Persian Walnut Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup walnuts, lighted toasted
- 1 bunch radishes, thinly sliced (use a mandolin)
- Halved cherry tomatoes
- 1 large English cucumber, thinly sliced
- 4 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 cup chopped parsley
- 1 cup chopped cilantro
- ½ cup chopped mint
- ½ cup chopped dill
- 1/4 cup chopped tarragon or chives
- 1/2– 1 cup crumbled feta (optional)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, more to taste
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
- Toast walnuts on a sheet pan, in a 180°C oven for 12-15 minutes, until lightly toasted. Cool.
- Place cooled walnuts along with remaining ingredients in a large bowl and toss well.
- Taste, adjust salt and lemon. If it tastes bland, add a little more salt. It should have a refreshing lemony kick.
Walnut, Broccoli Apple Slaw
Ingredients
Dressing
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1½ tablespoons honey
- ½ teaspoon kosher or sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger (optional)
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
Salad
- ¾ cup coarsely chopped California walnuts, toasted
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup minced red onion
- 340g broccoli slaw
- 1 large apple, cored and cut into small bite-size pieces
Preparation:
- Whisk together all dressing ingredients in a large bowl.
- Add walnuts, cranberries, onion, broccoli slaw, and apple. Toss well to coat with dressing.
Gremolata, Walnut & Pepper Dip
Ingredients
- 300g fat free cottage cheese
- 100g California walnuts, chopped
- ½ red pepper, finely diced
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons chopped chives
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Toasted pitta and vegetable crudites to serve
Preparation:
- Place the cottage cheese and half the walnuts in a food processor and blend until smooth.
- Mix in the remaining walnuts and red pepper.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the lemon zest, herbs and oil, season and stir into the cheese mixture.
- Serve with toasted pittas and vegetable crudites.
Cooks tip:
Try swapping half the cottage cheese for cream cheese for a creamier option.
Mango Summer Rolls With Walnut-Ginger Dipping Sauce
Ingredients
Walnut-Ginger Dipping Sauce
- 1/2 cup California walnuts, divided
- 1/4 cup hot water, plus additional if desired
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon finely grated ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or to taste)
- 3 medium or 2 large fresh dates
- Zest and juice of 2 limes
Summer Rolls
- Thin rice noodles
- 10 round rice paper wrappers
- 1/2 cup thin julienne strips mango
- 1/2 cup thin julienne strips red bell pepper
- 1/2 cup thin julienne strips peeled cucumber
- 1/3 cup fresh mint leaves, torn into strips
- 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, torn into strips
Preparation:
- To prepare dipping sauce, place 1/4 cup walnuts, water, soy sauce, maple syrup, ginger, pepper flakes, dates and lime juice and zest in a small blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Finely chop remaining walnuts and stir into sauce, adding additional water if you prefer a thinner sauce.
- Cook rice noodles according to package directions. Drain well, rinse in cold water and drain again.
- Fill a large shallow dish with warm water and dip a sheet of rice paper in water, letting sit for about 10 seconds or until pliable but still somewhat firm. Remove from water and carefully shake off excess water; place on a cutting board.
- Place a small handful of cooked noodles and a few pieces of mango, bell pepper, and cucumber on the bottom third of the wrapper. Sprinkle with mint and basil.
- Gently fold the bottom over the filling, fold in the sides, then roll up as tightly as possible. Place seam side down on a serving platter. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.
Walnut, Aubergine & Mushroom Keema Curry
Ingredients
- 150g California walnuts, chopped
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 red chilli, finely diced
- 1 tablespoon medium curry powder
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 aubergine, cut into 1cm dice
- 200g mushrooms, sliced
- 400g can chopped tomatoes
- 100g baby spinach
- 225g basmati rice, cooked
Preparation:
- Soak the walnuts in lukewarm water for 20 minutes, drain well.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the onion and chilli for 4-5 minutes, add the spices and then the aubergine and mushrooms, cook for a further 4-5 minutes.
