DESCRIPTION
Celebrate North America’s native crops with this flavor-packed breakfast or side dish.
INGREDIENTS
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- 4 large sweet potatoes
- 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 375o
- Wash sweet potatoes thoroughly. Pierce holes all over in the sweet potatoes with a fork and wrap each one with foil. Place on a baking sheet and bake for about 40-45 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are soft and tender. Once the sweet potatoes are done, let them set for about 10 minutes to cool.
- Slice sweet potatoes in half length wise and use a fork to fluff up the potatoes.
- Top each sweet potato with blueberries, chopped pecans, and cinnamon. Drizzle with honey, if desired, and enjoy!
DESCRIPTION
A bed of crisp green beans showcases the striking flavors of olives, sun-dried tomatoes and walnuts in this attention-grabbing dish.
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 cup California walnuts, coarsely chopped
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, or oil from sun-dried tomatoes
- 3/4 pound green beans, fresh, ends trimmed
- 1/4 cup mixed olives, pitted, coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, smoked or plain
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place walnuts in a large skillet set over medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring frequently. Remove from skillet and set aside.
- Heat oil in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add green beans and cook for 5 minutes or until crisp-tender, stirring frequently.
- Add olives, tomatoes, lemon juice and salt; cook for a minute or two more until all ingredients are hot.
- Sprinkle with walnuts and serve.
Recipe courtesy of Nuts for Life (www.nutsforlife.com.au)
Ingredients
- 7 ounces raw Brazil nuts, chopped
- 1 clove crushed garlic
- 12 ounces low fat ricotta
- 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon rind
- ¼ cup chopped flat leaf parsley
- 2 tablespoons grated parmesan
- cracked black pepper to taste
- 4 large field mushrooms
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Place the Brazil nuts, garlic, ricotta, lemon rind, parsley, parmesan and pepper in a large bowl and mix together until fully combined.
- Clean the mushrooms and remove the stems.
- Divide the ricotta mixture between the mushrooms, piling in the center cavity of each.
- Transfer the mushrooms to an oven tray lined with foil. Bake for 15 minutes or until mushrooms have softened and ricotta mixture is golden on top.
Recipe courtesy of Nuts for Life (www.nutsforlife.com.au)
Ingredients
- 4¼ ounces roasted cashews
- 2 pounds butternut pumpkin, diced
- 1 large carrot, diced
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 medium-sized onion, diced
- 1 cup stock of your choice (vegetarian/chicken)
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- Salt to taste
- Pepitas, for garnish (optional)
- 1 stalk coriander leaves, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add garlic and onion to the pot and sauté until soft, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add all the ingredients, except cashews and garnishes, to the pot.
- Let simmer over low-medium heat for 15-20 minutes. Add salt to taste and stir occasionally.
- Check if pumpkin and carrots are cooked through, using a fork. Remove from heat once the fork can pierce through the pumpkin easily. Set aside to cool.
- Blend cashews in a blender until a smooth paste is formed.
- Add soup to the blender and puree until smooth.
- Depending on the size of your blender, you might need to puree the soup in batches. Do not fill the blender more than halfway and always remember to vent the blender so that heat and pressure can escape.
- Return the soup to the pot and stir over low heat for another 10 minutes. If the soup is too thick, add some water to achieve your desired consistency.
- Serve hot.
Recipe courtesy of Nuts for Life (www.nutsforlife.com.au)
Ingredients
- 2 large zucchini, grated
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- ¼ cup reduced fat feta cheese
- 2 green onions, finely chopped
- ½ cup whole wheat flour
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 1 medium egg, lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon chopped flat leaf parsley
- 2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce, to serve
- 1 lemon cut into 4 wedges, to serve
Instructions
- Place the zucchini in a bowl with the rest of the ingredients and stir to fully combine. Set aside for 10 minutes.
- Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat and spray with olive oil spray.
- Place tablespoonfuls of mixture in the pan and cook for 2 minutes each side until golden and cooked through. Remove from the pan and keep warm as you repeat with remaining mixture.
