Walnuts | I Can Cook That

Autumn Apple Salad with Cinnamon Honey Dijon Dressing

It’s September which means apples are right in their prime season! Although apples are available year-round, most apples ripen in the August-October time frame. I’ve had a craving for apples ever since September began so I was so excited when I was contacted recently about trying an apple variety called SweeTango that I’ve never had before.

SweeTango apples a variety bred at the University of Minnesota and are a cross between the Honeycrisp and Zestar! varieties. The apples are crisp and sweet with a hint of citrus, honey, and spice and have a nice crunchy and juicy texture that’s perfect to eat raw. They have a beautiful coloring too — SweeTango is a blush apple with deep red coloration over a yellow breaking background. The variety first hit store shelves in limited quantities in 2009, and has since grown to achieve distribution across the U.S. and Canada.

I received two SweeTango apples in the mail and couldn’t wait to try them! One I saved for me to just enjoy on its own and the other went into one of the most delicious salads I’ve ever had, Autumn Apple Salad with Cinnamon Honey Dijon Dressing! This salad is packed with a bunch of different textures and flavors which is what I really love about it. But the true star of the salad is the SweeTango apple!

Ingredients:

Salad:

2 cups red leaf lettuce, torn
2 cups spinach leaves, torn
1/2 cup thinly sliced fennel bulb
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
2 tablespoons salted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
2 tablespoons dried cherries
2 tablespoons golden raisins
the juice of 1 lemon
1 SweeTango apple, thinly sliced

Dressing:

4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons honey
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
a pinch of salt and pepper

Continue reading Autumn Apple Salad with Cinnamon Honey Dijon Dressing

Roasted Beet Hummus

I am just drawn to the color of beets. They make any dish look absolutely beautiful! I’ve done a couple of other beet dishes on here (Beet Risotto, Gemelli with Brown Butter Beet Sauce, and Roasted Beets with Tahini, to name a few) so when I saw this recipe for Roasted Beet Hummus in the latest Cooking Light I knew I had to make it.

Hummus is really easy to prepare and the addition of the beets makes this one a show stopper. Whip up a batch of this to serve with a crudite platter at your next gathering!

Ingredients:

2 red beets
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
8 garlic cloves, halved
grated lemon rind of two lemons
fresh lemon juice from two lemons
1/4 walnut oil (or good olive oil)
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained

Continue reading Roasted Beet Hummus

Farro Berry and Walnut Salad

This recipe from Cooking Light is actually supposed to be a side dish. But I thought this Farro Berry and Walnut Salad would make a great summer lunch! I have been looking for something that can be made the night beforehand and transports easily so this salad seemed perfect. I added in some blueberries because my boyfriend is allergic to cherries and I wanted him to still be able to enjoy a fruit within the salad (he’s fine with cherries being in something, he just has to pick them out).

Ingredients:

5 cups water
1 1/2 cups uncooked farro
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
3/4 pound sweet cherries, pitted and halved (about 2 cups)
1/3 cup blueberries
2/3 cup diced celery
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted
1/4 cup packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
the juice of one lemon (about 2-3 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon whole-grain Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey (or agave nectar)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Continue reading Farro Berry and Walnut Salad

Haroset Braised Short Ribs

Passover begins tonight so I wanted to share a recipe I found from Martha Stewart for Haroset Braised Short Ribs that is Passover-friendly. The recipe can be made ahead of time and reheated but I just made it all in one day (this is definitely a recipe that involves some time to make– 5-ish hours. It might work well as a slow cooker dish. I will have to try that in the future!)

The short ribs are braised in Manischewitz wine and then served with a deconstructed Haroset, resulting in a really delicious dish!

Ingredients:

2 pounds boneless beef short ribs
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
5 small carrots (about 1 pound), 1 roughly chopped, 4 halved lengthwise and reserved
1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 cups Blackberry Manischewitz wine
3/4 cups red-wine vinegar
1/4 bunch fresh thyme
1/4 bunch fresh curly-leaf parsley, plus sprigs for garnish
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup walnut halves, for garnish
1 Granny Smith apple, cored and cut into wedges

Continue reading Haroset Braised Short Ribs

Pesto Pasta with Peas

Yes, it’s technically spring. But. It snowed last night here. So it’s not time just yet to delve into super springy recipes. Sigh.

