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Pine Nut and Zucchini Fritters

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

  1. Place the zucchini in a bowl with the rest of the ingredients and stir to fully combine. Set aside for 10 minutes.
  2. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat and spray with olive oil spray.
  3. 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.
  4. Serve with 2 teaspoons of sweet chilli sauce and a wedge of lemon for each serve.

Oven-Roasted Veggies with Mixed Nut Crumble

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

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.  Lightly oil or line an ovenproof dish.
  2. Combine nuts. Halve the basil and parmesan cheese and set aside.
  3. Slice fennel in half lengthwise, remove the core, and slice into 6-8 wedges.
  4. Place in a large sieve with the mushrooms, zucchini and the remaining basil.
  5. Drizzle olive oil over vegetables and rub all over so they are fully coated. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  6. Add tomatoes and lemon.
  7. Place in ovenproof dish and bake for 25 minutes, then scatter crumble over top.
  8. 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

Nut Butter

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

  1. 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.
  2. 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. 
  3. 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.

Walnut and Cranberry Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

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

  1. Preheat oven to 350℉ and line a baking sheet with foil.
  2. 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.
  3. Combine chopped walnuts, cranberries, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt into a medium bowl; mix well.
  4. 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.
  5. Drizzle sweet potatoes with maple syrup and serve warm.