This simple dessert contains butter and sugar, but also plenty of fruits, nuts and seeds, so it’s a sweet pleasure with nutritional benefits.

Choose any type of apple, and vary the ratio of ingredients in the filling to suit your taste. When it comes to the sunflower and pumpkin seeds, for example, weigh them against your preference for dried cranberries. More fruit means more sweetness in the end product; more seeds mean more crunch.

Baked Apples

Ingredients:

• 4 red apples (about 3 inches in diameter)

• 1/2 cup mixed cashews and almonds

• 1/2 cup mixed sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and dried sweetened cranberries

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 3 tablespoons margarine

• 1 tablespoons ground cinnamon Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Wash apples and use a knife to remove the core without cutting through the bottom of the apple.

Mix the remaining ingredients and stuff this filling into the apples.

Place on a baking sheet and bake 20 to 30 minutes, depending on size of apples.

Serves 4.

Approximate nutrient analysis per serving (based on equal amounts of cashews and almonds and sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and dried sweetened cranberries): 480 calories, 23 g fat, 3.5 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 100 mg sodium, 70 g carbohydrate, 9 g fiber, 55 g sugar, 7 g protein. Nutritional analysis provided by Joannie Dobbs, Ph.D., C.N.S.

The Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation is an international nonprofit with a local office in Kaimuki. Its mission of community service includes the promotion of a healthy vegetarian lifestyle. To learn more, visit facebook.com/hawaiitzuchi or call 808-737-8885.