Griddled Vegetables with Chickpeas & California Walnut Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 1 aubergine, cut into 0.5cm long slices
  • 2 courgettes, cut into 0.5cm long slices
  • 4 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 4 tomatoes, chopped
  • 50g California walnuts, chopped
  • 150g Greek yogurt
  • 50g pomegranate seeds

Preparation:

  1. Brush the vegetable slices with a little oil and griddle or fry in batches for 2 minutes each side to give golden bar marks, set aside.
  2. Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a separate frying pan and fry the onion and 2 cloves garlic for 3-4 minutes, add the chickpeas and cumin then add the tomatoes and half the walnuts and fry for 2-3 minutes. Season to taste.
  3. Mix together the yogurt, remaining garlic and Walnuts.
  4. Lay the vegetables on a large serving platter, top with the chickpea mixture. Spoon over the yogurt mixture and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds to serve.

Cooks tip: Swap the chickpeas for cannellini or kidney beans and add some fresh chilli for a little kick.


Green Shakshuka with California Walnuts

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 4 spring onions, sliced
  • 150g frozen peas, defrosted
  • 150g frozen edamame beans, defrosted
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
  • 50g California walnuts, roughly chopped
  • 400g can lentils
  • ½ x 25g pack coriander, chopped
  • 4 medium eggs

Preparation:

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
  2. Heat the oil in a large ovenproof frying pan and fry the spring onions, peas and beans for 3 minutes, add the cumin, chilli, walnuts and the lentils with the juice from the can, cook for a further 3 minutes. Stir in half the coriander and season.
  3. Make 4 hollows in the vegetables and crack an egg into each, place the pan in the oven for 7-8 minutes or until the egg white has just set. Seve sprinkled with remaining coriander and extra chopped walnuts, if liked.

Cooks tip:

When in season, try replacing 50g each of the peas and beans with 100g asparagus tip, cut into 3cm pieces. Serve with a drizzle of chilli sauce and crusty bread.


California Walnutty Veggie Meatballs

Ingredients:

  • 425g Cannellini beans, canned, rinsed and drained
  • 1/4 cup red peppers, roasted and chopped
  • 1/2 cup California walnuts, coarsely chopped
  • 1/4 cup red onion, minced
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1/4 cup Italian seasoned dry breadcrumbs
  • 2 tablespoons smoked sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon Italian herb seasoning blend
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1 egg
  • Olive oil cooking spray

Preparation:

  1. Preheat oven to 200°C and line a baking sheet with foil. Put beans and red peppers between paper towels and pat dry.
  2. Place in a food processor with all remaining ingredients except cooking spray.
  3. Pulse on and off until all ingredients are finely chopped. Do not over mix or meatballs will be mushy.
  4. Shape into balls and place on prepared baking sheet. Coat liberally with olive oil spray and cook for 10 more minutes. Spray again and cook for 10 minutes more.
  5. Serve with marinara over whole grain pasta or in whole grain rolls as a meatball sub.

Tip: Mixture will be easier to shape if refrigerated for several hours.


Braised Peas with Pancetta and California Walnuts

Ingredients:

  • ½ tablespoon rapeseed oil
  • 150g smoked diced pancetta
  • 5 spring onions, sliced
  • 300g frozen peas
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 50g California walnuts, roughly chopped
  • 300ml chicken stock
  • 2 sprigs mint, leaves only
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Preparation:

  1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the pancetta for 3 minutes until crispy, drain off most of the excess oil. Add the spring onions, peas and garlic and fry for a further 3 minutes.
  2. Stir in the walnuts, stock, mint and Dijon and cook for 2-3 minutes.


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:

  1. 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.
  2. While the walnuts are soaking, rinse, peel and chop all the vegetables. Blanch the vegetables in boiling turmeric water for 30 seconds.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. Add ginger-garlic paste and chopped coriander. Sauté for a minute.
  6. Add finely chopped tomatoes. Cook the mixture till the fat separates.
  7. Add turmeric powder, red chili powder and coriander powder. Stir for a few seconds.
  8. Add the walnut paste and yogurt/curd. Mix everything together. Stir often and cook till the fat separates.
  9. Add in the water and green chillies. Mix and bring gravy to a simmer.
  10. Season with salt, and add honey or sugar, if you like.
  11. Add the veggies. Stir very well and simmer the veggies in the gravy for 5-7 minutes.
  12. Add grated nutmeg, kasuri methi powder, garam masala powder. Mix everything together.
  13. Pour in cream and mix well. Remove from flame.
  14. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot with rice or chapatti.


