Description
A nutty alternative to the typical burger!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot, chopped
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 8 ounces mixed mushrooms such as shiitake, cremini, portobello (shiitake will add the depth of umami), diced
- 1 teaspoon chopped sage leaves
- ½ cup grated carrot or butternut squash
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- ½ cup finely chopped nuts of choice
- 2 cups cooked rice (brown, black forbidden or short grain)
- Juice and zest of ½ lemon
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- ½ cup mixed nuts, processed to a fine powder (or buy nut meal, such as almond or hazelnut)
- Ciabatta buns, Dijon mustard, arugula and plain Greek yogurt, to serve.
Tomato Salsa
- 2 ripe Roma tomatoes, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts, diced macadamias and/or walnuts
Instructions
- Combine salsa ingredients and set aside.
- Heat half the olive oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the shallot, mustard and cumin seeds and sauté until aromatic, about 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and sage, and sauté until soft and browned, 4-5 minutes, adding more oil if needed. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly, squeezing off any excess moisture.
- Place the sautéed shallot, mushrooms, nuts, rice and ½ of the panko in a food processor. Pulse until just combined, but still coarse. Add carrot, parsley, lemon juice and zest, and pulse just to mix in. Season to taste.
- Transfer to a large bowl and fold in ¼ cup panko. Test to see if mixture holds together to form burgers. If too wet, add more panko.
- Combine remaining panko with nut meal. Shape mixture into 4 burgers and roll in crumbs. Place them on a large plate, cover and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Heat a nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Coat the bottom of the skillet with remaining oil and cook the burgers for 4-5 minutes each side or until golden brown and crisp.
- While burgers are cooking, grill or toast cut sides of brioche, spread with Dijon and place lettuce on base. Top with a burger and a dollop of yogurt. Spoon a mound of tomato salsa on top, add the top bun and serve right away.
A pizza is a blank canvas, and an unexpected combination of toppings elevates this humble homemade pie to a work of art.
Ingredients
Pistachio Pesto
- ½ cup pistachios
- 1 tablespoon shredded parmesan cheese
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
- Juice and zest of ½ lemon
Pizza
- 1 ball pizza dough, store bought or homemade (Many pizza restaurants will also sell you a ball of pizza dough.)
- 1 zucchini, finely sliced (or finely sliced Brussels sprouts)
- 3-4 leaves basil, sliced
- ½ cup fresh ricotta
- 2 tablespoons dried currants
- 2 tablespoons roasted pine nuts, diced walnuts and pistachios
- 1 handful arugula
- Freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 475-500°F.
- To make the pesto, place the nuts, parmesan and olive oil in a blender and pulse on and off to a coarse paste. Add half the lemon juice and zest and pulse for a few seconds. Season to taste with salt.
- Stretch the dough to desired size for your pizza pan or stone. Spread with pistachio pesto and arrange zucchini slices over top. Bake for 5 minutes or until dough is starting to color.
- Remove from oven. Mix ricotta with remaining lemon zest and spoon small dollops over pizza, top with basil, and return to the oven. Bake 8-10 minutes or until crust is golden (check the bottom).
- While still piping hot, scatter with currants, pine nuts, walnuts and a handful of arugula. Drizzle remaining lemon juice and a little olive oil and fresh pepper on top and/or optional Pizza Sauce Topping.
Optional Pizza Sauce Topping:
- 1 Thai chili
- 1 teaspoon water
- 4 tablespoons honey
Directions: Mix ingredients and heat to just a simmer (do not boil). Drizzle on top of pizza and enjoy.
Description
You won’t go back to store bought nut butter after making your own. It’s easy to do, tastes so much fresher, you can use any nut or even a blend, and, most importantly, you know exactly what’s going in it. All you need is a food processor or high-speed blender. Each nut behaves differently because of texture and oil content, and different processors will take different times, so it’s really a matter of experimentation.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of tree nuts (choose your favorite)
Instructions
- Roast 1 cup of nuts. You can use raw nuts, but the flavors and ability to make butter are greatly enhanced after roasting in a 350°F oven for 8-12 minutes. The denser nuts – almonds, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts and macadamias – take a bit longer than walnuts, pecans and pistachios. Check after 8 minutes; they should be just browning and aromatic. Allow to cool to room temperature. Hazelnuts can be bitter if you keep on the skin, so place the nuts in a dish towel and rub off most of the skin before processing.
- Add nuts to food processor and pulse on and off, first to crumbs, then continue to process until a paste starts to form. Scrape down sides, then continue to process until desired consistency. This may take 10-12 minutes, sometimes up to 20 minutes in less powerful processors. If it’s not looking like a paste is forming, add a few drops of a nut or olive oil to help the process.
- Flavor (or not). You may just like to eat your nut butter pure and natural, or make your own designer butter adding ingredients such as honey, maple syrup, soy, chili, nutmeg, chocolate (think Nutella) truffle oil, or stir in jam or jelly to make a swirl.
Tips
Storage – It’s best to store the nut butter in a sealed jar in the refrigerator where it will keep for up to a month.
Variations
- Almond butter: Spread on warm bruschetta and top with sautéed mushrooms (wonderful with chanterelles if they’re in season) and sage. Finish with a squeeze of lemon and pepper.
- Walnut butter: Spread crackers with walnut butter, then top with brie cheese and a fruit paste such as quince or fig. Then all you need is wine!
- Hazelnut butter: Add to a toasted tomato and cheese sandwich with some fresh basil leaves or arugula and a drizzle of good olive oil to complete the experience.
- Pecan butter: The sweet, rich and toasty notes of pecan butter need little to make it great. Simply spread on grain toast with honey and a sliced banana for a delicious meal.
- Pistachio butter: Spread on pizza crust before topping with vegetables, mortadella and mozzarella.
- Cashew butter: Perfect for Asian-inspired dishes. Whisk cashew butter with soy sauce and lime juice and toss through noodles just before serving.
- Brazil nut butter: Avocado toast spread with Brazil nut butter adds a unique depth and is especially great with a garnish of cherry tomatoes, mint and ricotta.
- Macadamia Butter: Just like real butter, macadamia butter makes the base to a wonderful healthier shortbread, or spread it on hot scones with jam for a decadent treat.
Description
This vegetarian walnut-based mixture has a classic “meatloaf” flavor. Serve with creamy mashed potatoes.
Ingredients
- 1 cup ketchup, divided
- 2 cups California Walnuts
- 1 cup cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Optional additions: 2/3 cup each: diced red onion, coarsely shredded zucchini and snipped fresh basil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F and set aside 1/2 cup ketchup.
- Place all remaining ingredients except optional additions in a food processor. Pulse to mix well, scraping down the sides as necessary.
- Mix in any desired optional additions.
- Shape into 6 round individual meatloaves and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Drizzle with reserved ketchup. Bake for 35 minutes until firm.
- Recipe tip: Substitute ketchup with a thick sauce and serve over soft polenta for a more Italian flavor.
