Description
Enjoy this salad with crackers or in a tortilla wrap too.
Ingredients
Dressing
- 2 tablespoons plain yogurt
- 2 tablespoons sour cream, light if preferred
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
Salad
- 1 cup julienne or diced apple (tart apples are best such as Granny Smith, Fuji or Honeycrisp)
- 1 cup sliced celery
- ½ cup red grapes, halved
- ½ cup roasted walnuts and pecans (or nuts of choice)
- 2 endives, sliced lengthwise
- 1 small radicchio, shaved
Instructions
- Whisk together the yogurt, sour cream, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season to taste.
- Place apple, celery, grapes and nuts in a large bowl. Add dressing and mix well.
- Combine lettuces and arrange in a bowl, top with apple mixture, and serve straight away with some crusty bread.
Variations
Bring a seasonal touch to this recipe:
- Pears and pine nuts
- Papaya and cashews
- Strawberries and pistachios
- Figs and hazelnuts
- Cantaloupe and almonds
Description
This breakfast has lots of variations. The grains you use are totally up to your taste preference, and the more you use, the greater the nutrient content, flavor and texture. You can cook a week’s worth ahead of time, and store sealed in the refrigerator, so all you have to do is add the accompaniments. If you want gluten free, go for quinoa, millet, whole oats or even grits for a Southern twist! Other great grains are farro, barley, and rye. All have different cooking times, so be sure to read the package before cooking.
Ingredients
Sweet Version
- 1 cup cooked grains of choice
- ¼ cup apple or orange juice
- ½ cup plain yogurt
- 1 cup fruit of choice, such as berries, peaches, apple or pear
- ½ cup chopped mixed tree nuts (almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios and/or walnuts)
Instructions
- Toss the grains with the juice in a bowl. Spoon over yogurt and berries and scatter with nuts. If making a savory version, omit juice and spoon toppings over cooked grains.
Savory Version
- 1 cup cooked grains of choice
- Topping suggestions: Sautéed spinach, mushrooms, roasted tomatoes, avocado, bacon, poached egg and/or fresh herbs
- Toasted nuts
Description
Tree nuts add a crunchy twist to this Avocado Toast.
Ingredients
Spicy Nuts
- ¼ cup mixed nuts, roughly chopped (almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, macadamias and/or walnuts)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons spicy seasoning of preference. such as cajun, Sriracha or tabasco
Avocado Toast
- 2 thick slices grain or sourdough bread
- 2 tablespoons Ricotta cheese
- 1 avocado
- Juice of ½ lemon
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- ½ cup arugula
- 2 poached eggs, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Toss nuts with butter then add chili seasoning to taste. Lay on a baking tray and roast for 6-8 minutes or until aromatic and starting to brown. Allow to cool.
- Toast bread and spread with ricotta cheese. Lay slices of avocado over cheese, then sprinkle with lemon and season. Place a small mound of arugula on top, then scatter spicy nuts over top.
- If desired add a poached egg.
Description
What a delicious way to start your morning, with a mix of blueberries and your favorite nuts.
Ingredients
- 4 cups self-rising flour (for plain flour, add 2 teaspoons baking powder per cup of flour)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 ounces butter, chilled
- ½ cup coarsely chopped hazelnuts, pecans and pistachios (or nuts of choice)
- ½ cup blueberries (or seasonal fruit)
- 1¾ cup milk or buttermilk*
- 2 teaspoon milk, plus extra
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or brush with melted butter.
- Sift flour and salt into a large bowl. Stir in sugar.
- Dice butter into small pieces and add to flour. Rub butter lightly with fingertips through the flour until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. (You can also use a food processor, pulsing until texture is reached.)
- Add nuts and blueberries and fold through, careful not to break up blueberries.
- Make a well in the center and pour in milk. Stir quickly and lightly with a knife until mixture forms a dough, then turn onto a floured board. Knead gently to a smooth dough.
- Press dough out to 1-inch thickness then cut into desired size (in triangles or circles) and transfer to prepared trays. Brush with extra milk and transfer to center of oven.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown on top. Allow to cool slightly on wire racks.
- Serve warm, spread with jam and a spoon of yogurt (or, if feeling luxurious, double cream).
*Buttermilk adds an airy lightness and slight tang to the finished bread.
Variations
- Pumpkin puree with the classic spices added to the milk (use less milk), and pecans is a true American breakfast.
- Peaches and sliced almonds
- Add unsweetened cocoa to flour and roast hazelnuts
- Pears and walnuts
- Dried currants and cranberries with pistachios
- Mango and macadamias
- Go savory with fresh basil and pine nuts
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 cake is filled with diced apples, honey, and California walnuts for that extra crunch. It’s topped with a sweet glaze that just takes this easy to make cake over the top.
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all purpose flour, divided
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 cup honey
- ½ cup apple sauce
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 3 eggs
- 1 medium apple, peeled, cored and diced small
- 1 cup roughly chopped California walnuts
Glaze
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- 1 tablespoon water (or milk)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ¼ cup chopped California walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F and heavily coat a 10-cup Bundt pan with baking spray.
- Stir together 2 cups flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl; whisk lightly to combine.
- Place honey, applesauce, oil and orange juice in a mixer bowl and beat with the whisk attachment to combine. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Slowly add flour mixture and beat for 2 minutes to make a smooth batter.
- Toss the chopped apple and walnuts with the remaining tablespoon of flour and pour into batter. Spread batter in prepared pan and bake for 55 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool the cake for 10 minutes, then invert onto a parchment coated wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare glaze just before serving. Whisk together sugar, water or milk and honey in a medium bowl. Stir in chopped nuts and drizzle over cake.
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.
