Bourbon Walnut Frappe
Ingredients:
- 300ml walnut milk*
- 150ml cold brew coffee
- 50ml bourbon
- 2 to 3 tablespoons sugar
- Pinch of salt
- Chopped California walnuts, whipped cream, caramel sauce, chocolate sauce (optional toppings)
Preparation:
- Pour walnut milk into ice cube trays and freeze for several hours or until firm.
- Place in a blender with cold brew, bourbon, sugar and salt; blend until smooth.
- Pour into a large glass and serve with any desired toppings.
*How to make California walnut milk at home?
Soak a cup of untoasted walnuts for 2 hours in 2 cups of water. Strain and rinse walnuts well. Transfer to a blender with 1 cup cold water. Blend on high for a minute. Strain through a muslin cloth till you get an almost dry powdery mass in the muslin cloth after pressing the milk. Transfer in a glass jar and store in the refrigerator. This gives you 2 cups of home-pressed California walnut milk!
Hasselback Potatoes with California Walnuts and Cheese
Ingredients:
- 500g potatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ small red onion, finely chopped
- 50g California walnuts, roughly chopped
- 2 sprigs of thyme, leaves only
- 50g mature Cheddar, grated
- Chopped chives to serve
Preparation:
- Place a potato between the handles of 2 wooden spoons and cut down to the handles, 0.5cm apart, repeat with the remaining potatoes. Cook in boiling water for 12-15 minutes until just tender and drain well.
- Place the potatoes, cut side up, on a large sheet of foil in a single layer, season and drizzle with oil. Sprinkle over the onion, walnuts, thyme and cheese. Wrap the foil up to seal, creating a tent effect. Place on a BBQ or griddle pan for 10-15 minutes until the cheese has melted.
- Sprinkle with chives to serve.
Pulled Aubergine, Halloumi and California Walnut Sliders
Ingredients:
- 2 aubergines
- 2 tablespoons BBQ sauce
- 50g California walnuts, chopped
- 6 small floured baps/slider buns, halved
- 250g halloumi, sliced into 6
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 6 little gem lettuce leaves
- Tomato chutney to serve
Preparation:
- Place the aubergines on a BBQ or griddle pan and cook for 15-20 minutes, turning occasionally until soft and slightly charred, wrap in foil and set aside until cool enough to handle. Cut the ends off and remove the skin, cut in half and pull apart the flesh. Place in a bowl and mix in the BBQ sauce and walnuts, season.
- Toast the baps on the BBQ or griddle pan until golden.
- Brush the halloumi slices with a little oil and BBQ or griddle for 1-2 minutes each side until golden.
- Place the lettuce on the bap/slider base, top with the pulled aubergine and then the halloumi. Add a spoonful of tomato chutney and the top of the bap/slider to serve.
Cook’s tip: For extra flavour, add some sriracha sauce to the pulled aubergines and brush the baps with a little mayo
Fruity Walnut Butter Wraps
Ingredients:
- 1 (8-inch) tortilla, wheat or whole grain
- 2 tablespoons California Walnut Butter
- 1/2 banana, medium, thinly sliced, or 1/3 cup apple, peeled, chopped
- 2 tablespoons raisins, golden or dark
- 1 teaspoon honey
Preparation:
- Place the tortilla on a flat surface and spread walnut butter over 2/3 of the tortilla, leaving the top empty. Top evenly with fruit and drizzle with honey; roll up tightly, starting at the bottom.
- Wrap tightly and refrigerate until ready to eat.
Walnut butter is an excellent way to explore new recipes and create a flavorful spread that’s versatile for cooks of all levels. So, go ahead and experiment with new recipes using walnut butter today!
Banana, Cacao, and Walnut Butter Smoothie Bowl
Ingredients:
- 2 cups frozen banana slices
- 1/2 cup low fat milk or non-dairy milk of choice
- 2 tablespoons California walnut butter
- 2 tablespoons cacao powder
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon hemp seeds
Optional toppings
- Chopped California walnuts, sliced bananas, sliced strawberries, blueberries, cacao nibs, hemp seeds.
Preparation:
- Place all smoothie ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Spoon into 2 bowls and sprinkle with any desired toppings.
California Walnut Dahi Kebabs
Ingredients:
- 1 cup hung curd (yogurt)
- 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
- 4 slices bread
- 1.5 tablespoon roasted gram flour
- 1 tablespoon oil, plus more for frying
- 1 tablespoon garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon ginger, finely chopped
- 2 small onions, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon roasted cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
- ¼ cup fresh coriander/cilantro leaves
- 1-2 teaspoon green chillies, finely chopped
- ¼ cup grated Indian cottage cheese (paneer) (optional)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Preparation:
- Place a sieve over a bowl and on the sieve place the muslin cloth filled with the yogurt. Let hang overnight in the refrigerator.
