Homemade Spiced Nuts

I hope you’ll allow me one more festive holiday recipe. Honestly, these Holiday Spiced Nuts are so tasty, they can (and should!) be enjoyed all year!

Around Thanksgiving, I was in Lancaster, PA and popped into Lancaster Central Market. While there, I stumbled upon Totally Nutz, which sells various cinnamon glazed nuts. They were so addicting, I wanted to try my own at home!

This recipe includes a bit more of the “holiday” spices than just cinnamon and includes four different types of nuts: pecans, walnuts, almonds, and cashews for a tasty sweet and spiced mixture!

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup shelled pecans
  • 1 cup shelled walnuts
  • 1 cup roasted unsalted almonds
  • 1 cup unsalted roasted cashews
  • 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tablespoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

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Basil Anchovy Pesto

One of my favorite cookbooks right now is Run Fast. Cook Fast. Eat Slow by Shalane Flanagan and Elyse Kopecky. If you haven’t heard of it, be sure to check it out. It’s filled with awesome recipes geared toward athletes, so I reference it all the time to make quick meals for my runner husband on weeknights.

A favorite recipe of ours from the cookbook is Pesto Pasta with Sardines, which got me thinking about anchovies, and how awesome they would be incorporated into classic pesto for an added boost of omega-3s, vitamin A, protein, iron, and a whole bunch more (those little guys really pack a nutritional punch!)

 

This pesto is freezable so it’s perfect as a make ahead condiment for super busy nights. It’s also super quick to make!

Ingredients (makes 1 pint):

  • 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for storing
  • the juice and zest of two lemons
  • 1 (2 oz can) anchovy fillets
  • 4 cups packed basil leaves
  • 12 oz grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
  • 1 cup unsalted roasted cashews
  • 4 garlic cloves

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Coconut and Turmeric Chicken Curry

I came across a recipe for Sri Lankan Coconut and Turmeric Chicken Curry a while back, but was unable to find all of the ingredients to actually make it. (Curry leaves are difficult to come by near me!)

Recently, I just gave up and decided to make it with some substitutions.

This recipe from Delicious.com, even with my adjustments, is so fantastic that I can only imagine how good the original is!

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium white onion, roughly chopped
  • ~1 1/2 inch piece ginger
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 small jalapeno, seeds and membranes removed
  • 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 4 tablespoons coconut oil, divided
  • 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons ground coriander
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 3 cardamom pods, smashed
  • 1 piece of cinnamon
  • 2 whole cloves
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 (13.5 oz) can coconut milk, well shaken
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 2 tablespoons cashews, finely chopped, plus extra to serve
  • the zest and juice of 1 lime
  • Coconut flakes, and sliced scallions, to serve

Continue reading Coconut and Turmeric Chicken Curry

Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken

I am always looking for a new and different slow cooker meal. I personally could eat a tomato-based sauce with meat over rice, pasta, polenta, you-name-it every day. My husband would prefer something new every now and then, which is fair.

So this time, I attempted to make a takeout favorite — Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken!

This recipe is really simple, but it can become a legit salt lick if you aren’t careful about your ingredients. Be sure to use lower sodium soy sauce and unsalted cashews!

Ingredients:

  • 3 lbs boneless skinless chicken (breasts and/or thighs)
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon peanut oil (or canola oil)
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 1 cup low sodium soy sauce (use a wheat free soy sauce to make gluten free)
  • 1/2 cup rice vinegar
  • 1/4 cup sweet chili dipping sauce
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
  • 1 green or red bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 cups unsalted cashews

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Grilled Camembert Cheese Plate

Note: I was sent a jar of Maille Rosemary Honey Mustard to try. Opinions are my own.

I’m kind of obsessed with my new Coyote Outdoor Grill. I’ve basically made a game out of finding things I can grill that are a bit outside of the box. (To see some of my other recipes I’ve made using my beloved grill, check them out here.) So, today, I bring you a grilled cheese plate, specifically a Grilled Camembert Cheese Plate.

Cheese with a thick outer rind, like a Camembert or Brie, are perfect for grilling. The inside becomes this beautiful gooey dip that I just cannot get enough of.

Just sticking a round of cheese on a grill honestly wouldn’t make for much of a recipe, so I decided to grill the whole cheese plate! I paired my lovely cheese with Grilled Rosemary Cashews and Brandied Rosemary Cherries. To finish off the plate, I included honey for drizzling as well as Maille’s Rosemary Honey Mustard that comes in the most beautiful green sandstone jar.

I was sent a jar of the Honey Mustard and I knew it would be the perfect addition to this cheese plate!

