For Apple Chutney:

½ cup Oil

1 cup onion, diced

3 medium Granny Smith Apples (about 4 cups), sliced

1 Tbl Jalapeno, minced

2 Tbl cilantro, chopped

¼ cup sugar

2 cup Orange Juice

1 cup Raisins

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Cumin, ground

2 tsp Curry Powder

½ tsp Ginger, ground

½ tsp Coriander, ground

1/8 tsp cinnamon, ground

¼ cup vinegar

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent. Add apples, jalapeno, and cilantro and saute 1-2 minutes longer. Add orange juice. Bring mixture to boil, then reduce heat to medium low.

Add remaining ingredients.  drop heat to low and stir frequently for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until mixture thickens.

To Assemble Grilled Cheese:

Heat a large cast iron skillet on medium heat.

Generously butter an even number of slices of bread. Place the slices butter down on a parchment lined baking pan. Top ½ of the slices of bread with a generous portion of chutney, some thinly sliced green apples, one slice of Monterey Jack cheese, and one slice or a generous sprinkle of shredded cheddar cheese. Place a piece of buttered bread, butter side up (facing you) on top of each of the assembled pieces of bread.

Grill the sandwiches in the preheated cast iron skillet. 1 or 2 at a time until lightly browned, flipping as necessary, on both sides until cheese has melted.

Each week in Metro Pulse, contributor Benjamin Pounds explores often overlooked trails located outside of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Quite a few are around an hour’s drive from Knoxville making sure you spend more time on foot exploring abandoned farmlands or admiring mountain views than being trapped in the gridlock that sometimes overwhelms a trip to the Smokies.

Whether headed west to the Black Mountain section of the Cumberland Trail or north on I-75 to Cove Lake State Park in Cumberland County, it’s important to bring food that travels well and doesn’t add too much weight to your pack.

While out on the trail, Mahasti’s Appalachian Trail Mix Cookies are the added sweetness (white chocolate chips!) and crunchiness (Flour Head Bakery Honey Almond Granola!) your hike needs.

Take these cookies on your next outdoor adventure and share photos of your gang on Instagram with us. We’d love to see the satisfied faces after a few hours in the woods.

FHB Honey Almond Granola is available at both Tomato Head locations as well as Butler and Bailey Market, Kroger Bearden, and Three Rivers Market.

1 stick unsalted butter

½ cup granulated sugar

½ cup light brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 ¼ cup all purpose flour

1 tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

2  cups Flour Head Bakery Honey Almond Granola *

1 cup dried cranberries

½ cup white chocolate chips

In a large mixing bowl, or in the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and the sugars. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth.

In another bowl mix together the flour with cinnamon, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed butter and mix well until everything is well combined.

Add the granola, dried cranberries and the white chocolate chips. Mix the batter until the ingredients are mixed in well.

Drop the dough by the tablespoonful onto a parchment lined baking sheet, leaving 1-½ inches between each ball.

Bake the cookies in a 350 degree oven for 12 – 14 minutes or until they are golden brown around the edges. Remove from the oven, and allow the cookies to cool.

Mahasti’s most recent appearance on WBIR had her using a seasonal vegetable widely available at most Knoxville area farmers’ markets – turnips. For this recipe, Mahasti bought her turnips from Mountain Meadows Farm in Norris, TN. (Be sure to stop by their booth at the Market Square Farmers’ Market before it closes for the season on November 23.)

The popular root vegetable is a good source of calcium, vitamin C and potassium while being very low in saturated fat and cholesterol. By keeping the greens, you’ll retain the nutrition found in them such as vitamin A, vitamin K and beta carotene.

While popular in many fall soups and crock pots, Mahasti decided to create an enjoyable side dish that might accompany a grilled cheese sandwich and a cup of soup on a cold day. The next time your family needs an excellent side dish, think TURNIPS!

4 cups turnip root, diced

4-6 cups turnip greens and stems, cut into ½ inch strips

¾ cup onion, diced

¼ cup oil

¼ cup honey

4 Tbl cider vinegar

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp black pepper

Turnips usually come in a bunch of 3 or 4 turnips with greens attached – one bunch should yield the above measurements.

Cut turnip greens from bulbs, keeping the stems. Cut the greens from the stems. Wash the stems, and roots under running cold water. Wash the greens by submerging them in a large bowl of water, removing to a colander and repeating as necessary until no sand or dirt remains in your bowl after lifting the greens out.

Heat the oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add onions and sauté for 2 minutes. Add diced turnip root and stems. Stir the vegetables, then pat them into a single layer and cover the skillet with a large lid. Turn the heat down to medium low and leave the turnips undisturbed and covered for 5 minutes. Remove the lid, stir and repeat the process above leaving the turnips covered for another 5 minutes.

Remove lid, add honey, vinegar, salt and black pepper. Increase heat to high – stirring only once or twice. Cook turnips for another 5 minutes. Add the greens, stirring to wilt the greens then leave turnips undisturbed until all of the moisture has evaporated and been absorbed into the vegetables.

Serve hot or at room temperature as a side dish.

Flour Head Bakery’s pumpkin cranberry muffin is sure to add a little warmth to our lives on these gray, gloomy and wet winter afternoons. The sweetness of the cinnamon, brown sugar and molasses is balanced by the tartness of the dried cranberries. Try out this recipe the next time your home made brunch needs a little treat at the end. Yum Yum Yum!

1 cup pumpkin puree

2 eggs

½ cup packed light brown sugar

3 Tbl vegetable oil

1 Tbl molasses

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp ground cloves

¼ tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ cup milk

1 cup dried cranberries

¾ cup all purpose flour

¾ cup white wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

In a large bowl whisk together the pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, oil, molasses, salt, spices, and milk.    In another bowl whisk together the flours, baking powder and baking soda.  Stir in the dried cranberries.  Add all at once the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix gently until all the ingredients are well combined. (do not over mix)  Let the batter sit, covered at room temperature for 30 minutes or overnight in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Scoop the batter into greased or paper lined muffin cups.  Bake the muffins for 20 – 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean.

Remove the muffins from the tin and allow them to cool.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes about 12 muffins.