California Walnuts Dal Makhani

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup whole black urad dal
  • 1/4 cup kidney beans
  • 1/4 cup California walnuts, chopped roughly
  • 3 cups water for soaking
  • 3 cups water for pressure cooking
  • Salt to taste
  • 1/2 cup fresh tomato purée
  • 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
  • 1 tablespoon Kashmiri chili powder
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 cup water, or as required
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon cream
  • 1 generous pinch kasuri methi
  • 1/2 garam masala

Preparation:

  1. Wash and soak urad dal, kidney beans and California walnuts in 3 cups water overnight.
  2. Rinse in running water and transfer all of it in a pressure cooker.
  3. Add 3 cups of water and cook on low flame for 20 minutes. Turn the flame on high and allow 4 whistles. Allow the steam to settle.
  4. Open the lid and mash it all up using 1 cup water. The California walnuts, rajma and dal need to get creamy. Add tomato purée, cream and cook for 15 minutes on medium flame.
  5. In a separate vessel, add butter, ginger garlic paste, Kashmiri chili powder, gram masala, kasuri methi and into the cooked dal. Stir well and cook further for another 10 minutes. Serve hot!


Chicken California Walnut and Olive Tagine

Ingredients:

  • 65g pitted reduced salt green olives, rinsed and drained
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 preserved lemon, rinsed and drained, roughly chopped
  • 1 onion
  • 25g pack coriander
  • 50g California walnuts
  • 2 tablespoon rapeseed oil
  • 600g chicken breast fillets, cut into chunks
  • 300g low salt chicken stock, made with 1/2 stock cube
  • Wholewheat couscous to serve

Preparation:

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
  2. Place the olives, garlic, preserved lemon, half the onion, roughly chopped, most of the coriander including the stalks, 25g walnuts and 1 tablespoon oil in a food processor and blitz to give a coarse paste.
  3. Heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan and fry the chicken and remaining chopped onion for 5 minutes. Add the olive paste and cook for 2-3 minutes.
  4. Stir in remaining walnuts and the stock and bring to the boil. Transfer to a casserole dish and bake for 30 minutes.
  5. Serve with cooked couscous sprinkled with the remaining chopped coriander.


Deviled Eggs with Cajun-Spiced Walnut “Crumb” Topping

Ingredients:

  • 8 eggs, hard-boiled, large
  • 2-3 tablespoons mayonnaise (can be reduced fat)
  • 1-2 teaspoons mustard, prepared, to taste
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • Optional: 1-2 tablespoons chives, very finely minced
  • For Cajun-Style Walnut “Crumb” Topping
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon thyme, dried
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon paprika, smoked
  • 1 heaping cup California walnuts, finely minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt (scant measure)
  • Few dashes cayenne (optional)

Preparation:

  1. Peel the eggs, and halve them lengthwise. Pop out the yolks, and transfer to a large dinner plate. Add 2 teaspoons water, and begin to mash with a fork. As you mash, add the mayonnaise, mustard, salt and pepper. Continue to mash until very smooth. Alternatively, use a food processor.
  2. Carefully and slowly, use 2 teaspoons to fill each egg white cavity with the filling, distributed evenly among them. Lavishly sprinkle the topping all over the filled eggs, and serve cold or cool – plain, on toast, or on a salad.

For Cajun-Style Walnut “Crumb” Topping

  1. Heat the oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium-low heat. When it is warm, add the spices and stir until they are completely coated.
  2. Add the walnuts and salt, and keep stirring until everything is evenly distributed.

Stir and cook over medium-low heat for another 5 to 8 minutes or so (until the walnuts are toasty). Be careful not to burn them!

  1. Stir in cayenne to taste, if desired, and remove from heat. When cool, store in a tightly closed jar in the refrigerator until use.


Eggplant Filled With Gorgonzola Cheese, Onions And Chopped Walnuts

Ingredients:

  • 2 large eggplants
  • 100 g gorgonzola cheese
  • 1 handful of California Walnuts
  • 1 large red onion
  • Pinch of salt
  • Pinch of pepper
  • 60 ml of extra virgin olive oil

Preparation:

  1. Cut the eggplants in half and make several diagonal cuts on their surface. Smear the eggplants with olive oil and a pinch of salt and wrap them in foil.
  2. Bake the eggplants at 180°C for 40 minutes.
  3. Cut the onion, put it in a frying pan with a little olive oil and let it cook at medium heat. Add a glass of water and let the water evaporate. Add a little more oil and let the onion brown.
  4. Take the eggplants out of the oven and remove the pulp with a spoon (reserve the skin). Mix the pulp with the onion. Toast the walnuts in a separate pan with a little olive oil, and add them to the eggplants and onion.
  5. Add the gorgonzola cheese, mix everything well and season with salt and pepper.
  6. Fill the eggplants with this mixture. Add a little more cheese and walnuts on top and bake at 160° for 10 minutes.


Broccoli & Walnut “Rice” with figs and Feta cheese

Ingredients:

  • ½ broccoli
  • 1 handful of California walnuts
  • 1 ripe avocado
  • Pinch of oregano
  • Pinch of salt
  • Pinch of pepper
  • 150g feta cheese
  • 5 figs
  • 1 handful of fresh basil
  • 40g extra virgin olive oil

Preparation:

  1. Crush the raw broccoli with the mixer or grate with a grater until small rice-sized pieces are formed.
  2. Toast the walnuts in a pan with a little olive oil. Coarsely chop the walnuts and add them to the broccoli.
  3. Add the avocado with a spoon and mix it well. Add oregano, feta cheese, figs cut into four pieces, basil and olive oil.