This cake is nuts—literally!
Ingredients
- 2 oranges, washed
- 1½ cups sugar
- 6 eggs
- 2½ cups almond or hazelnut meal
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Topping
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 ounces water
- 2 cardamom seeds, optional
- Zest of 2 oranges
- 2 oranges, peeled and finely sliced (reserve juices)
- 2 ounces pistachios
- 2 ounces pecans (can substitute pine nuts or macadamias)
- ½ cup, plus 2 tablespoons Crème Fraiche, to serve
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil, add oranges and simmer for 2 hours. Remove oranges, allow to cool. Cut oranges into chunks, removing seeds, and place in a blender. Puree, including skin, until smooth. This can be done a day ahead of time if desired.
- Preheat oven to 320°F. Grease a springform 8–9-inch cake tin and line base with baking paper.
- Beat eggs and sugar until pale golden and creamy. Fold ¼ of the egg and sugar mixture into the orange purée. With a spatula, fold in combined almond meal and baking powder gently (do not deflate) to combine. Next, add half of the remaining egg mixture until mostly combined and then fold in the remaining.
- Spoon into prepared tin and bake in center of oven for 1¼ hours or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow to cool in pan on a wire rack, then run a knife around the edge before turning out of pan. Cool completely and store in a sealed container for up to a week.
- To make topping, place sugar and water in a small saucepan and stir to dissolve sugar. Allow to come to a simmer, then add cardamom seeds and cook until syrup is golden. Add oranges with any juice and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Bake nuts in a 350°F oven for 6-7 minutes until golden. Place oranges in a bowl with any syrup and gently stir in the nuts.
- To serve, place a slice of cake on plates, top with caramelized orange nut mixture, orange zest and a spoon of Crème Fraiche.
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
- 14 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup Brazil nuts, chopped
Instructions
- 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).
- 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.
- Pour the mixture into a parchment lined brownie pan (8 x 8″) and smooth with the back of a spoon.
- Place it in the fridge for 2-3 hours to set or until the fudge is firm.
- Cut into 36 small pieces and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
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
- 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.
- 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.
- Return chicken to the wok, along with the soy and plum sauce and toss together gently. Cook for another minute then serve with rice.
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
- Put the flour, butter, salt and macadamias into a food processor and process until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- With the machine still running, add the iced water one tablespoon at a time, until the mixture just comes together, do not overprocess.
- Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and form into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
- When the crust is ready, pour in the egg mixture.
- Roughly break up the goats’ cheese and scatter it evenly across the tart.
- 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.
Recipe courtesy of Nuts for Life (www.nutsforlife.com.au)
Ingredients
- 2 cups of mixed nuts – (e.g., walnuts, pecans, almonds, cashews, hazelnuts and macadamias)
- 7 ounces of chocolate
- 2 tablespoons of nut butter (e.g., almond butter)
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Roughly crush nuts – this can be done by placing them in a high-speed blender or food processor and quickly pulsing (be careful not to make them into a nut butter). Alternatively, place them into a snap lock bag and roll with a rolling pin, or roughly chop with a knife.
- Line a baking tray with oiled parchment paper.
- Spread the crushed nuts evenly over the parchment paper and then set aside.
- Melt your chocolate – this can either be done in a microwave, stirring a few times, or on a stove top using the double boiler method.
- Once melted, quickly pour hot chocolate evenly over nuts to completely cover. Drizzle with nut butter.
- Place in the freezer for a few hours or overnight.
- Remove from freezer, lift out brittle and break into pieces.
Tip: Store in an airtight container for up to 1 month or freeze for up to 3 months.
Description
One look at the grocery store “snack aisle” will tell you that super-spicy snacks and chips are wildly popular. This recipe offers a nutritious, but just as tasty, alternative.
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons White Cheddar popcorn seasoning*
- 2 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons canola oil or vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons red chili pepper hot sauce
- 1 tablespoon water
- 4 cups California walnuts, in halves and large pieces
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Get out a large, shallow baking pan. For easier cleanup, line the pan with parchment paper if you wish, though this is not essential.
- In a small bowl combine the White Cheddar popcorn seasoning, cayenne pepper, paprika, onion powder and garlic powder. Whisk together until thoroughly and evenly blended. Set aside.
- In a large bowl combine the oil, red chili pepper hot sauce and water and whisk together until smooth. Add the walnuts and toss until they are glistening and covered with the oil mixture. Continue tossing and stirring as you sprinkle on the cheese mixture and the nuts become coated with the seasonings.
