Apples & Walnuts Snack

Have you ever been stuck with too few apples to make a pie and yet no desire to eat the apple out of hand?  Apples are an absolutely fantastic source of fiber and have incredible flavor and crunch, but sometimes I just don't feel like noshing on one as nature intended.  But if you saw my post "Call me Crazy" you know that I'm doing my best to eat well all the time. 

Last weekend I made the Old Fashioned Apple Crisp (with modifications) from the Barefoot Contessa for Tim, again.  Since I purchased a flat of apples from Costco I found myself with some left over Fujis and have had them on the counter to guilt myself into taking them to work as a snack. 

Today I found myself wanting to have the apple, but to modify the flavor just a touch and yet still be able to appreciate all of the health benefits of a crisp raw apple.  How do you do that?  Well, you improvise, of course!

This recipe is so simple and has things you might have on hand.

1 apple, cored and diced.
1 handful (approx 1/4 C) walnuts
1 healthy pinch (approx 1/8 C) dried Cherries
1 T butter
2 T Pure Maple Syrup
1 scant pinch of salt

NOTE: You could substitute any dried fruit and any nuts in for the cherries and walnuts.  I chose Walnuts for their beneficial Omega-3 Fatty Acid content and the dried cherries because they are so tasty.  I could have just as easily used golden raisins, blueberries or even dried plums.  For the maple syrup I chould have used Honey or Agave Nectar. 

Melt the butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan.  The butter is really to provide flavor as nothing is going to be cooked for very long.  Add in the nuts and toss to coat with the melted butter.  The heat opens up their flavor.  After about a minute of occasional stiring, add in the apples and cherries.  Drizzle on the maple syrup and toss to combine. 

You don't want to add too much syrup as it's just for flavor.  This isn't really supposed to be a dessert.  So only add in enough to lightly coat the nuts and give a nice sheen to the apples and cherries.  Sprinkle with the salt.  Cook for an additional 2 minutes stiring frequently.

Generally I say to brown things lightly as the browning equates to flavor.  In this case we don't want the browning.  I'm not looking for the fruit to begin breaking down as I want to keep the apple crisp.  I am just providing a splash of warmth and flavor to the mix.

That's it!  Use a slotted spoon to remove contents from the pan (in case you were a little too liberal with the syrup) and enjoy!  I debated whether to use this as a plain yogurt topping, but decided against it as the heat might kill the active cultures in the yogurt.  If allowed to cool, it would be an amazing addition to unsweetened yogurt.