walnuts

Posts Tagged ‘walnuts’

Buttercup Apple Cake with Maple Walnut Icing

Made this cake for my birthday yesterday. It’s made from roasted and pureed buttercup squash and shredded apples. The crumb is moist, full of spice and topped with toasted walnuts and maple syrup icing. After a very full and extended weekend spent with friends and family, it was a real treat.

I feel so truly thankful for everything in my life right now, there’s not much more I feel I could ask for. But I think this next year may top it, we’ll see.

Buttercup Apple Cake with Maple Walnut Icing / serves 10-12
I used buttercup squash, but I think any pumpkin or squash puree will work.

2 1/2 cups light spelt flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
3/4 cup muscovado or brown sugar
2 large eggs at room temperature
1/2 cup milk (almond, cow, etc.)
1 1/2 cups buttercup squash puree *see how to prepare below
1 1/2 cups shredded apple, about 1 large apple (I used Gala)

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger and set aside.

In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the coconut oil and sugar together until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Scrape down the bowl if needed.

In a small bowl combine the squash puree with the milk.

Gradually add the flour mixture to the egg mixture in three additions, alternating between the dry mixture and two additions of the squash mixture, scraping down the sides as needed. Fold in the shredded apple.

Spread the batter into the pan. The batter will be thick, so smooth the top and give a few taps on the counter to remove any air bubbles.

Bake for about 45-55 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for 15 minutes in pan on wire rack before removing from Bundt pan and letting cool completely before glazing.

maple walnut glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
2-3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/3 cup toasted walnuts or pecans

Place the powdered sugar in a small bowl. Add the maple syrup 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring well after each addition. If mixture is too stiff or dry keep adding the maple syrup 1 tablespoon at a time until it reaches your desired consistency. Pour about 1/2 the glaze over the cake, top with toasted walnuts, they drizzle on the rest.

* To make your own buttercup squash puree, preheat oven to 375F. Cut squash in half, scrape out the seeds and lay flesh side down on a lined baking sheet. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until a fork easily pierces through. Time will vary depending on size of squash. Let cool until you can comfortably hold it and scoop the flesh out. Run in a food processor until really smooth. Store tightly covered in the fridge for several days or place in the freezer to use later.

Desserts + Sweets, Fall, Vegetables

Whole Wheat Walnut Pancakes with Brown Butter Apple Cinnamon Compote

A couple weekends ago, some girlfriends and I hopped on I-5 heading south for a 2 1/2 hour drive. Our destination; The Cedar Grist Mill. The oldest working water powered flour mill in the state. The September afternoon was bright and sunny, it felt like a much needed mini road trip. The mill is completely volunteer operated, so the hours are limited, but the setting is absolutely beautiful and arriving a little early was nice because we found ourselves exploring around the riverbank.

We were given a tour and complete history by a charming man in overalls named Fred. He even went over the health benefits to eating whole grains vs. processed ones. I was completely blown away at the whole process of how flour was milled in the late 1800′s. The whole system is massive, yet so utilitarian and simple in design. There were huge belts that wrapped around all sorts of large gears and when the water tank was full all you had to do was turn a large wheel to open the water flow and the mill was off and running, at least until the tank emptied. It even powered some of the electricity. I kinda wanted one.

That day there were two different flours milled, soft wheat and hard red wheat. Other times they grind cornmeal as well. We crunched on the different wheat berries and the flavor was incredibly distinct between the two. The sacks of flour Fred handed out at the end were warm and really fragrant. For a small donation we each took home a bag of the soft wheat, which is considered perfect flour for pancakes or scone making. Fred mentioned that he himself enjoys a short stack several times a week. I think I know why he volunteers! I couldn’t resist taking the guy up on his pancake suggestion.

I’ve made many whole wheat pancakes before, but there was absolutely no mistake about the difference in taste when I used the freshly milled flour. I wish I had one of these mills closer by, because it makes such a difference. I added in some ground walnuts to the batter and topped them with warm brown butter apples. Perfect for the crisp mornings we’ve been having. Have you ever used freshly milled flour before? And what did you make?

Whole Wheat Walnut Pancakes with Brown Butter Apple Cinnamon Compote / makes 8-10 pancakes

1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup walnuts
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs or 2 flax eggs (2T. flax meal mixed with 6T. water)
1 cup almond milk
2 tablespoons apple sauce
1 tablespoon maple syrup

apple compote
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 apples, peeled, cored and sliced into wedges
big pinch cinnamon
maple syrup

Place the walnuts into a food processor and pulse until the walnuts just start to become flour-like. Don’t go too far or you’ll end up making walnut butter. Place the ground walnuts, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large mixing bowl and whisk together.

In another bowl whisk together the eggs, almond milk, apples sauce, and maple syrup. Pour into the dry mixture and whisk just until everything is wet. Let sit while you prepare the apples.

