Archive

Archives: Recipes

Brazil Nut Fudge

Recipe courtesy of Nuts for Life (www.nutsforlife.com.au)

Ingredients

  • 14 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
  • 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 cup Brazil nuts, chopped

Instructions

  1. Place the chocolate into a microwave safe bowl and melt the chocolate in the microwave in 20-30 second increments until the chocolate is completely melted (around 90 seconds).
  2. Remove the bowl from the microwave and pour in the condensed milk and chopped Brazil nuts. Stir until combined, noting it will feel quite dense.
  3. Pour the mixture into a parchment lined brownie pan (8 x 8″) and smooth with the back of a spoon.
  4. Place it in the fridge for 2-3 hours to set or until the fudge is firm.
  5. Cut into 36 small pieces and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Tomato, Goat’s Cheese and Pine Nut Frittata

Recipe courtesy of Nuts for Life (www.nutsforlife.com.au)

Ingredients

  • 7 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons self-rising flour, sifted
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
  • 2 tablespoons chopped basil
  • 2 1/2 ounces raw pine nuts
  • 2 1/2 ounces goat’s cheese, roughly crumbled
  • Cracked black pepper, to taste
  • 3 1/2 ounces cherry tomatoes, quartered
  • 2 tablespoons chopped chives

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray six (¾ cup capacity) ramekins lightly with oil spray.
  2. Place the eggs in a bowl and whisk lightly. Add flour, herbs, pine nuts, goat’s cheese and pepper. Stir until just combined.
  3. Divide mixture between the ramekins. Place a few cherry tomato pieces in each ramekin.
  4. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden and set.
  5. Remove from oven, stand for 5 minutes then serve warm or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Blueberry Cashew Smoothie

Recipe courtesy of Nuts for Life (www.nutsforlife.com.au)

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup raw, unsalted cashews
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
  • 1 small banana
  • 1 cup almond milk, or milk of your choice (dairy, soy and nut milks all work well)

Instructions

  1. Place all ingredients in a blender. Puree until smooth.
  2. Serve immediately.

Tips: Smoothie can be prepared in advance and stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Recipe can be multiplied, as desired. Substitute blueberries with an equal quantity of another berry.

Chicken and Cashew Curry

Recipe courtesy of Nuts for Life (www.nutsforlife.com.au)

Ingredients

  • 4 teaspoons curry powder
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 5 cloves garlic
  • 1 red onion, diced
  • 2 red chilis
  • 1 tomato, diced
  • 1 stalk lemongrass (tender base only)
  • 1/4 cup coconut milk
  • 1 cup water
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • 3 ounces cashews, soaked
  • 12 ounces chicken thighs, diced

Instructions

  1. Rub 2 teaspoons curry powder and salt into the chicken and set aside.
  2. Blend garlic, onion, tomato, lemongrass and chili in a blender until a smooth paste is formed.
  3. Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan. Cook blended mixture, remaining curry powder and garam masala over low heat. Stir constantly, cook until fragrant, about 5 minutes.
  4. Add chicken and cook for about 2 minutes.
  5. Add cashews and water. Allow to simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally.
  6. Add coconut milk, stir, and allow to come to a boil. Turn off the heat as soon as it boils.
  7. Serve hot with white rice and papadums (thin Indian crackers) on the side.

Tip: You can soak cashews in warm water for 20 minutes to soften the nuts and allow for better absorption of flavors.

Cashew Pumpkin Soup

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

  1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add garlic and onion to the pot and sauté until soft, about 1-2 minutes.
  2. Add all the ingredients, except cashews and garnishes, to the pot.
  3. Let simmer over low-medium heat for 15-20 minutes. Add salt to taste and stir occasionally.
  4. 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.
  5. Blend cashews in a blender until a smooth paste is formed.
  6. Add soup to the blender and puree until smooth.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. Serve hot.

Chicken, Cashew and Almond Stir Fry

Recipe courtesy of Nuts for Life (www.nutsforlife.com.au)

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon macadamia oil
  • 3 small chicken breast fillets, thinly sliced
  • 1 medium onion, cut into wedges
  • 1 bunch broccolini, chopped into 5cm lengths
  • 1 teaspoon shredded ginger
  • 1 bunch baby bok choy, trimmed and roughly chopped
  • 2 1/2 ounces snow peas, trimmed
  • 2 1/2 ounces blanched raw almonds
  • 2 1/2 ounces raw cashews
  • 2 tablespoons salt reduced soy sauce
  • ¼ cup plum sauce
  • 4 cups cooked basmati rice

Instructions

  1. Heat half the oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook in batches until golden and cooked through. Set aside.
  2. Add remaining oil and cook onions and broccolini for 4 minutes until tender. Add the ginger, bok choy, snow peas, almonds and cashews and stir fry for 2 minutes or until bok choy is wilted.
  3. Return chicken to the wok, along with the soy and plum sauce and toss together gently. Cook for another minute then serve with rice.

