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:

  1. Place the cottage cheese and half the walnuts in a food processor and blend until smooth.
  2. Mix in the remaining walnuts and red pepper.
  3. In a separate bowl, mix together the lemon zest, herbs and oil, season and stir into the cheese mixture.
  4. Serve with toasted pittas and vegetable crudites.

Cooks tip:
Try swapping half the cottage cheese for cream cheese for a creamier option.

by admin

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:

  1. 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.
  2. Cook rice noodles according to package directions. Drain well, rinse in cold water and drain again.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.

by admin

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:

  1. Soak the walnuts in lukewarm water for 20 minutes, drain well.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Serve with the cooked basmati rice.

by admin

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:

  1. Cut the stems off the carrots. Cut first in half and then into quarters.
  2. 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.
  3. Put the carrots in the oven until they are well done.
  4. Take the yogurt, put it in a bowl and add pepper, olive oil and salt. Mix together.
  5. Add walnut pieces and the yogurt sauce to the carrots. Finally, add a touch of olive oil, toasted sesame and arugula.

by admin

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:

  1. Cut the leeks in quarters.
  2. Sauté them in a pot with olive oil.
  3. Add the walnuts and cover them with water or broth. Boil for 15 minutes.
  4. Mash and serve with some chopped walnuts and grated lemon.

by admin

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:

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
  2. 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.
  3. Meanwhile, griddle the pineapple in 2 batches for 2 minutes each side to give golden bar marks.
  4. Whisk the butter and icing sugar together in a small bowl until pale and fluffy, stir in 25g of the walnut crumb.
  5. 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.

by admin

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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Drizzle with balsamic and toss well. Sprinkle with basil.

by admin

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:

  1. Whisk together all dressing ingredients in a large bowl.
  2. 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.

by admin

Mushroom & Walnut Orzetto

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
  • 400g butternut squash, cut into 1cm dice
  • 100g California walnuts
  • 200g mushrooms, sliced
  • 250g orzo pasta
  • 600ml vegetable stock
  • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Preparation:

  1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the onion, garlic and squash for 5 minutes. Stir in the walnuts and mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes.
  2.  Add the orzo and stock, cover the pan and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the pasta is tender. Season and stir in the vinegar and parsley to serve.

by admin

Smoky Walnut Beans on Toast

Ingredients

  • ½ tablespoon olive oil
  • 4 spring onions, chopped
  • 1½ smoked paprika
  • 400g can mixed beans, drained and rinsed
  • 400g can chopped tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon caster sugar
  • 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
  • 100g California walnuts, chopped, plus extra to serve
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
  • 4 slices sourdough, toasted

Preparation:

  1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the spring onions for 1 minute, then add the paprika. Add the beans, tomatoes, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, walnuts and 100ml water. Cover and bring to the boil, cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the lid and cook for a further 3 minutes. Season to taste.
  2. Stir in half the parsley and spoon over the toasted sourdough bread, serve sprinkled with remaining parsley and extra walnuts.

Cooks tip:
Try using hot smoked paprika for an extra kick or add fried diced pancetta or chorizo for extra flavour.

by admin