The green Granny Smith apple is one of the very first varieties of apple to be commercially available all over the world. It is also possibly the apple that is most easily recognized by consumers. Maria Ann Smith, who happened to be in Australia in 1868 and found a seedling by accident, is the one who named the fruit after herself. The apple is crisp and bright green in color. The apple was first brought to the United Kingdom in 1935, but it wasn’t until 1972 that it was brought to the United States of America.
The Granny Smith apple is known for its crisp, juicy flesh that is sometimes blushed with a light pink color and its tough, light green skin. The Granny Smith apple has a distinctively sour flavor that sets it apart from other types of apples. Apples are delicious when eaten raw and make a great topping for salads when thinly sliced and sprinkled with cinnamon. However, when baked or sautéed, apples lose their notoriously sour flavor and take on a sweeter flavor instead. When making pies or crisps, Granny Smith apples are a good choice to use because they don’t lose their shape as easily as other varieties of apples and don’t become mushy either.
Apples are superior to almost all other fruits in terms of the amount of riboflavin that they contain as well as the amounts of vitamins A, C, and B that they provide. Apples, which contain a potent blood purifier called pectin, are beneficial for reducing blood pressure and stopping the buildup of plaque in the arteries.
Granny Smith apples are available throughout the entire year and are sometimes referred to as Green Delicious apples in certain regions of Canada. Choose apples that are crisp, hard, and firm, and that feel a little heavy for their size. Steer clear of any apples that are soft or have dark spots. On the other hand, spots of brown freckling near the stem end are completely acceptable for Granny Smith apples.
The following websites were used as sources for this article: www.wikipedia.org; www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov; www.health-care-clinic.org
Image created by Fir002 and made available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation license, version 1.2
Healthy Apple Walnut Muffins
Ingredients:
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons oat bran
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup apple juice concentrate (frozen and thawed)
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 2 small granny smith apples, peeled, cored, chopped
• 1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
Garnish
• 1 small granny smith apple, peeled, cored, cut into 12 thin slices
Prep Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 40 mins
Directions:
1. Preheat Oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Grease 12 standard size muffin pan cups, or use paper liners.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, salt, and oat bran.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, 1 cup plus 2 tbsp apple juice concentrate, and buttermilk.
5. Stir flour mixture into the egg mixture until dry ingredients are just moistened. Do not over mix.
6. Gently stir in chopped apples and walnuts.
7. Spoon batter into prepared pan, filling cups two thirds full.
8. Garnish each unbaked muffin with an apple slice.
9. Bake muffins until lightly golden and the tops spring back when gently pressed, about 25 minutes.
10. Transfer muffin pan to a wire rack to cool slightly, about 15 – 20 minutes.
11. Turn muffins out on rack to cool completely.
Beet, Feta and Granny Smith Apple Salad
Ingredients:
5 -6 medium beets, about 1 1/2 lbs
1/2 small red onion, chopped
2 granny smith apples, cored and thinly sliced
3/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 shallot, minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
fresh ground pepper
1/3 cup scallion, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
Prep Time: 25 mins
Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins
Directions:
1. Wash the beets, but do not peel.
2. Place in a very deep pot and cover with cold water until floating. Bring to a boil, cut back to a simmer and cook for about 40 minutes or until tender when pierced with a sharp knife. Note – Beets can be a bit messy and stain terribly. By using a very deep pot you won’t have as much splattering.
3. While the beets are cooking, make the salad dressing by combining the ingredients above starting with the shallot and ending with the freshly ground pepper. Shake well.
4. Chop the red onion, slice the green apple, place them in a large bowl and toss with the salad dressing and the feta cheese.
5. When beets are done, cool, peel, cut in half and then slice thinly.
6. Toss with the apples, onion and cheese mixture.
7. Garnish with the scallions and dill.
8. Enjoy!
Servings: 6-8
Yield: 7 salads
Curried Cranberry Chicken Salad
Ingredients:
1 cup low-fat mayonnaise or salad dressing (plain yogurt is another possibility although I haven’t tried it)
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder (or more to taste)
4 1/2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
2 chopped apples or 2 granny smith apples
1 cup dried sweetened cranberries (Craisins)
1 cup thinly sliced celery
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup chopped scallion
Prep Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 20 mins
Directions:
1. Combine mayonnaise, lime juice and curry powder in large mixing bowl.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients.
Servings: 8
Pork Loin Chops With Cinnamon Apples
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 (4 ounce) boneless center cut pork chops (1/2-inch thick)
1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon butter
4 cups sliced peeled granny smith apples
1 tablespoon agave syrup
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
salt (dash)
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 11 mins
Total Time: 31 mins
Directions:
1. In a small bowl, combine the first 3 ingredients; sprinkle over pork.
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet coated wtih cooking spray over medium heat.
3. Add in pork chops; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done.
4. Remove pork from pan; cover and keep warm.
5. Melt butter in skillet over medium heat; add apple slices and remaining ingredients; cook 5 minutes, or until tender, stirring often.
6. Serve apple mixture with pork.
Servings: 4
Candied Apple Shake
Ingredients:
• 1 cup granny smith apple, peeled, diced and partially frozen
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (preferably fresh-squeezed)
• 1/2 cup apple juice or 1/2 cup apple cider
• 3/4 cup vanilla frozen yogurt (nonfat is fine)
• 2 tablespoons caramel sauce
• 2/3 cup cracked ice
Prep Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 1 hour 10 mins
Directions:
1. Pour all ingredients into a blender.
2. Blend until smooth.
Asian-Style Chicken Salad
Ingredients:
Salad
• 4 cups cos lettuce leaves (baby torn)
• 375 g boneless skinless chicken breasts (cooked and chopped)
• 1/2 fresh pineapple (core removed and cut into wedges)
• 2 granny smith apples (cored and sliced or 2 cups of red and or or green seedless grapes)
• 1 yellow capsicum (or red cut into thin strips, bell pepper)
Dressing
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (fresh)
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1 pinch chili flakes
Prep Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 20 mins
Directions:
1. On individual serving plates divide and stack the lettuce, chicken, pineapple, apple (or grapes) and capsicum (bell pepper).
2. In a small jug whisk the soy sauce (or tamari), lemon juice, peanut butter, honey and chilli flakes.
3. Drizzle the dressing between the 4 serves.
Grilled Apple and Swiss Cheese Sandwich
Ingredients:
2 slices whole wheat bread
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 Granny Smith apple – peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1/3 cup shredded Swiss cheese
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 5 mins
Total Time: 15 mins
Directions:
Preheat a skillet over medium heat. Lightly brush one side of each slice of bread with the olive oil. Place 1 slice of bread, olive oil side down into the skillet, and arrange the apple slices evenly over the top. Sprinkle the Swiss cheese over the apple, then top with the remaining slice of bread, olive oil-side up. Cook until the bread is golden brown, then flip the sandwich over, and cook until the other side is golden brown and the cheese has melted, 1 to 2 more minutes.
Servings: 1
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