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
Whether topped with sweet and salty ingredients or marbled with sweet dark and white chocolate, Chocolate Walnut Bark is a delightful treat any time of year.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups California walnuts
- 1/2 cup Pomegranate arils (seeds), fresh
- 1/2 teaspoon course or flaked sea salt
- 1 (12-ounce) bag dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips or 12-ounce chocolate bar, broken loosely into pieces
- 1 (12-ounce) bag white chocolate chips or 12-ounce white chocolate bar, broken loosely into pieces
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided
Instructions
- Coarsely break or rough chop walnuts and place in a small bowl, leaving aside any skins that have broken off.
- Set pomegranate arils out beside the walnuts.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Melt chocolate. Microwave technique: Place about 2/3 of the dark or milk chocolate chips in a medium glass bowl with 1 teaspoon vegetable oil. Microwave on 50% power for 30 seconds and stir. Repeat until the chips are mostly melted. Add the remaining chips into the bowl and stir vigorously. You will have a thick, melted bowl of chocolate. Repeat the melting steps with the white chocolate and remaining vegetable oil. Stovetop technique: Using a double boiler on medium heat with 1-2 inches of water to the bottom pan, careful to make sure that the water does not touch the bottom of the upper pan (or other heat-safe mixing bowl). Add the chocolate and stir frequently as you see the chocolate begin to melt. Once melted, remove from heat and add the remaining chocolate chips into the bowl and stir vigorously. Repeat for the white chocolate and remaining vegetable oil.
- Using a spatula, spoon out the melted chocolate onto the parchment paper to make a 1/4-inch layer. You can create an optional marbled look by reserving and dropping spoonfuls of the dark chocolate onto the white layer and white chocolate onto the dark layer and using a knife to create an unstructured pattern.
- Sprinkle with walnuts and pomegranate arils and lightly press them into the surface of the chocolate. Sprinkle a few flakes of sea salt across the bark.
- Refrigerate on the baking sheet until firm, then remove from the refrigerator and carefully break it into pieces.
- Store in the refrigerator on layers of parchment paper in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Tips
- Make sure to melt the chocolate slowly at a lower power, stirring frequently. Melting too fast can cause the chocolate to become discolored.
- Melting about 2/3 of the chocolate and then adding the rest to the hot, melted chocolate will yield the best bark texture. Stirring the chocolate well as it starts to cool will also help give the bark the best texture.
- If you are marbling the chocolate, don’t overmix. Swirl back and forth in a zigzag or in circles until you get your desired look.
- Don’t spread too thin or the toppings won’t hold.
- Store in the refrigerator until close to serving, especially in warmer climates or in a warm house, or the bark may become soft.
Variations
1 cup coarsely chopped pretzels
3/4 cup coarsely crushed candy canes
3/4 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup coconut chips or large flakes unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup toffee bits
1/2 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
1/2 cup mini marshmallows and 1/2 cup coarsely crumbled graham cracker crust
A light sprinkle of flaked smoked sea salt
Description
As seen on the Hallmark Home & Family Channel. Featuring nutrient-rich cranberries, walnuts and orange juice, this tart-sweet combination is perfect for your holiday breakfast or brunch. Make ahead the night before and pop in the oven in the morning!
* Nutrition information is for French Toast only
Ingredients
Overnight Walnut French Toast
- 8 slices Texas Toast or 1-inch thick slices French bread
- 2 1/2 cups milk or walnut milk
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup butter, melted (plus extra for baking dish)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 6 eggs
Cranberry Walnut Ginger Compote
- 1/2 cup toasted California Walnuts, coarsely chopped
- 2 cups cranberries
- 1/2 cup orange juice (juice from 2 oranges)
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- Zest from 1 orange
Instructions
Overnight Walnut French Toast
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Place bread on a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes or until it’s lightly toasted on the outside, but still very soft on the inside. Butter a 13 X 9– inch baking dish.
- Whisk together milk, sugar, butter, extract, cinnamon and eggs in a large bowl. Dip each bread slice into mixture and let soak for about 15 seconds on each side. Place in prepared baking dish, overlapping slices slightly if necessary.
- Cover and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until it’s golden brown and somewhat firm to the touch. Serve immediately.
Cranberry Walnut Ginger Compote
- To toast walnuts: Preheat oven or toaster oven to 350°F. Place walnuts on a baking sheet and toast for 8 minutes. Remove from heat and chop coarsely.
- On medium heat, bring to a boil and stir frequently for 12-15 minutes until the cranberries pop and the liquid starts to reduce.
- Serve warm or transfer to container and refrigerate once cooled.
Description
This classic spinach salad is dressed up with Candied California walnuts, blue cheese, prosciutto and pomegranate arils.
Ingredients
Dressing
- 1/4 cup minced red onion
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Candied Walnuts
- 1 cup California walnuts
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Salad
- 10 cups baby spinach
- 8 strips prosciutto
- 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
- 1/3 cup pomegranate arils
- 2 firm but ripe pears, cored and thinly sliced
Instructions
- To prepare dressing, stir together onion, vinegar and Dijon in a small bowl. Slowly add olive oil and whisk well. Season with salt and pepper.
- To prepare Candied Walnuts, heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add walnuts and cook for 5 minutes to toast. Add sugar and cook for a few minutes more or until walnuts are nicely glazed.
- Place salad ingredients in a large bowl and sprinkle with Candied Walnuts. Toss well to coat and serve immediately.
