I love the fall. Not only does cooler weather get ushered in, but so do some of my favorite things to eat. Pumpkin is one. Apples are the other. And I especially love this time of year for the apple cider. I love to drink it…and even more…I love to cook and bake with it.
This morning, after a 5 mile run, I decided to get a little creative with some of the ingredients laying around my pantry and fridge. After all, I have a new CSA bin arriving tomorrow with new produce for me to enjoy, so why not get a little creative?
The base of this recipe is Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Mighty Tasty Hot Cereal, which instead of cooking in water with salt, I cooked in apple cider with cinnamon. Then I caramelized two Gala apples to top it all off with. The result…a mighty tasty hot cereal for this cool morning. I happened to have some cream cheese icing left over. This is a totally optional addition. A drizzle of maple syrup or honey would work just as well. Without further adieu…the recipe is below.
Recipe: Apple Cider Spiked Hot Cereal with Caramelized Apples, Pecans, and Cream Cheese Icing
Servings: 2
Time: Prep 10 minutes; Cook 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1-1/2 + 2 tablespooons cups apple cider
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup hot cereal mix (I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Mighty Tasty Hot Cereal)
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 Gala apples, peeled and sliced
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- dash of ground nutmeg
- 1 oz chopped pecans (optional)
- maple syrup (optional)
- cream cheese icing (optional)
Directions:
Heat a nonstick pan on medium-high heat. Add butter and allow it melt down, swirling it around the surface of the pan in circular motions to spread the butter and prevent it from burning.
Meanwhile, pour the apple cider into a pot and add the cinnamon. Bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to very low and pour in the hot cereal. Stir until mixed. Cover and allow to cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Peel and cube the apples. Drop the apples into the butter.
With a wooden spoon, stir them around until they are completely coated with butter. Continue to stir until the the butter in the pan is no longer bubbling. Add 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and continue to stir. Add a dash of ground nutmeg as you stir. Then, cook the apples for approximately 10 minutes, or until the fruit begins to soften and brown slightly.
Remove the pan from the heat. Using your wooden spoon, remove the apples from the pan and place them into a bowl.
Pour the cooked hot cereal into two bowls. Add the caramelized apples to the top of the cereal. Sprinkle with a few chopped pecans. Then add any syrup, honey, or cream cheese icing to the cereal.
Dig in!
~*~*~
This hot cereal tastes like fall. It is sweet and savory all at the same time. Not to mention…healthy and filling. I loved how amazingly soft the apples turned out. It was my first attempt at ever caramelizing apples, so the result was perfection. This would make a great breakfast on a cold winter’s morning as well. If you love the flavors of fall…give this one a try. I promise…you won’t be disappointed.
The Celiathlete 