- Serve with 2 teaspoons of sweet chilli sauce and a wedge of lemon for each serve.
Description
An easy and healthy side dish with lots of variations.
Ingredients
- 2 medium fennel bulbs, white parts only
- 1 cup quartered mushrooms
- 2 small zucchini, cut into ½ inch slices
- ½ cup sliced basil, separated
- 1 lemon, sliced
- 6 Roma tomatoes, quartered lengthways (or a small tub cherry tomatoes, halved)
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Crumble
- 1 cup roughly chopped nuts of choice – almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios and/or walnuts
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly oil or line an ovenproof dish.
- Combine nuts. Halve the basil and parmesan cheese and set aside.
- Slice fennel in half lengthwise, remove the core, and slice into 6-8 wedges.
- Place in a large sieve with the mushrooms, zucchini and the remaining basil.
- Drizzle olive oil over vegetables and rub all over so they are fully coated. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Add tomatoes and lemon.
- Place in ovenproof dish and bake for 25 minutes, then scatter crumble over top.
- Bake for 10 minutes further or until vegetables are tender and crumble is golden.
Alternative roasted vegetable and nut pairing suggestions:
- Eggplant – walnuts and macadamias
- Winter squash – pecans and pine nuts
- Brussels sprouts – cashews and hazelnuts
- Peppers and potato – almonds and pistachios
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
By Jenny Shea Rawn, MS, MPH, RD, recipe developer and healthy food blogger at My Cape Cod Kitchen
Ingredients
- 6 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed
- 1 cup California walnuts, chopped
- 1 cup dried sweetened cranberries
- 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) salted butter, softened
- 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉ and line a baking sheet with foil.
- Pierce sweet potatoes a few times with a fork and place onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, until sweet potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork or sharp knife. Let sweet potatoes cool slightly then slice open lengthwise and spread open slightly. Mash pulp of each sweet potato with a fork.
- Combine chopped walnuts, cranberries, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt into a medium bowl; mix well.
- Mound each sweet potato with 1/3 cup cranberry walnut mixture. Place sweet potatoes back in oven and bake an additional 15 minutes, until topping is warm and fragrant. Remove sweet potatoes from oven.
- Drizzle sweet potatoes with maple syrup and serve warm.
Description
These tender, lightly sauteed green beans will look gorgeous on any Thanksgiving table, but are also simple enough to make quickly for a casual dinner. Hazelnuts add their famous crunch and flavor in a surprisingly delicious pairing.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds of fresh, slender green beans, trimmed
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme, divided
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup coarsely chopped darkly roasted and skinned Oregon hazelnuts
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the beans and cook just until the beans are becoming tender, about 4-5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and immediately plunge the beans into ice water to stop the cooking and set the color.
- Drain well and set aside for up to several hours in the refrigerator.
- When ready to serve, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat.
- Add 1 tablespoon of the thyme and gently sauté for 1 minute.
- Add the mustard and salt and stir to blend it into the butter.
- Add the beans to the skillet and sauté until the beans are just barely tender, which will take about 7 minutes.
- Toss with most of the hazelnuts and then transfer the beans to a serving bowl.
- Sprinkle with the remaining hazelnuts and the remaining 1 tablespoon of thyme.
Description
This is the perfect picnic food, salad can be served warm or room temperature. The mix of the salty potatoes and the sweet melon is just perfect. Tastes amazing with some salty cured meat.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup shelled pistachio
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley
- 1/2 fresh basil
- 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- Pinch of salt and pepper
- 20 small potatoes, cut in half
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/3 honeydew melon, in chunks
- 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon grated parmesan
Instructions
- Start with the vinaigrette. Place the pistachios in a blender and grind fine.
- Add herbs, vinegar and oil and blend until smooth. If the vinaigrette is too thick just add a little more oil.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Bake the potatoes tossed in oil, salt and pepper in the oven at 380F for about 20 minutes or 15 minutes in a air fryer. Let them cool off a little.
- In a serving bowl mix potatoes, melon, red onion and the vinaigrette, mix well and serve.
