An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away (Recipes Included)

Apples are not only delicious and an easy snack, but also very healthy in numerous ways. What are the main benefits of eating apples? What are some great apple recipes?

Apples are a great source of dietary fiber. As a result, they are believed to reduce the risk of some cancers, they improve the functioning of the intestines, eliminate cholesterol from the digestive tract, cleanse the lungs and colon, and help to prevent and potentially cure appendicitis.

Apples are linked to a reduced risk of prostate cancer, stroke, asthma and Type 2 diabetes. Moreover, as Healing with Whole Foods reports, due to all the pectin apples contain, they can help to reduce blood cholesterol and remove toxic metals from the body such as lead and mercury. In addition, apples are also found to play a very beneficial role in cleansing the liver.

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I love to eat apples with peanut butter. It’s one of my favorite breakfast combinations. But here are a couple of interesting apple recipes that go beyond my apple and peanut butter dish. Enjoy a rice casserole with apples or apple noodle pasta for lunch or dinner sometime!

Rice Casserole with Apples

Ingredients:
2 lbs of apples (5-6 apples)
1 glass of brown rice
1 glass of milk
a few spoons of butter
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
sugar

After washing the apples, peel them and cut into quarters, removing cores. Then, slice the apples. While doing this, cook rice in water and milk (half and half) with a pinch of salt. Put half of the cooked rice into a greased baking pot/casserole dish. Put a little butter on the rice and then place half of the sliced apples on top. Sprinkle that with cinnamon and sugar (the amount of sugar depends of how sweet the apples are and how sweet you want the dish to be). Place the rest of the rice on the apples, add some butter on the rice and put the apples on top of that. Bake for about 30 min at 350 F (177 C). If you are a yogurt fan, or just want to add a little more moisture to the recipe, pour some yogurt on top once it’s on your plate!

Apple Noodle Pasta

Ingredients:
10.5 oz whole wheat noodle pasta
6 apples
2 tablespoons of butter
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
sugar

Wash the apples, peel them and cut into quarters. Remove the cores and slice the apples. Place apples on a greased frying pan and fry them for about 5-10 minutes until they are soft. In the meantime, cook pasta according to the instructions on the package. Place pasta on the plate, pour the apples over it and sprinkle it all with cinnamon and sugar.

Enjoy these delicious apple dishes! And keep the doctor away!

Related Articles:
1) Apple Varieties for Warm Climates
2) Lovin’ Fresh: Apple Dumpling Recipe
3) Let Them Eat Pie: Easy Oat Apple Pie Recipe Celebrates Busy Fall Harvest

Image Credit 1: Thomas Hawk via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 2: My Digital SLR Camera via flickr under a Creative Commons license
Image Credit 3: steveritchie via flickr under a Creative Commons license