- Heat oil in a pan, and add the garlic, ginger and green chillies. Fry for a few seconds and then add the onions, and fry till translucent. Add the roasted cumin powder, garam masala and fresh coriander leaves and salt and pepper, to taste. Remove from heat.
- Mix the onion mixture with the hung curd. Add in the chopped walnuts. Add grated paneer, if required.
- Add in the roasted gram flour and more than half the bread crumbs, reserving some of the crumbs for the outside coating.
- Shape the mixture into balls of desired side and roll them in the crumbs and place in a plate. You can refrigerate the shaped balls while the oil heats up for frying. Refrigerating the shaped balls for half an hour results in crispier kebabs.
- Shallow fry the shaped balls in a non-stick pan till golden in color. Remove and place them on a paper towel lined plate. Serve with ketchup or green chutney.
California Walnut Dahi Bhalla
Ingredients:
For the bhallas:
- 1¼ cup washed Urad Dal (skinless black gram lentil), soaked in water overnight
- 1 tablespoon ginger (freshly grated)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 green chilli, finely chopped
- A pinch of Asafoetida
- Oil, for deep frying
For the stuffing:
- 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
- 2 tablespoons chopped raisins
For the yogurt (dahi):
- 2-3 cups yogurt
- 1 teaspoon roasted cumin powder
- ¾ teaspoon red chilli powder (or to taste)
- 1 teaspoon chat masala
- Mint cilantro chutney
- Tamarind Chutney
- Salt, to taste
- Water (as needed)
- Cilantro (for garnish)
Instructions:
- Wash the dals thoroughly and then in some fresh water soak the lentils overnight or for 6-8 hours.
- Drain the water completely and transfer to a grinder of a food processor or a high power blender.
- Make sure all the water is drained as that is one of the key steps to getting light fluffy bhallas.
- Add the ginger, green chillies, asafoetida and salt. Using as little water as possible grind the dal- at first try to grind the dal mix with no water and add only in case your machine can not get a smooth paste. Add water one tablespoon at a time and grind it into a thick smooth paste.
- Transfer the ground lentil paste to a bowl and whisk it vigorously rotating your hand in a circular motion in one direction. This is what makes the bhallas/vadas light. Make sure you whisk in one direction. It takes about 8-10 minutes. You can check whether your bhallas are properly aerated by putting a drop of the batter in a glass of water. If it floats immediately your bhallas are ready to fry. If not continue. The batter should be beaten and thick enough that in case you overturn your bowl, the batter will not flow out, and just stay (similar to how stiffly beaten egg whites are when you overturn the bowl).
- Mix the walnut raisin mixture in a bowl and set aside.
- Heat a wok or pan with oil for deep frying. Wet a ladle with little water. Add 1 tablespoon of the Bhalla batter to it. Add a portion (about 1 teaspoon) of the chopped walnuts-raisin mix. Top with another tablespoon of the batter. Drop it in hot oil and deep fry on medium flame until golden brown. 2-3 vadas can be deep fried at a same time in the same batch.
- To make sure that you get fluffy bhallas another tip is to use a spoon to keep pouring the hot oil over the exposed bhallas, so that they are evenly cooked. Once golden, remove and drain on paper towels.
- Soak the bhallas in a bowl full of warm water for 30 minutes.
- Remove each bhalla and press between your palms to squeeze out excess water. You don’t have to squeeze all the water out just a light squeeze. Place the bhallas in a serving bowl.
- Whisk the yogurt (with water, if necessary) and salt till smooth. Add the yogurt to the bhallas. You can add sugar to your curd if desired.
- Top with the green chutney and tamarind chutney as required. Sprinkle red chilli powder, roasted cumin powder, roasted chopped walnuts and chaat masala. Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves.
Paneer And California Walnut Summer Roll With Mango Dip
Ingredients:
- For the Rice Paper Rolls:
- 8-10 sheets of rice paper
- Large, wide bowl of warm water
For the Filling:
- 1 1/2 cup crunchy veggies (bell pepper, carrot, and cucumber, shredded red cabbage)
- 250g paneer (Cottage cheese)
- 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
- 1 bunch of fresh mint
- 1 bunch of fresh coriander
- Salad greens or shredded lettuce
For Raw mango dipping sauce:
- 1/2 cup raw green mango, chopped into smaller pieces
- 1/4 cup ripe mango
- 1/4 cup walnuts soaked in water for 30 minutes
- 1 green chilli, chopped
- 1 inch ginger
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup mint leaves
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- 1-2 ice cubes to maintain color
- Drizzle of honey, optional
- Salt, to taste
Preparation:
- In a blender or grinder, add all the dipping sauce ingredients. Blend the ingredients till smooth. Set aside.
