Showing posts with label pine nuts. Show all posts

Sunday, December 30, 2018

Fancy charoses

Personally, I like my mom’s basic, tried and true charoses – apples, walnuts, sugar, cinnamon and sweet red kosher for Passover wine, mixed to taste. But if you’re feeling you need a little more zip to your seder table, Joan Nathan is always a good bet! Thanks to the New York Times for publishing this!

Provençal Haroseth for Passover

JOAN NATHAN

YIELDAbout 5 cups
TIME15 minutes

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Melina Hammer for The New York Times

This is a 13th-century haroseth recipe from Provence, using the Mediterranean fruits and nuts that are still available in the region. Back then, Jewish families would have saved chestnuts from the fall harvest and roasted or boiled them for this springtime Passover recipe — and then laboriously peeled them by hand — but now you can buy cooked, pre-peeled chestnuts any time.

Mediterranean, Almond, Apricot, Fig, Nut,Raisin, Vinegar, Wine

55 ratings

INGREDIENTS

1 cup blanched or roasted unsalted almonds
1 cup raisins
1 cup dried apricots
1 cup dried figs
½ cup walnut halves
1 tart apple, peeled, cored and chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 cup peeled roasted chestnuts(available vacuum-packed or canned)
½ cup pine nuts, toasted if desired
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
4 to 6 tablespoons sweet wine, kosher for Passover

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PREPARATION

Place the almonds, raisins, apricots, figs, walnuts, apple, and chestnuts in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until you reach the consistency of your choice.
Add the pine nuts and stir in the cinnamon, ginger and wine vinegar. Pulse once more, adding enough sweet wine to bind the ingredients.
Store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Sunday, July 16, 2017

Vegetable Noodles

Summer is best time to start making vegetable ‘noodles’

By MELISSA D’ARABIAN

Published: July 12, 2017

Vegetable “noodles” are super trendy, and summer is the best time to make them since the king of the veggie noodle — zucchini —is ubiquitous, and inexpensive.
Go ahead and load up, because zucchini is a true powerhouse of vitamins. One cup provides over a third of your daily vitamin C, and about 10 percent of five additional vitamins and minerals, and weighs in at under 20 calories.
While “zoodles” are easily the most popular noodle, noodles can be made from a variety of vegetables.
Try other summer squashes, winter squash such as butternut, beet, carrot, sweet potato and parsnips.
Veggie noodles are easy to make, too. You can buy an inexpensive spiralizer to make quick work of cutting perfectly-shaped noodles.
Or, you can even use your vegetable peeler to shave long, thin ribbons from your vegetables; no special equipment needed.
Cooking the noodles is quick, too: usually by steaming or sauteeing briefly.
Some veggies, like summer squash, can be left completely raw if you want, and made into a cold summer noodle-like salad.
If you have been seeking the perfect recipe to dip your toe into the veggie noodle world, today’s recipe is perfect.
Sunshine Vegetable Ribbons can be made in mere minutes using only a vegetable peeler and a pan as equipment.
The flavors are bright and familiar: a little garlic, lemon, toasted pine nuts and nutty parmesan cheese.
Serve this as a pretty first course, as a side dish or even as a vegetarian main course, with a thick slice of crusty Italian bread on the side.
Once you’ve mastered the vegetable peeler noodle, get creative and explore the endless options for this new technique, swapping in vegetables for pasta in your favorite recipes.
Sunshine Vegetable Ribbons
Servings: 4
Start to finish: 15 minutes
2 large carrots, peeled
2 crookneck squashes (yellow summer squash)
2 zucchini
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
1 ounce parmesan cheese, shaved into shards with a vegetable peeler
Lemon zest or fresh herbs for garnish, if desired
kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Use a vegetable peeler to shave long, thin ribbons (like flat noodles) of the vegetables. (You will likely have a thin core remaining of each vegetable.)
Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large saute pan.
Add the garlic and saute for one minute, until fragrant.
Add the vegetable ribbons, a pinch of salt, and stir.
Add the lemon juice and cover with a lid for just one minute (or longer if you want very soft ribbons).
Remove the lid, and remove from heat.
Serve on four plates, topped with pine nuts, parmesan cheese, black pepper and lemon zest or fresh herbs.
Nutritional information per serving: 128 calories; 66 calories from fat; 7 g fat (2 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 6 mg cholesterol; 408 mg sodium; 13 g carbohydrate; 3 g fiber; 7 g sugar; and 6 g protein.

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Winter Quinoa Dressing with Apples and Dried Cranberries

From The Press Enterprise, Dec. 21, by way of the Associated Press.

I first heard about quinoa in college from my math professor, Marty Waltzer, a dedicated environmentalist. He was excited about some new grain that was supposed to be incredibly nutritious but also inexpensive to grow. I don't know how inexpensively it can be grown, but it sure ain't cheap to buy!

Hopefully, by the end of this week, I'll know if the purchase was worth it!

Winter Quinoa Dressing with Apples and Dried Cranberries

The exciting protein news on quinoa isn’t necessarily the quantity (though that’s good, too), but the quality.

Quinoa offers all nine essential amino acids in the quantities required to make it a complete protein (unusual for vegetable-based protein sources).

Another bonus: It’s gluten-free, which makes it a great option for hosting gluten-free guests or for families (like mine) that have gluten-free members.

I like to cook up a batch of quinoa on the weekends, then use it during the week much as I would cooked rice — in cold salads, in hot side dishes like a stir-fry, or with stews and sauces.

Sometimes I’ll drizzle warm quinoa with maple syrup and top it with berries and almonds for a hearty breakfast.

My recipe for winter quinoa dressing is a perfect dish for both newbies and quinoa pros. It complements the gorgeous roasts of winter as a side dish, or can be served as a main event for a simple supper.

Winter Quinoa Dressing with Apples and Dried Cranberries

Start to finish: 30 minutes

Servings: 6

11/4 cups uncooked quinoa

13/4 cups low-sodium broth (chicken or vegetable)

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

2 sweet Italian turkey sausages, casings removed

2 small celery stalks (or 1 large), chopped (about 1 cup)

1/2 yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup)

6 ounces fresh mushrooms, roughly chopped

1 apple, cored and diced

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup pine nuts

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

In a large microwave-safe baking dish, combine the quinoa, broth and olive oil.

Cover and microwave for 11 minutes, then allow to sit in the microwave for another 2 minutes.

Remove the dish from the microwave and stir the quinoa.

Depending on the power of your microwave, you may need to adjust the cooking time.

Meanwhile, in a large saute pan over medium heat, melt the butter.

Add the sausage and cook, breaking up the meat with a spoon, until the meat is golden, about 7 minutes.

Add the celery, onion and mushrooms, and cook until the vegetables are tender, another 7 minutes.

Add the apple, cranberries, pine nuts, garlic, rosemary and sage, then cook an additional 2 minutes.

Combine the quinoa with the sausage and vegetable mixture and serve immediately.

Nutritional information per serving: 240 calories; 60 calories from fat (25 percent of total calories); 6 g fat (2.5 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 15 mg cholesterol; 34 g carbohydrate; 3 g fiber; 8 g sugar; 10 g protein; and 570 mg sodium.