So this recipe for Pesto Pasta with Peas is a happy medium. The bright green color is a nod that spring weather is (hopefully) not too far away. It is still a warm dish though, so it is good for colder nights. (This recipe from Inda Garten is originally a pasta salad, so it can absolutely be eaten cold as well)

Ingredients:

Pesto:

1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup pine nuts
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
3 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Pasta:

3/4 pound fusilli pasta
3/4 pound bow tie pasta
fresh pesto (see recipe below), to taste
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup mayonnaise
Grated Parmesan, to taste
1/2 cup frozen peas, defrosted
1/4 cup pine nuts
salt and pepper, to taste

Continue reading Pesto Pasta with Peas

Vegan Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies

I personally am not vegan. But as more of my friends dabble in veganism, I have been getting more requests to do some vegan friendly recipes. I’m honestly finding vegan baking to be relatively easy; most of the substitute ingredients are already in my pantry!

I received a bag of One Degree Organics Sprouted Spelt Flour along with some vegan baking recipes that sounded really tasty! I have never made a vegan cookie before so I appreciated the nudge towards trying and decided to make some Vegan Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies.

Sprouted Spelt Flour works generally like normal flour, you just need to adjust your dry-to-wet ingredient ratio (less dry ingredients or more wet ingredients). Sprouted Spelt Flour contains more fiber, vitamins, and essential fatty acids than regular flour so it seems like a generally good switch to make. (I’m not giving up eating cookies, but hey, at least I’ve increased my fiber!) 🙂

One Degree Organics prides itself on using only organic foods grown using natural veganic methods for its grains used in its cereal, bread, and flours. The company also does not add any synthetic ingredients and practices sustainable growing methods. One Degree Organics actually includes a QR code and alphanumeric code on each package so that you can learn about where that specific product came from and the family of farmers behind it. Pretty cool right?

So I was really excited to use their Sprouted Spelt Flour in this recipe! Because this is my first time baking vegan cookies, I kept the recipe mostly intact. I did add some walnuts for a bit of crunch which resulted in these Vegan Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies!

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cup One Degree Organic Sprouted Spelt Flour
¼ cup Coconut Palm Sugar
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla powder or extract
¼ cup + 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil
½ cup vegan chocolate chips
1/4 cup walnut pieces

Continue reading Vegan Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies

Slow Cooker Apple French Toast Casserole

I love recipes that make it easy to serve a bunch of people with minimal effort. A slow cooker is usually a go-to for those types of recipes but I’ve never considered using it to make breakfast before. The Ninja Cooking System is the perfect tool for it though. They sent over this recipe for a Slow Cooker Apple French Toast Casserole and I couldn’t wait for the weekend to come so I could make it.

This recipe makes 8 servings so it would be great for breakfast for a larger group but I also packed up the rest of my servings to reheat during the week.

Ingredients:

½ cup butter
2 Granny Smith apples, cored and chopped
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
½ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup pure maple syrup
1 loaf challah bread (about 1 pound), cut into cubes
6 large eggs
2 cups vanilla almond milk (or normal milk)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Pinch salt
Confectioners’ sugar

Continue reading Slow Cooker Apple French Toast Casserole

Butternut Squash Agnolotti Pasta Salad with Walnuts, Golden Raisins, and Snow Peas

If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you might have picked up on my obsession with pumpkin and butternut squash. I attempt to limit my gourd intake to the September and October months, but every now and then I still need my fix outside of those months. Butternut squash seems to be more socially acceptable, especially in pasta form. Buitoni’s Butternut Squash Agnolotti is the perfect way for me to have this delicious ingredient year-round.

Agnolotti is just a type of ravioli. This specific agnolotti is a “half-moon pasta filled with oven-roasted butternut squash, Impastata Ricotta, aged Parmesan and Grana Padano cheeses, accented with amoretti cookie crumbs. I traditionally use a brown butter sage sauce with butternut squash ravioli because they are a perfect pair. I wanted to try something a little different with this agnolotti, so I instead made a cold pasta salad. It has been so unbearably hot in Philadelphia that I thought this would be a perfect (and timely) twist.Also, don’t forget to enter my giveaway to win a bunch of Buitoni goodies and free Buitoni pasta!