Start heating the pan you’re going to cook the pancakes on, that way it’s good and hot. In another large skillet or frying pan melt the butter over medium heat. Once melted, watch (and smell) closely for little flecks of brown and a nutty smell. Once this happens add the apple slices in one layer, sprinkle with a little cinnamon and let sit for 4-5 minutes, or just until browned on one side. Flip and repeat on the other side and let it get golden. Lower heat and drizzle in a bit of maple syrup. Keep warm over a low heat until the pancakes are finished cooking.

Pour the pancake batter, about a quarter cup at a time, into the hot skillet. Cook until the edges are set and there are lots of air bubbles surfacing. Flip and cook until the other side is dark golden brown. Keep warm in the oven. Serve with the apple compote and more maple syrup.

Breakfast, Fall, Fruits, Grains, Vegan

Granola Bars

Tomorrow we leave for our work trip/mini vacation to San Francisco. Which means this entire week has brought with it some rather interesting meals as we cleaned out the fridge before leaving (strawberries with broccoli and spring onions all wrapped up in a peanut butter smeared whole wheat tortilla… anyone? It was actually pretty good). Luckily we had lots of left overs after a bbq we had on the 4th to tie us over as well. So although I still need to pack and get a few miscellaneous things together, I thought I’d share a granola bar recipe with you first.I had two lonely bananas staring back at me this morning, getting more brown speckles on them as each day passed and I knew they definitely wouldn’t be pretty by the time we returned. So I figured I’d make a batch of granola bars. I made these bars a couple weeks ago when we were up on Mt. Rainier for a weekend retreat and because they were so good I figured I’d make them again.

I wrote about finding the perfect granola bar recipe over a year ago and since then I have tested and tried many, many, different variations. Some were pretty great, others not so much. The bars I’m sharing today are very similar, but use mashed banana in place of the honey, which makes them sugar free, unless of coarse you add in the chocolate chips.

They are soft and chewy and they don’t fall apart when you eat them. I think they are an exceptional little bar to have around for snacking. They’re also great for long road trips where you’re sitting a long ways, or those times when you have a busy day/weekend ahead and you need something to sustain you through the end without being loaded with sugar.

Granola Bars / makes 8-10 bars
Loosely Adapted from Anja’s Food 4 Thought

I’ve actually made the recipe for these bars below very adaptable to your flavor preference, giving basic guide-lines to an amount for each ingredient and options to follow. The only one I would be careful on is the 1/4 cup seeds. I used a 1/4 cup mix of sunflower, sesame, and poppy seed, you could use all sunflower, but you probably wouldn’t want to use an entire 1/4 cup of smaller seeds like poppy. But really have fun with the flavors. Try a tropical bar using cashew butter, macadamia nuts, dried mango, dried papaya, and coconut.

2 ripe bananas
1/2 cup nut butter (peanut, almond, cashew), preferably all natural
1/2 cup roughly chopped nuts (almonds, walnuts, pistachio, cashew, pecan, macadamia)
1/4 cup seeds (sunflower, sesame, poppy, chia)
1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup dried fruit (cranberry, cherry, apricots, papaya, mango, raisin, strawberry, blueberry)
1/4 cup chocolate chips or cocao nibs, optional
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, optional
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, optional

Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment. I haven’t made these without parchment because I think they would really stick without it. Plus it makes for really easy clean up anyways.

In a large bowl mash the bananas with the back of a fork. Stir in the nut butter until everything is well combined.

Add the oats, chopped nuts, seeds, dried fruit, chocolate, cinnamon, and coconut if using. Stir well until everything is well combined. The batter will be very, very wet and you’ll wonder if this will even bake, it will.

Spread the batter evenly into your prepared baking pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes. The top should be slightly browned and give a little when pressed. Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars, this is important. Store wrapped tightly in a container or in the fridge.

Breakfast, Desserts + Sweets, Fruits, Grains, Proteins, Sides, Vegan

Lemon Balm Pesto Pasta

The other day a good friend of ours came over to help Scott and I tackle the project that is our basement. It was a task that has been put off since winter, so it was nice to finally have it finished. And honestly I was also relieved that the bulk of the work was done mostly by them, considering it’s basically a spider filled cold space just tall enough to stand in, which isn’t exactly my idea of fun.

Once finished, I found them both roaming about the yard, ice cold water in hand, inspecting various wild plants in an overgrown patch just beyond where our yard ends. Our friend excitedly mentioned he thought there was a kiwi tree and what he thought was mint in our yard. Technically it’s in our neighbors yard, but we looked it up and discovered that in fact it was a kiwi tree! However the mint was, what I originally thought, lemon balm and we also discovered wild fennel, which is more of an herb then the more popular bulb variety. A conversation with the neighbors one day revealed that in deed the kiwi tree does produce fruit and we could have as much as we wanted once it was ripe, and as much lemon balm as we could eat too.