Omelette with Spinach, Mushrooms and Macadamias

Recipe courtesy of Nuts for Life (www.nutsforlife.com.au)

Ingredients

  • Cooking oil spray such as canola or olive oil
  • 2 ½ ounces sliced Swiss brown mushrooms
  • 2 slices red capsicum
  • 2 ounces baby English spinach
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • Cracked black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons chopped flat leaf parsley, to serve
  • ½ teaspoon finely grated lemon rind
  • 1 ounce chopped toasted macadamias

Instructions

  1. Spray a non-stick frying pan with cooking oil spray such as olive or canola oils. Sauté mushrooms, red capsicum and spinach until golden and tender and the spinach has wilted. Remove from pan and wipe out pan.
  2. Combine whisked eggs, water and pepper and add to the pan. Cook over medium low heat until omelette is just firm, then fold over in half.
  3. Combine the parsley, lemon rind and macadamias in a separate bowl. Transfer the omelette to a plate, spoon over sauteed mushroom mixture and then top with the macadamia mix.

Macadamia and Apple Crumble

Recipe and image supplied courtesy of Australian Macadamia Society

Ingredients

  • 3 green apples, peeled, cored and chopped
  • ½ lemon, juiced
  • ½ cup plain flour
  • 3½ tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled, cut into cubes
  • ⅓ cup brown sugar, or coconut sugar
  • ½ cup macadamias, chopped

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Place 4 (1 cup) ramekin dishes on an ovenproof tray.
  3. Place the apples in a saucepan and pour over the lemon juice and ¼ cup of water.
  4. Cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally until the apples are soft, about 15 minutes.
  5. Meanwhile place the flour, butter, sugar and macadamias in a bowl and rub with your fingertips until the mixture resembles a coarse crumble.
  6. Divide the apples between the ramekins.
  7. Spoon a heap of crumble over the top and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the crumble is golden.
  8. Serve warm with ice cream, if desired.

Tip: If you don’t have ramekins, a medium-sized ovenproof dish works just as well.

Goats’ Cheese Tart with Macadamia Shortcrust Pastry

Recipe and image supplied courtesy of Australian Macadamia Society

Ingredients

Pastry

  • 2 cups plain flour
  • ½ cup cold butter, diced
  • ½ teaspoon cooking salt
  • 1 cup raw macadamias, chopped
  • 2-3 tablespoons iced water

Filling

  • 4 eggs
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1½ cups pure cream
  • ½ cup parsley leaves, finely chopped
  • 12 sage leaves, finely chopped
  • 3 sprigs thyme, finely chopped
  • 4¼ ounces soft goats’ cheese or marinated goats’ feta (drained)

Instructions

Pastry

  1. Put the flour, butter, salt and macadamias into a food processor and process until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
  2. With the machine still running, add the iced water one tablespoon at a time, until the mixture just comes together, do not overprocess.
  3. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and form into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  4. Pre-heat the oven to 350°F. Put the dough between two sheets of baking paper and roll out until 1/8 inch thick. Line a tart pan and trim.
  5. Once pressed into the pan, line the dough with a sheet of baking paper or foil and fill with uncooked rice, dried beans or baking weights.
  6. Bake for 8 minutes, then remove the paper and baking weights and return to the oven for another 12 minutes or until it begins to turn golden.

Filling

  1. While the crust is in the oven, prepare the filling by whisking together the eggs, cream and herbs, season to taste with cracked black pepper and sea salt.
  2. When the crust is ready, pour in the egg mixture.
  3. Roughly break up the goats’ cheese and scatter it evenly across the tart.
  4. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F and bake for 15-20 minutes or until just set.

Tip: Shortcrust pastry can be a little tricky to manage. An easy way of transferring the dough into the tart pan is to peel back the top layer of baking paper and invert the rolled dough over the pan, peeling the remaining paper off once the dough is in the pan.

Spiced and Smoked Macadamias

Recipe and image supplied courtesy of Australian Macadamia Society

Description

These macadamias – with their smoky, spicy kick – certainly pack a punch! Perfect for beer and BBQ o’clock, you can tailor this recipe to your own taste by creating your own herb and spice combinations.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups macadamias, whole
  • 1 teaspoon Korean chili powder, or any chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons maple syrup
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 4 teaspoons vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon rosemary, finely chopped
  • 1½ cups broken macadamia shells

Instructions

  1. Divide the macadamias evenly into 2 separate mixing bowls.
  2. To one, add the chili powder, maple syrup, ¼ teaspoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of oil. Stir thoroughly to coat the macadamias.
  3. To the second bowl of macadamias, stir in the rosemary, remaining salt and oil.
  4. Place all the macadamias, keeping the flavors separate, on a tray that can go on the BBQ – cast iron is ideal.
  5. Preheat BBQ to 475°F. Place a baking rack over the BBQ grill so that the tray will not come in direct contact with the grill (this will prevent the macadamias from burning).
  6. Place the macadamia shells into a smoker box and close it. Place the smoker box into the BBQ and close the lid of the BBQ.
  7. Allow the macadamia shells to start smoking, about 15 minutes. Place the tray of macadamias into the BBQ and close the lid.
  8. Turn the BBQ down to about 300°F and let the macadamias cook slowly, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes.
  9. Turn the BBQ off and allow the macadamias to cool in the BBQ with the lid down for 20 minutes to increase the smoky flavor.

Tips: Serve slightly warm or cool completely and store in an airtight container. This recipe makes 2 cups (approximately 9 servings).