Ingredients:

For Grilled Rosemary Cashews:

  • 1/2 cup roasted cashews
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon butter

For Brandied Rosemary Cherries:

  • 1/2 cup dried cherries
  • 4 tablespoons Brandy
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • the zest from 1 orange

For Grilled Camembert:

  • 1 Camembert round, at room temperature
  • Olive oil, for brushing

Other Cheese Plate Ingredients:

  • local honey
  • Maille Rosemary Honey Mustard
  • French bread, cut into 1 inch slices and grilled

Continue reading Grilled Camembert Cheese Plate

Pineapple Fried Rice with Chicken #ChineseNYeats

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ChineseNYeats #CollectiveBias

Next Monday begins the Year of the Monkey, according to the Chinese Lunar New Year calendar. Celebrations are held around the world, particularly in places with large Chinese populations, including Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Locally, Philadelphia’s Chinatown holds a bunch of different events to celebrate, including a parade and a midnight dance performance on the 8th.

My favorite place in the city, Reading Terminal Market, along with the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation, is featuring demonstrations of the cuisine and cultures of Asia next weekend. To get in the spirit, I decided to make one of my favorite Thai dishes: Pineapple Fried Rice with Chicken.

 

This recipe comes together really quickly with the help of Minute Rice, Dole and Kikkoman.

For this recipe, I used White Minute Rice, Dole Pineapple Chunks, and Kikkoman Less Sodium Soy Sauce and Sriracha Sauce, which I picked up at my local Wegmans, which were found in the rice aisle, canned fruit aisle, and Asian foods aisle, respectively.

Continue reading Pineapple Fried Rice with Chicken #ChineseNYeats

Holiday Nut Crunch Bark #GoNutsForNuts

** This shop has been compensated by #CollectiveBias (Collective Bias, Inc.) and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. **

Is this year moving too quickly for anyone else? I cannot believe it is almost the holiday season! It’s probably a safe assumption the rest of the year is going to fly by as well, so I wanted to get a head start on the holidays now. I’ll hold off on the shopping for a few more days, but it’s never too early to try out some recipes, right? I love giving desserts as small gifts during the holiday season, and bark is a fun and simple option! This bark recipe uses one of Planter’s seasonal nut mixes, which can be found in your local Walmart. Some stores have these great Planter’s holiday displays with all of their seasonal mixes, so it’s so easy to #GoNutsForNuts!

I used Planter’s Holiday Nut Crunch for this recipe, but you could also use one of the other seasonal options, such as Planter’s Cocoa Almonds or Winter Spiced Mix. For additional inspiration, check out the Cooking Up Good website. They have recipes, sweepstakes, loyalty programs, coupons and more! What’s not to love? If you’re looking for a new dinner idea or a chance to win some awesome prizes, be sure to check it out!

Planter’s also has a Blippar app to help you find more fun recipes to try using their products. Blippar is an app that has image recognition capabilities and gives you the opportunity to interact with Planter’s brand. You can swipe through Holiday Gift Tips, take a selfie with Mr. Peanut, and browse Planter’s holiday products!

Ingredients:

  • 1 bag dark chocolate chips (~10 oz)
  • 1 bag milk chocolate chips (~11.5 oz)
  • 3/4 cups Planter’s Holiday Nut Crunch mix
  • 1/2 cup green chocolate wafers
  • 1/4 cup white chocolate wafers

Continue reading Holiday Nut Crunch Bark #GoNutsForNuts

Quinoa Chicken Curry

I’m excited to share with you this recipe for Quinoa Chicken Curry, but before I do, I wanted to share a bit about quinoa.
Although quinoa seems to be a bit of a “new” super food, it has actually been around for thousands of years and was considered one of the most important crops of the Incas. This grain-like seed is really easy to cook (you cook it like rice) but is chock full of nutritional benefits. Quinoa’s high protein content makes it a great choice for vegans and vegetarians. It is also a complete protein which means it contains all the essential amino acids. Quinoa is also rich in vitamins and minerals, including magnesium, phosphorous, zinc, iron, potassium, calcium, vitamin B, folate, and riboflavin. Quinoa is also naturally gluten free, and can be ground into a flour that allows for gluten free baking. Whew.
I really didn’t know much about quinoa, or how to use it. So I was excited to be given the chance to review The Complete Idiot’s Guide Quinoa Cookbook to learn more about it.  The book is full of quinoa recipes, including breakfast, dinner, and even dessert recipes. I wanted to try one of the more traditional preparations of quinoa, but can’t wait to delve into the more interesting uses for it in future posts (Lemon Poppy Seed Quinoa Cupcakes, anyone?) The book had a recipe for Quinoa Indian Chicken Curry that sounded absolutely fantastic!
Ingredients:
  • 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed and drained
  • 4 cups chicken broth, divided
  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 6 teaspoons curry powder, divided
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 1 medium head cauliflower, chopped into 1 inch pieces
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp celery seed
  • 1/2 tsp fennel seed
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt
  • 1/3 cup nonfat sour cream
  • 1/2 cup cashews
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
Yields 5 cups, or about 4 servings.
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