Ingredients:

1 package of Buitoni’s Butternut Squash Agnolotti
½ cup butter
1 shallot, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh sage leaves, roughly chopped
½ cup walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
A handful of golden raisins, or to taste
1 cup snow peas
The juice of one lemon
Salt and pepper, to taste

Continue reading Butternut Squash Agnolotti Pasta Salad with Walnuts, Golden Raisins, and Snow Peas

Grilled Tomato Orzo Salad in a Tomato Bowl

We have been having such a warm spring in Philadelphia. So if the weather is going to pretend it is summer, I will as well! To me, summer means tomatoes, corn, pesto, pasta salad, and of course, grilling.

Before I go into this recipe for Grilled Tomato Orzo Salad in a Tomato Bowl, first I want to tell you about Lipman Tomatoes. Lipman Tomatoes, a business-to-business company that has been supplying tomatoes and other vegetables to grocery stores and restaurants for 70 years, is about to launch a consumer-focused brand and website. Lipman contacted me about developing a recipe to celebrate their launch, which is the perfect opportunity for me to give into my “summer fever”. I decided to make a Grilled Tomato Orzo Salad served in a Tomato Bowl. (Update: the site is now live! Check out my recipe here!)

Lipman sent me an awesome assortment of their tomatoes. I decided to use the grape tomatoes for grilling, and the Vintage Ripe (a beautiful heirloom tomato) as my tomato bowls. The assortment also came with some cherry tomatoes and plum tomatoes so expect me to be on quite the tomato kick in the coming days!

Ingredients:

4 large Vintage Ripe tomatoes

1 cup orzo

4 cups vegetable broth

1 pint grape tomatoes

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 corn on the cob (or 1/3 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed)

8 oz mozzarella balls (if you cant get marinated mozzarella balls, even better!)

1 cucumber, seeded and chopped

Mint, for garnish

For the pesto:

2 bunches fresh basil leaves (about 2 cups packed)

1/3 cup walnuts

3 garlic cloves, minced

the juice and zest of 1 lemon

Salt and pepper, to taste

1/4 cup grated Parmiginao-Reggiano cheese

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Guest Post: Gourmet Turkey Burger with Island Slaw from Positively Cooking

I have another amazing guest post for you today! Adrienne, from Positively Cooking, agreed to share one of her delicious recipes with us. Positively Cooking is chock full of delicious and nutritious meals that use easy to find ingredients. Her Gourmet Turkey Burger with Island Slaw is not only beautiful (I mean, look at these photos) but it is a healthy and delicious meal as well. Check out her recipe below and be sure to pop over to Positively Cooking to see all of the other mouth watering recipes her blog has to offer!

A savory, juicy burger is pretty hard to beat. When that burger is full of nutrients, easy on your waistline, easy on your budget, and needless to say tastes delicious, a burger is near impossible to beat. Using ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen, I have developed my Gourmet Turkey Burger w Island Slaw from my own personal cravings for a filling, tasty meal.

You don’t need to wait until sweet summertime to enjoy burgers from the grill. Since I am an Ohio girl (and stuck inside during the winter months… ugh), I grilled mine stovetop on a griddle and also tried it on my George Foreman – both will leave your burgers beautifully cooked through and juicy. That being said, I am already looking forward to enjoying this recipe with some Sangria this weekend because hey, enjoying refreshing dishes like this helps an Ohio girl like me get through the winter!Enjoy!

Gourmet Turkey Burgers

1 lb. ground turkey

1 bell pepper, chopped and seeded

3 cloves garlic, crushed

2 cups spinach, roughly chopped

1 egg, beaten

½ cup breadcrumbs

¼ cup Parmesan cheese

1 tbsp. chili powder

1 tsp. salt

Honey Mustard, to garnish

Avocado, to garnish

Cheese slices, to garnish

Whole wheat buns

In a medium-size mixing bowl, place your ground turkey. Add in all ingredients [OTHER than garnishes – Honey Mustard, Avocado, and Cheese] Combine thoroughly.

With meat-mixture, form into one big “ball” and divide into 4-6 even sections. Form each section into a burger patty. [Tip: make the center of your patty thinner than the rim, to ensure it is cooked through.]

Grilling? Place patties on foil, and grill at medium-high heat for about 8 minutes on each side. Remember, your George Foreman counts!

Cooking stovetop?Lightly coat skillet with cooking spray. Cook patties over medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes, turning once.

Serve your burgers with desired toppings [As mentioned before, I suggest honey mustard, avocado, cheese, and of course Island Slaw]

Tips: Sub ground beef for the ground turkey if that is what you prefer.

