By: Amie Valpone, HHP, AADP Culinary Marketing Consultant and author of the Gluten-Free food blog, The Healthy Apple, www.TheHealthyApple.com

I'm a huge fan of Peeled Snacks and all of their incredibly pure products.  As the CEO and Editor of The Healthy Apple, my philosophy is 'Clean' pure, gluten-free foods in their most natural form.  That is why I love all of the Peeled Snacks products and enjoy them as a go-to snack anytime of the day tossed into my bag, sprinkled atop salads, mixed into whole grain dishes and even used in baked goods and as a topping on ice cream and desserts.  There are endless ways to incorporate Peeled Snacks into your daily meals and snacks, therefore I've created a few handy-dandy recipes that you can make using these pure dried fruit products. 

The Cherry Bran Muffin Crumble was inspired by a delicious muffin I had at a small bakery last week that was so incredibly moist and had dried blueberries inside. I decided to create a spin-off of this recipe and add dried cherries, agave nectar and buttermilk for an extra moist bite.  The addition of bran crumbs adds a healthy dose of fiber and a bit of crunch to round out these tasty muffins. Museli is my favorite gluten-free breakfast; it’s delicious enjoyed with thick Greek yogurt and can be added to any regular cereal or enjoyed on its own with any of the Peeled Snacks offerings; here I combined three of my favorite Peeled Snacks in this recipe for an extra kick of natural sweetness in each bite.

The Rice Ricotta Pancakes are one of my most famous dishes and I’m always asked to create these on a cozy Sunday morning for my family; the ricotta and rice combination makes these pancakes nice and fluffy while the Peeled Snacks Raisin Expectations perks up these simple cakes so you don’t need any maple syrup or sweetened topping.

My delicious Re-Fuel bars are the perfect snack to carry around in your bag when running errands or to serve to your kids at snack time and with lunches as these bars are pure fruits and nuts and can be enjoyed alone or crumbled atop vanilla yogurt for a homemade parfait.  They’re a great mix of protein and healthy fats that will keep your blood sugar steady and your tummy satiated between meals for a pick-me-up when the vending machine is calling your name! 

And last but not least, my favorite recipe of all, Cottage Cheese Almond Banana Bread, which can be enjoyed toasted with nut butter for breakfast, served with ice cream for dessert or enjoyed crumbled atop oatmeal, hot chili or rice pilaf dishes as this bread is not too sweet, which allows for it to be incorporated into meals and snacks that you’ve already prepared or eaten alone simply toasted with jam and your favorite nut butter. I hope you enjoy these delicious recipes and find other fun ways to incorporate Peeled Snacks into your daily eats.

Bon Appetit!

Cherry Bran Muffin Crumble

Makes 10 muffins 

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups bran crumbs (ground bran crackers)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 2 tablespoons agave nectar
• 1 large egg or egg substitute, lightly beaten
• 1 1/3 cups low fat buttermilk
• 1/2 cup Peeled Snacks Cherry-Go-Round
• Greek plain yogurt, for topping

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375º F.  Prepare a muffin pan with nonstick baking spray.
2. In a medium bowl combine all dry ingredients.
3. In a small bowl, combine canola oil, molasses, agave nectar, egg and buttermilk and mix well.
4. Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients and stir just until dry ingredients are moistened.  Do not over mix.
5. Stir in Peeled Snacks Cherry-Go-Round and fill prepared muffin pans 3/4 full.
6. Bake 15 to 20 minutes in preheated oven or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.   Serve bran muffins crumbled atop nonfat Greek plain yogurt.

Morning Muesli 

Makes 8 (1-cup) servings

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups dry oats
• 2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 2/3 cup nonfat Greek plain yogurt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup fresh orange juice
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup agave nectar
• ½ cup shredded carrots
• ½ cup Peeled Snacks Much-a-do-About Mango
• 1 cup Peeled Snacks Apple-to-the-Core
• 1 cup Peeled Snacks Go-Figure

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine oats, milk, yogurt and vanilla. Let sit for 5 minutes to soften oats.
   
2. In a small bowl combine orange juice, chopped walnuts and agave nectar. Add carrots, and Peeled Snacks. Stir into yogurt mixture and mix well. Serve chilled.

Rice Ricotta Pancakes

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• ½ cup low fat ricotta cheese
• 1 Tbp. Oil
• ½ cup rice flour
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¼ cup Peeled Snacks Raisin Expectations
• ½ cup unsweetened almond milk

Directions

1. Beat together the eggs, ricotta cheese; add oil.
2. In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Beat into egg mixture; add Peeled Snacks and almond milk.  Mix well.
3. Transfer batter onto a heated griddle sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
4. Makes 1 dozen 4 inch pancakes.

Homemade Re-Fuel Bars

Makes 5 bars

Ingredients:

• 1 cup oats
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup egg whites
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup Peeled Snacks Farms Market Trio

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
3. Spray a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.
4. Spread batter into pan evenly and use a fork to flatten.
5. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
6. Allow to cool before cutting.

Cottage Cheese Banana Almond Bread

Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe bananas
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• ¼ cup slivered almonds
• ¼ cup Peeled Snacks Paradise Found
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• Pinch of cinnamon
• Pinch of nutmeg
• Pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees F. 
2. Coat loaf pan with non-stick spray. 
3. Combine ingredients in large mixing bowl; mix well.
4. Pour batter into loaf pan; spread evenly.
5. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean.
6. Allow to cool on wire rack before serving.