- Spread the seasoned walnuts on the baking pan. Bake for 6 minutes, and then stir the nuts with a spatula. Bake 6 to 8 minutes longer, until the nuts have browned lightly. Cool completely, then store in an airtight container.
Tip: *White Cheddar popcorn seasoning can be found in the “popcorn” section of most supermarkets. Some people can be sensitive to the heat of hot peppers and their various forms, including red chili pepper hot sauce and cayenne. Use tongs or a big spoon to toss the walnuts with the seasonings, not your bare hands, and work in a well-ventilated kitchen, particularly if you experience any discomfort in the region of your eyes or nose while blending the spicy mixture.
Description
Walnuts really make the difference with this simple homemade chocolate brownie recipe. Rich and delicious!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup butter
- 3/4 cup chocolate chips
- 2/3 cup cocoa powder, unsweetened
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 eggs
- 3/4 cup California walnuts, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Butter a 9″x9″ square baking pan.
- In a double boiler over low heat, melt butter and chocolate chips together and remove from heat.
- In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients.
- When the chocolate/butter mixture has cooled a little whisk in the eggs and vanilla.
- Note: it is important to cool the chocolate/butter mixture or the eggs will cook.
- Add the dry ingredients and whisk to combine.
- Stir in the chopped walnuts.
- Pour batter into prepared baking pan.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a knife inserted into center comes out clean.
Description
This is your chance to create your own nut delight, whether sweet, salty, bitter, sour or umami. These nuts can be used just to nibble on their own, or as added flavor in a dish. For example, pepper dusted cashews over a salad in place of pepper, honey cinnamon macadamias over cereal rather than sugar, or soy almonds in stir fry. There are many methods for flavoring nuts – here are a few ideas.
Roasted Nuts
There are a few different ways to add seasoning to nuts in the oven:
- Toss 1 cup of nuts in a teaspoon of oil, then dust with spices of choice – chili, cumin, turmeric, cardamom, nutmeg, allspice, Chinese five spice, mustard powder or any other powdered herb. Lay on a lined baking tray and roast for 15-20 minutes at 350°F until golden brown.
- Place nuts in a casserole dish, drizzle with olive (or preferred nut oil) and scatter fresh sprigs of herbs over top, such as rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage or bay leaves. Even a few thin slices of lemon or orange zest work well. Toss to combine. Place in 350°F oven and bake for 10–15 minutes, tossing once or twice during cooking, until nuts are golden brown and aromatic. Cool and place in sealed jars with the seasonings and zest so flavors can develop.
Sautéed Nuts
Sautéing provides a rich coating for nuts and is best eaten straight away or within a week. These are great on cheese platters and in rice, pasta and stir fries.
- Melt a mixture of 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil in a large sauté pan.
- When melted, add a teaspoon of powdered seasoning, such as the combinations listed above, and stir until well blended.
- Add a cup of nuts of choice and stir to coat. Cook over medium-low heat, tossing pan constantly, until nuts are golden brown. Pour into a strainer and allow to cool.
Caramelized Nuts
Stove Top:
- Place 1 cup of nuts, ¼ cup sugar and 1 tablespoon butter in a nonstick pan over medium heat and cook, stirring for 5 minutes. Seasonings such as cinnamon and nutmeg can be added while stirring.
- Pour onto parchment paper and allow to cool, then break apart with hands. Store in a sealed container at room temperature.
Oven then Stovetop Version
- Toast the nuts in the oven first. Next, make a traditional caramel in a saucepan with 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon butter and toss in the nuts when ready. Try using a bit of Grand Marnier or other liqueur in the caramel and then pour onto parchment paper to cool.
Sweet-Dusted Nuts
Whether it’s cocoa, mint powder, cinnamon or vanilla, making sweetened nuts is simple and a great alternative to chocolate and candy. Sweet-dusted nuts are great chopped and sprinkled on oatmeal, yogurt or ice cream.
- Toss nuts in whisked egg white, just enough to coat, then add powdered spices, such as cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice or ginger, and a sprinkle of sugar.
- Toss well then transfer to a lined baking sheet and bake on a low heat, 250°F, for 30-40 minutes or until golden and the mixture is caramelized on the nuts.
For Cocoa- or Mint-Dusted Nuts:
- Soften ¼ cup honey until runny. Add a few drops of vanilla if desired, then add 1 cup roasted nuts and toss to coat well. Strain off excess liquid.
- Place cocoa in bowl, add nuts and toss to coat all nuts. The best way to do this is to lift and shake the bowl. Spread on a lined tray to dry.
- For Mint-dusted Nuts, combine ¼ cup each: powdered sugar and cornstarch. Add a few drops of peppermint essence.
- Add nuts to coat and proceed as above.
