Recipes: Cherry Cobbler

With so many fruits abundant during the summer it is hard to pick a favorite, but cherries would be right up at the top.

While cherries are available year round I hardly ever buy them during the winter months because they simply would not fit into my budget.  The summer however is a totally different story, $1-$2 a pound and I start buying them by the bushel, literally.

Cherries are delicious and nutritious. 

Did you know that cherries:

- have been recognized for their medicinal purposes since the 1400’s

- one cup of has just 90 calories and is a good source of fiber and vitamin C.

- are a superfruit

-have melatonin and eating a handful just before bed is a great way to naturally regulate your sleep cycle

-rank among the top 20 foods with the highest concentration of antioxidants

- have anti-inflammatory properties that reduce pain from gout and arthritis

-contain anthocyanins, which may reduce a person’s risk of developing cardiovascular disease

-help maintain optimum brain functioning and may deter the onset of Alzheimer’s

-can help reduce post-exercise muscle and joint pain

While the health benefits of cherries keep them near and dear to my heart I am also fond of them because of the awesome memories that I have of eating them as a child. 

When I was in grade school my family and I would go to Door County, WI for a week every summer and cherries were part of every day.

   

Whether it is was cherry pancakes at Al Johnsons for breakfast, and yes those are goats on the roof of this awesome Swedish restaurant!

 

Indulging in cherry kringle as a stop on our daily bike ride  

Or drinking cherry juice (or cherry wine for the adults) while watching the sunset over the lake at night, it is safe to say that cherries were plentiful. 

         

Today they are as delicious over homemade greek yogurt as they are plain in a bowl.

Another way that I love to use them is in my peach and cherry sangria, the perfect beverage for summer dinner parties on my balcony.

As I have said multiple times in this blog, I live by the 80/20 rule, eat healthy 80% of the time and indulge the other 20%. 

Today I am taking my love for cherries to the kitchen with a recipe that fits into the 80% of my diet as a healthy dessert and then will follow-it up with a recipe for the 20% later on.

Cherry Cobbler:

Cherry Filling-

2 cups cherries, cleaned and pitted

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup splenda or stevia

2 tablespoons corn starch

Mix all together in a bowl and put into an oven safe dish.  I like using my little ramekins or individual pans, it just seems more fun that way.

Crumble Topping-

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup oatmeal

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon flax seed

1 tablespoon cold butter

Combine all items together, I like to use my food processor, but you could also use your hands, and then sprinkle over the cherries.  Why the flax seed?  Why not!  Flax seed is a great source of omega-3's and easily adds into recipes without altering the taste.

Bake for 45 minutes at 375.

It took every ounce of willpower that I had not to eat this right out of the oven. 

Check back soon to see a less healthy version of this dessert!