Island Slaw

1 bag shredded cabbage

¾ cup All-Natural Light Coleslaw Dressing OR Light Poppyseed Dressing

1 can pineapple tidbits, drained

1 can mandarin oranges, drained

½ cup walnuts, crumbled

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients for coleslaw. Mix thoroughly. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Tips: I encourage you to enjoy the Island Slaw right on top of your Gourmet Turkey Burger

Doesn’t this sound like the perfect way to make you feel like warmer weather really is just around the corner? The Island Slaw has such beautiful colors in it; pineapple, mandarin oranges and walnuts together must be heavenly! And that is one snazzy looking burger; I love that it has spinach as well as chili powder to add some extra flavor.

Many thanks to Adrienne for sharing this recipe! Don’t forget to stop over at Positively Cooking to say hello and check out all the other yummy meals Adrienne has cooked up! (Some of my personal favorites include Blackberry Salmon, Skinny and Spiced Jalapeno Poppers, and Coconut French Toast with Sauteed Peaches)

Sauteed Spiced Pears with Pecans Over Ice Cream

This recipe is a result of having all of the ingredients in my kitchen, and my endless sweet tooth. Pears hold up really well to being cooked so I thought they would be great with traditional baking spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves) and some pecans for crunch. I also had a bit of ice cream left in my freezer so I used the pears and pecans as a topping.

Ingredients:

1 bosc pear, peel, cored, and cut into slices

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

A pinch of cloves

1/4 cup pecans

1 scoop French vanilla ice cream

Continue reading Sauteed Spiced Pears with Pecans Over Ice Cream

Pesto Pasta Salad

I am in a pasta salad making mood, so I decided to make one more batch for this weekend. I already made one pasta salad for this weekend, but I have a bunch of these ingredients on hand from other recipes and I don’t want them to go bad over the long weekend. I used a recipe from My Recipes as a base and substituted ingredients I already had, and ended up with this Pesto Pasta Salad!

Ingredients for the pesto:

1 or 2 bunches of packed fresh basil

1 bunch of packed fresh parsley

4 garlic cloves, minced

Juice and zest from 1 lemon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/3 cup walnuts (or toasted pine nuts)

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Ingredients for the salad:

1 box gemelli or other short pasta

1 small container plain 2 percent Greek yogurt

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

3 small cucumbers, sliced

1 red onion, chopped

1/2 cup feta cheese

Cook the pasta according to the “al dente” directions on the package. Drain and run under cold water. Set aside.

To make the pesto, combine the basil, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, pepper and walnuts in a food processor. (I ended up being just short of 1/3 cup walnuts, so I also added in a few toasted pine nuts.) Blend until smooth. Pour in olive oil and blend until there is a thick paste. Add the Parmesan and combine until blended. Add more salt and pepper, to taste.

Prepare all of your vegetables. After chopping the red onion, run it under cold water to remove some of the bite. Slice your cucumbers and halve your tomatoes.

Combine the pesto and Greek yogurt in a large bowl.

Add the pasta and vegetables and toss to coat.

Because I am making this for the weekend, I only made a tiny batch fully mixed so I could taste it. The pesto mixture is so so creamy that you honestly might not even need the feta. The tomatoes and red onions add a wonderful contrast to the pesto and the cucumbers add a nice crunch to the salad. I will try to take some photos this weekend of the fully assembled salad, but if it is anything close to what I just sampled, I think my friends will be happy.

Yum

Pesto Pasta Salad

Total Time: 15 minutes

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

Pesto:

1 or 2 bunches of packed fresh basil
1 bunch of packed fresh parsley
4 garlic cloves, minced
Juice and zest from 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup walnuts (or toasted pine nuts)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Salad:

1 box gemelli or other short pasta
1 small container plain 2 percent Greek yogurt
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
3 small cucumbers, sliced
1 red onion, chopped
1/2 cup feta cheese

Instructions

Cook the pasta according to the “al dente” directions on the package. Drain and run under cold water. Set aside.
To make the pesto, combine the basil, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, pepper and walnuts in a food processor. (I ended up being just short of 1/3 cup walnuts, so I also added in a few toasted pine nuts.) Blend until smooth. Pour in olive oil and blend until there is a thick paste. Add the Parmesan and combine until blended. Add more salt and pepper, to taste.
Prepare all of your vegetables. After chopping the red onion, run it under cold water to remove some of the bite. Slice your cucumbers and halve your tomatoes.
Combine the pesto and Greek yogurt in a large bowl.
Add the pasta and vegetables and toss to coat.

Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes

0.1

https://icancookthat.org/2011/07/pesto-pasta-salad.html

Roasted Beets with Tahini

There is a restaurant in Philadelphia called Zahav that serves modern Israeli food. I went there for my birthday last December, and am still thinking about their tasty hummus and absolutely fantastic salatim, a selection of 8 little salads that you scoop up with their house baked laffa. All of the salads were really delicious, but the pureed beet salad was by far the happiest surprise offered. So when my CSA share came with beets this time around, I knew exactly what I was going to make… or try to make at least. I basically made a hummus, substituting in roasted beets for the chickpeas. My version is probably not all that close, to the one served as Zahav but I’m still happy with the results.

Ingredients:

1 bunch of beets (mine came with 5)

2 tablespoons tahini

The juice and zest of 2 lemons

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon cumin

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

Walnuts, for topping

To roast the beets, preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Remove the tops, wash to remove all dirt, and arrange on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and add a generous amount of salt.

Cook for 40 minutes or until you can easily stick them with a fork. My beets were on the smaller side, so you may need to up the time to 1 hour.

Allow to cool completely. Remove the skin of the beets by rubbing them with a paper towel. This is surprisingly easy, I promise.

Roughly chop the beets.

Add the beets, tahini, lemon juice, lemon zest, cumin, garlic, salt and pepper to a food processor.

Process until smooth.

Transfer to a serving dish and top with chopped walnuts. Serve with cucumbers, pita, broccoli, cauliflower, or anything else you’d like to dip in this lovely little dish.

If you’d prefer, you can add in a can of rinsed chickpeas to make a beet hummus. Another alternative would be to add some Green yogurt, to taste, to make a creamier version of this dish. Enjoy!

Garlic Scape Pesto

I’m sure you read this post title and was wondering why I’m making Garlic Scape Pesto.

This week, I received garlic scapes with my CSA half share. What the heck is a garlic scape you may ask?

When garlic is growing, the scape is the green shoot that pops out of the earth. Farmers need to trim these so that the garlic can continue to grow. But the actual green shoot also packs in a bunch of garlicky goodness, although more mild and with a touch of grass smell.

The scapes are kind of scary looking but I was willing to try using them, who knows when I’ll come across these again! Because they are a more delicate version of garlic, scapes are best used raw.

I came across a recipe for Garlic Scape Pesto on the blog In the Kitchen and on the Road with Dorie which seemed like a good way to use a bunch of the scapes. I substituted walnuts for the almonds, mainly because my poor boyfriend is allergic and I didn’t want to mistakenly serve him something with almonds in it, and I added in some basil to help cut some of the scape flavor. I also cut the recipe in half to test it out, I can always make more later!

Ingredients:

5 garlic scapes, finely chopped
1/2 cup basil leaves
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
Salt, to taste

Continue reading Garlic Scape Pesto

Pear Arugula Salad with Walnuts and Parmesan

I found a recipe for Fig & Arugula Salad with Parmesan and really wanted to try it, but figs are not in season until September-ish. Comments for the recipe suggested using red pears as a substitute, so I tried it out. I also didn’t have any shallots so I nixed those, and added in some walnuts for a bit of crunch. The result was this Pear Arugula Salad with Walnuts and Parmesan!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 red pears, peeled, cored & chopped
6 cups trimmed arugula (about 6 ounces)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup (1 ounce) shaved fresh Parmesan cheese
A handful of walnuts

Combine the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and salt. Whisk to combine.

Very exciting photo, I know

Peel pears.

Cut in half and remove the seeds and stem. (You can use a melon baller or just a spoon)

Chop into bite-size pieces.

Add the pear pieces to the vinaigrette and toss to coat.

Cover and let marinate for 20 minutes. In another bowl, add the arugula.

You can add raw walnuts, or if you’re up for it, saute them in some butter until fragrant.

Remove and place on a paper towel to drain the butter.

Allow to cool and add to the arugula. Add the cheese. After 20 minutes, add the pear pieces.

This was really refreshing! I wish I could have made it with fresh figs, so I will have to attempt that again in the fall. There was just the right amount of sweetness from the pears, tangy-ness from the vinegar, crunch from the walnuts, and spice from the arugula. This would be a perfect summer dinner and a great spring board dish. Grilled salmon or chicken would be a great addition to this dish.