

Notes

You can add 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil to the water if desired.

Adjust salt to taste.

© Karen Breyer

 

Kamut Walnut Carrot Salad

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Yield: 6 servings

Kamut Walnut Carrot Salad

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup Kamut grain, soaked overnight and drained
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 2 1/2 - 3 cups carrots, shredded
  • 1/3 cup raisins, golden (or any color)
  • 2 tablespoons orange juice concentrate, thawed
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 - 2 teaspoons honey
  • 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon (or to taste) salt, Kosher
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/3 cup walnuts, chopped (toasted)
  • 1/4 - 1/3 cup pomegranate seeds (optional)

Instructions

  1. Soak Kamut grain overnight. Then rinse and drain it.
  2. Add the soaked Kamut to 1 1/2 cups of boiling water. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 50 to 60 minutes or until the Kamut is tender and slightly chewy.
  3. Drain the Kamut and let it cool.
  4. While the Kamut is cooling, whisk together the orange juice concentrate, lemon juice, honey, cinnamon, and salt in a separate bowl.
  5. Gradually whisk the olive oil into the dressing.
  6. In a large bowl combine the Kamut, carrots and raisins. Stir.
  7. Whisk the dressing again, then pour the dressing over the salad and mix together.
  8. Let the salad sit for 15 to 20 minutes to let the flavors come together.
  9. Stir again just before serving and top with toasted walnuts and pomegranate seeds.

Notes

This salad is delicious topped with pomegranate seeds. You can also top it with dried cranberries.

If you do not soak the Kamut grain you will need to cook it much longer (about 90 minutes).

You can substitute the Kamut with about 1 1/2 cups of cooked spelt, faro, or soft or hard wheat berries.

You can cook the Kamut ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator.

You can also make the whole salad (except the nuts and pomegranate seeds) a few hours ahead of time. Store it in the refrigerator.

Serve this salad room temperature or chilled. Add the nuts and pomegranate seeds last, just before serving.

Kamut (kah-MOOT)

© Karen Breyer

 

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

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Yield: 5 servings

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients

  • 5 sweet potatoes, medium
  • 1 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 - 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 - 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt, Kosher
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper, ground
  • Cooking spray

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray 2 baking sheets with cooking spray.
  2. Rinse and scrub the sweet potatoes. Cut them into similar sized strips (your desired thickness and length).
  3. Put the cut potatoes in a large bowl or plastic bag.
  4. Add the oil to the bowl or bag and mix to coat the potatoes.
  5. Add the onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, salt and pepper to the bowl or bag. Mix/shake to evenly coat the potatoes.
  6. Spread the cut and coated potatoes in a single layer on the baking sheets.
  7. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes , turning halfway. They are done when they are crispy and have a puffed up texture.

Notes

Spread the sweet potatoes on the baking sheet so they are not touching. If you crowd them together they wont get crispy.

The sweet potato fries may get a little black and that is fine. The blackness will give them a delicious caramelized flavor.

You can flip the fries using a metal spatula. Scoop them up and quickly flip them over.

Thicker fries will take longer to cook and thinner fries will cook faster.

Adjust the spices and seasonings to your taste.

See a cooking demonstration of this Baked Sweet Potato Fries recipe on the Cooking Lessons for Dad YouTube channel.

© Karen Breyer

 

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