- Thinly slice all of the vegetables and roughly chop the walnuts.
- Cut the paneer into small rectangles. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Fry the paneer in the oil, flipping on all sides to ensure even browning – about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- In a bowl add 2-3 tablespoons of the prepared mango sauce. Add 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, 1 teaspoon honey and a dash of water to loosen the sauce of a bit. Whisk to combine.
- Add the paneer back to the skillet over medium heat and add “sauce/glaze,” stirring to coat. Cook until all of the sauce is absorbed and the paneer looks glazed, stirring frequently. Set aside with prepared veggies.
- Arrange all of the fillings on a large plate or tray, and set a bowl of warm water big enough to dip the rice paper in.
- Soften the rice paper by soaking it in the bowl of warm water for 5-10 seconds. Rotate the paper in the bowl in a circular direction, and press the center of the rice paper into the bowl to completely soak it. Carefully remove the rice paper from the water and place onto a plastic or polished wood cutting board.
- Place any and all of the fillings that you prepared into the center of the rice paper. Top with some chopped walnuts.
- Fold each side of the rice paper in towards the center, then fold the bottom portion over the filling, towards the top. Compress the roll as you roll it towards the top of the rice paper to completely seal it.
- Serve with the raw mango dipping sauce. The rolls are best consumed immediately.
California Walnut Veg Handi
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup walnuts
- 1 potato, chopped
- 1/4 cup peas
- 1 medium carrot, chopped
- 1/2 capsicum, chopped
- 8-10 French beans, chopped
- 1/2 cup cauliflower, chopped
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 slit green chilies
- 1 teaspoon ginger, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2” cinnamon stick
- 2 green cardamoms
- 2 strands mace
- 2 cloves
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
- 1 tomato, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup yogurt
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kasuri methi
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- Salt, as per taste
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar, optional
- 2 tablespoons cream
Preparation:
- Soak walnuts in hot water for 30 minutes. Add the soaked walnuts to a grinder or blender. Add a little water and blend to a very smooth paste.
- While the walnuts are soaking, rinse, peel and chop all the vegetables. Blanch the vegetables in boiling turmeric water for 30 seconds.
- Heat butter in a pan. Add 1-2 slit green chili and ginger. Sauté the blanched veggies in butter for 5-7 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- Melt ghee in pan. Add cinnamon, green cardamoms, mace, cloves and bay leaf. Sauté the spices till fragrant. Add in the finely chopped onions. Cook the onions on a low heat, stirring often till they become golden.
- Add ginger-garlic paste and chopped coriander. Sauté for a minute.
- Add finely chopped tomatoes. Cook the mixture till the fat separates.
- Add turmeric powder, red chili powder and coriander powder. Stir for a few seconds.
- Add the walnut paste and yogurt/curd. Mix everything together. Stir often and cook till the fat separates.
- Add in the water and green chillies. Mix and bring gravy to a simmer.
- Season with salt, and add honey or sugar, if you like.
- Add the veggies. Stir very well and simmer the veggies in the gravy for 5-7 minutes.
- Add grated nutmeg, kasuri methi powder, garam masala powder. Mix everything together.
- Pour in cream and mix well. Remove from flame.
- Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot with rice or chapatti.
California Walnut and Rose Falooda
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup walnuts soaked in 1 cup water, overnight, plus extra for garnish
- 1 teaspoon rose syrup + 2 tablespoons rose syrup
- 2 teaspoon basil seeds, soaked in water
- 1/4 cup falooda sev (vermicelli)
- 2 scoops vanilla ice cream
- Dried rose petals for garnish
Preparation:
- Transfer the soaked walnuts to a blender and blend into a rough crumb consistency. Do not over blend, or you’ll start to make walnut butter.
- Add 1 cup water and blend for another 2 minutes until liquid is creamy and milky looking. Add 1 teaspoon rose syrup, and blend again. Refrigerate till ready to use.
- Boil 3 cups water. Cook the falooda sev as per the package instructions. Pour in a colander and rinse in cold water, drain all the water, and set aside.
- Add 1-2 tablespoons of rose syrup per glass at the bottom. Add 2 tablespoons of soaked basil seeds. 5. Add a layer of the cooked falooda sev. Sprinkle some chopped walnuts. Add the chilled rose walnut milk. Scoop vanilla ice cream on top. Garnish with rose petals and chopped walnuts. Serve immediately.