- Stir in the tomatoes, 100ml water and the walnuts, bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the spinach until just wilted and season.
- Serve with the cooked basmati rice.
Roasted Carrots With Yoghurt Sauce, Arugula And Walnuts
Ingredients
- 6 whole carrots
- 1 unsweetened Greek yogurt
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 30g of California walnuts, toasted
- Sesame seeds
- Arugula
- A pinch of salt
- A pinch of pepper
- Optional: thyme, rosemary or paprika powder
Preparation:
- Cut the stems off the carrots. Cut first in half and then into quarters.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C. Season the carrots with salt and pepper and place them in a dish to coat them with olive oil. You can also add thyme, rosemary or paprika if you wish.
- Put the carrots in the oven until they are well done.
- Take the yogurt, put it in a bowl and add pepper, olive oil and salt. Mix together.
- Add walnut pieces and the yogurt sauce to the carrots. Finally, add a touch of olive oil, toasted sesame and arugula.
Leeks, Walnuts And Lemon Soup
Ingredients
- 2 leeks
- 30g extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon
- A pinch of salt
- A pinch of pepper
- 1 handful of walnuts
- 1 litre of broth or water
Preparation:
- Cut the leeks in quarters.
- Sauté them in a pot with olive oil.
- Add the walnuts and cover them with water or broth. Boil for 15 minutes.
- Mash and serve with some chopped walnuts and grated lemon.
Griddled Pineapple with Walnut Crust
Ingredients
- 100g California walnuts, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup plus extra to serve
- 1 large pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into 12 wedges
- 50g butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons icing sugar
Preparation:
- Preheat the oven to 200°C.
- Mix the walnuts and maple syrup together and spread out onto a small baking tray lined with baking parchment, bake for 7-8 minutes until golden and allow to cool.
- Meanwhile, griddle the pineapple in 2 batches for 2 minutes each side to give golden bar marks.
- Whisk the butter and icing sugar together in a small bowl until pale and fluffy, stir in 25g of the walnut crumb.
- Serve the griddled pineapple sprinkled with the remaining walnut crumb, a drizzle of maple syrup and a spoonful of the walnut butter.
Cooks tip:
Great for barbecues. Try stirring the 25g walnut crumb into vanilla ice cream instead of the whisked butter.
Roasted Vegetables With Walnuts, Basil And Balsamic Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 1/2 red bell pepper, small, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1/2 orange bell pepper, small, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1/4 red onion, medium, cut into 1-inch cubes, separated
- 115g portobello mushrooms, baby, halved
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 3/4 cup sugar snap peas
- 1 zucchini, small, sliced 1/4-inch thick
- 1 summer squash, yellow, small, sliced 1/4-inch thick
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons basil, fresh, snipped
- 1/2 cup California walnuts, coarsely chopped
Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 200°C. Place bell peppers, onion and mushrooms in a large bowl and toss with olive oil and salt. Place in a single layer on a large baking sheet, making sure not to crowd vegetables. Cook for 10 minutes.
- Add snap peas, zucchini, yellow squash and garlic and stir lightly. Top with walnuts and cook for 5 to 10 minutes more or until all vegetables are crisp-tender and walnuts are toasted.
- Drizzle with balsamic and toss well. Sprinkle with basil.
Lemony Tuna Walnut Zoodle Salad
Ingredients
Dressing:
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
Salad:
- 3/4 cup California walnuts, toasted
- 1/3 cup quartered and thinly sliced red onion
- 2 tablespoons drained capers
- 2 medium zucchini, spiralized
- 2 cups lightly packed baby arugula
- 2 cans oil-packed Yellowfin Tuna
Preparation:
- Whisk together all dressing ingredients in a large bowl.
- Add walnuts, red onion, capers and zucchini to bowl and toss to coat with dressing. Add arugula and tuna and toss lightly to mix. Serve immediately.