So what does one do with lemon balm? Well, it’s probably most know for flavoring drinks and making tea. A quick search revealed that many people use it in various desserts, a topping to fish, and combined with fruits or vegetables. You can even crush it, rub it on your skin and it supposed to help repel mosquitoes. It’s in the mint family but the flavor is more delicate and hints at a taste of lemon.

Lately I’ve been noticing a trend in pesto making. It has drifted away from its more common form of basil, pine nuts, garlic, oil, and Parmesan, and everywhere I look people are embracing different herbs and nuts for a whole new taste. I love this and thought a pesto would be the perfect thing for lemon balm. Look for lemon balm at your local farmers market if your lucky, or try growing it yourself. It’s supposed to be as easy and quick as mint; you may even have some in your back yard too.

Lemon Balm Pesto Pasta / serves 4

I decided I wanted to make this pesto in true Italian from by chopping everything by hand. I used a sharp knife, but the results would have been better if I had a mezzaluna. Even though it was a bit thicker than if I had run everything in a food processor I really loved the texture and rustic look of it mixed with the pasta. Try it either way you prefer, it will still taste the same. I was going to use spaghetti noodle for this originally but there were none to be found in my cupboard, so I swapped in the penne, you can use which ever. I served this right along side my spinach strawberry and radish salad for a really great summer meal.

2 cups packed lemon balm
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup walnuts
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
salt to taste
1 pound whole wheat pasta

Start chopping a 1/3 cup of the lemon balm with the garlic. Continue adding the lemon balm, a 1/3 cup at a time, waiting until each addition is finely chopped and worked in.

Once all the lemon balm is minced in, start incorporating the walnuts into the mix. Keep chopping until everything is very finely minced, this whole process should take about 15-30 minutes, so give yourself some time.

Place everything in a bowl, add lemon, oil, and salt. Stir to mix well.

If you would like to make this in a food processor, combine the lemon balm, garlic, and walnut. Give it a quick whirl until everything is finely chopped, but not completely. Add the lemon and slowly drizzle in the oil while the machine is running. Salt to taste.

For the pasta, bring a large salted pot of water to a boil. Cook your pasta according to the package directions, drain and place in a serving bowl. Scoop out the fresh pesto, stir to combine well with the pasta and serve. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge, tightly covered for a couple days.

Grains, Sides, Vegan

Bok Choy & Edamame with Walnuts & Mustard Vinaigrette

The past couple of weeks I’ve finally been able to bring home more than asparagus, radishes, and rhubarb from the markets. My favorite is all the greens and soon all the berries, cherries and peaches! This past week I was picking up some herbs and looked over my shoulder to see some baby bok choy. Perfectly bound little clusters with the prettiest green leaves. A green that is usually stir fried and seasoned with Asian influenced dressings or sauces. Instead of turning to soy sauce I wanted something vinegary, fresh, and light.

Maybe I just wasn’t over the potato saladI recently spoke about, but somehow the vinaigrette, walnuts and edamame made for a perfect afternoon meal when paired with rice. I’ll for sure be making this one again.

Bok choy is easy to prepare; cut off the ends so that each leaf is detached from the others, rinse under cool water making sure to remove any dirt that gets stuck between the leaves and dry off. Bok choy has a high water content and you’ll notice this when sauteing. This is why I like to remove the greens to a serving dish with tongs to avoid pouring out all the liquid with them.

Bok Choy & Edamame with Walnuts & Mustard Vinaigrette / serves 4-6

Make sure to toast your walnuts. It brings our so much more depth and flavor to the nut, but if you don’t like, or are allergic to them sub in almonds or another of your favorite nut or seed. This salad if definitely best served upon making, but the dressing will keep for several days in an airtight container in the fridge if you want to get a head start.

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
4 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
sea salt and ground pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 bunch baby bok choy, washed and ends trimmed
1 cup fresh or frozen shelled edamame
1/2 cup toasted walnuts

Combine the mustard and vinegar in a small bowl. Whisk in the 1/2 cup olive oil. Stir in the onion and garlic and season with salt and pepper.If using frozen edamame, bring a small pot of water to boil and cook according to package instructions, usually about 5-10 minutes. If using fresh cook for a slightly shorter time, until tender. Drain and reserve.

Place the tablespoon of olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium high heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the bok choy. Quickly saute, using tongs to move the pieces on the bottom to the top once they’ve wilted. Once the leaves have wilted and turned a nice bright green, use tongs to place in a serving dish.

Toss in the edamame. Pour about 3/4 of the dressing and toss everything to combine well, adding more dressing if needed. Season with salt and pepper. Top with the toasted walnuts and serve warm.

Gluten-Free, Proteins, Salads, Sides, Vegan, Vegetables

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