Apple Strudel – Addiction and Rehab

I been having a food craving recently that I’m shamelessly giving into.  Apple Strudel, the generic store-bought variety.  You know the kind…, rectangles of pastry with a tiny smear of apple pie product in the middle.  They are often not very good but, as I am confessing here, I have no self-control when they are in the house……they’ve been in the house often these days.  Giving into some guilty pleasures I guess.

I’m going try my hand at making them.  How hard can it be?  Store bought puff pastry (or how about something completely different, more whole grains?), then you add apples cinnamon.  I’m convinced I can make something healthier and tastier than the store bought version.  There is a tree of excellent cooking apples ripening in the yard and this is one of the things I plan to do with them.

In the meantime, here’s how to take a generic apple strudel and improve it by adding some fresh ingredients and extra flavor and nutrients.

Using a table knife pry open the wide side of the piece of strudel.  It should open very easily like a hinge.  Add some jam if desired (I used thick cut orange marmalade), a sprinkle of cinnamon, top with very thinly sliced apples and more cinnamon – to your taste.  Close it up and you have a vastly improved treat.  The crunch of the fresh apples really make it.

Arthritis Kitchen Tips:

Have you heard people talking about Cinnamon?  It’s been making headlines as another superfood with some pretty impressive stats.  Cinnamon is one of the world’s oldest spices and medicines.  It doesn’t take much to reap the benefits of this potent elixir.  Just 1/2 teaspoon per day is all that is needed in order to gain the benefits.  Add it to your list of organic spices to purchase and buy in small quantities so it is always fresh.

Some health benefits of Cinnamon:

Cinnamon is a very powerful antioxidant, one of the most powerful of all the spices.

Cinnamon has positive effects on the blood, lowering blood sugars, reducing LDL cholesterol and thinning the blood preventing blood clots and reducing inflammation.  Adding cinnamon to a high carbohydrate food can actually reduce the negative impact on your blood sugar levels!

Inhaling the aroma of cinnamon is shown to increase brain function resulting in improved mental alertness, recognition memory and working memory.  Excellent for boosting cognitive ability.

Adding cinnamon to your daily diet is easy.  Add some into your morning coffee, sprinkle on toast, cereal or yogurt, add to your savory dishes too.  So spice up your life and improve your health at the same time.