Tag Archive for 'almonds'

Oops, I did it again.

Published on May 2, 2011 in Chocolate and Desserts. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

Sorry for the Cheeto-lover reference, but I had to report in on my latest frozen yogurt experience. I decided that I needed to recreate one of my favorite Ben & Jerry’s limited edition flavors:  Coconut Almond Fudge. Oh yeah. It may be apparent to you that I have a thing for coconut. And I know some people don’t like it (and I’ve cut those people out of my life, naturally). Because that’s just crazy talk. What is life without coconut? That means a life without piña coladas, macaroons, Samoas and most Thai dishes. Not worth living, sorry. Nope.

And I’m really proud to say that not only did I attempt the David Lebovitz “squiggle” method for the chocolate, but it was actually incredibly easy and so satisfying in terms of consistency, crunch and the all-important chocolate-to-ice cream distribution ratio.

So, here’s the recipe. Get to it. And if you don’t like coconut, well, I just don’t know what to say to you.

Coconut Almond Fudge Frozen Yogurt

2 cups Greek yogurt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup sugar (granulated or cane)
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup raw almonds, roughly chopped
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips, melted

Combine the yogurt, buttermilk, sugar, honey and coconut extract in a boil. Refrigerate for about an hour.

Pour the mixture into your ice cream machine and process for about 25 minutes. After you get the machine going, put a clean, dry, airtight container in the freezer to chill. After the 25 minutes, add the coconut and almonds and process for another 5 minutes.

Take out the container and squiggle* a bit of the chocolate mixture in the bottom with a spoon. Add a layer of the frozen yogurt. When the cold frozen yogurt hits the melted chocolate, the chocolate will harden very quickly. Take your spoon and break up the chocolate and mix it together with the frozen yogurt. Repeat this step 3-4 more times. Cover and freeze for a couple hours before eating.

* Squiggle = a fast drizzle using a quick back and forth motion to make skinny lines of chocolate

Granola Bars

Published on April 5, 2011 in Desserts. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , , , , , .

Whole Foods has these ridiculous granola bars, which I’m sure you’ve seen, laying in wait near the check-out lines, just waiting for you to pass by, glance over, pick them up and think, “Well, granola bars. These must be healthy.” To which the granola bars snicker quietly to themselves and then guffaw all the way home, once safely buried in the bottom of your eco tote.

Because once you get those little suckers home, bite into the chewy goodness, it’s too late to realize that they’re not so healthy, one sign being your hands covered in grease from all the oil in there. I’m sorry to say it, but you’ve been had.

But, I’m fighting back, damnit. No granola bar will laugh at me without serious repercussions. I told myself that I can and will recreate the same delicious flavor without all that (or any, actually) oil. And so I did.  The nice thing about these bars (besides how good they taste, that is) is that you can really mix it up flavor-wise. Substitute pecans for the almonds, or add dried cherries or apricots instead of cranberries. Dare I say it? Throw in some chocolate chips. Blow off the coconut if that’s not your bag, baby. Just keep it in the 2 cups range, give or take a 1/4 cup or so.

You can even fiddle with the sweetener part. Brown rice syrup can sometimes have a sort of chemically taste, so try it with more honey or use maple syrup or even sugar instead. I’m thinking peanut butter could be crazy good as well. As long as you keep the proportions the same (about 1 to 1-1/4 cups), you’re good.

Join the fight against unhealthy granola bar mockery. Make these bars. And you, my friends, will get the last laugh.

Granola Bars

Nonstick spray (or 1 T butter)
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1/4 cup ground flax seed
2/3 cup (unsweetened) shredded coconut
1 1/2 cups unsweetened brown rice crispy cereal
1 1/4 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup brown rice syrup
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Sprinkling of sesame seeds (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350ºF/180ºC. On a few sheet pans, spread out the sunflower seeds, almonds, pepitas, flax seed and coconut. Roast in the oven for about 5 minutes, stirring everything around once or twice to make sure nothing burns. When the coconut turns golden and you can smell the nuts, they’re done.

In a heavy saucepan, combine the brown rice syrup, honey, brown sugar, salt and vanilla. Bring to a bubble over medium heat and cook until it thickens up a bit, about 3 or 4 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the rice cereal, oats and dried cranberries. Mix in the roasted nuts and coconut, then pour the hot syrup over the mixture and stir to combine.

Pour the mixture into a greased (with either spray or butter) 8″x8″ or 9″x12″ pan — depending on whether you like your bars super chunky or regular thickness. Sprinkle some sesame seeds over the top if you like. Firmly press the mixture into the pan with a piece of waxed paper, compacting it down to help keep it together. You can also line the pan with sprayed/buttered parchment or waxed paper first and use the overhang to press and wrap. This way, you can turn out the bars in one big piece for easier cutting (I’ll do this next time). Let the bars sit for at least 2-3 hours before cutting.

Green Bean Salad

Published on March 26, 2011 in Beans + Legumes and Salads. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

And here I promised I wasn’t going to share salad recipes, and what’s this…?

But this is seriously so good, I couldn’t resist. The amazing thing is I am not crazy about green beans. In fact, I have some deep-seated childhood issues with a certain greenish vegetable who shall remain nameless, although admittedly, you couldn’t really call those canned chunks of mealiness green beans. Especially after they (and I) sat for a looong time, attempting to choke them down, with everyone gone and the dishwasher running and the light over the stove shedding a weak puddle of light on the dreaded plate of torture…Um, wow. Thank you for letting me get that off my chest. And before you judge my mother too harshly for this, please note that she was very aware that as soon as this situation came to pass, I merely walked over to the garbage can and dumped those nasty things right in (wrapped in a napkin first, you know, to hide the evidence).

I’ve decided that these episodes must’ve taken place during non-bean season because there were definitely times when we had normal, actual green beans, but my scarring canned experience tainted any possible attempt at even sampling any type of green bean for several decades. And even now, I can really only eat the skinny sweet French haricots vert. Anything too thick or chunky just gives me the willies.

So, when I saw this recipe on Smitten Kitchen, I was shocked that it actually appealed to me (the gorgeous photos certainly helped its cause). And as I need to eat a lot more veggies as part of this little contest I’ve undertaken, I thought I’d give it a shot — with a few adjustments (really not many) to maintain the requirements of the diet.

Maybe it’s the crunchy freshness that’s so enticing. Or maybe it’s the combination of the tangy pickled onions with the fragrant fennel, sweet beans and smoky almonds that’s making me crazy. All I know is I’ve made this salad twice in the last four days and depending on how quickly this last batch is depleted, there may be a third one round the bend. So, get to it. High thee to the grocers and make this delicious concoction post-haste.

Oh and just to even things out, keep your eyes peeled for Monday’s post for something really unhealthy, but divine.

Notes: I tried the almonds two ways. The first time, I roasted them and then sautéed them in a pan with a little olive oil and then sprinkled them with smoked paprika and cayenne pepper. Lovely. The second time, I just roasted them and skipped the sauté part and actually preferred them without the extra oil. The spices don’t stick as well, but it’s healthier and just as good.

Also, I had enough of the pickling liquid left over to pickle the other half of the red onion and use that for the dressing for the second batch, but you may want to add another tablespoon of vinegar to the mixture to make sure it keeps its tanginess intact.

Green Bean Salad

Very slightly adapted from Smitten Kitchen

1 pound haricots vert (you can use regular ones too)
1  fennel bulb (about 1/2 pound)
2 celery stalks
1/2 large red onion
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/2  tablespoon sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons maple syrup or honey (or sugar if you’re not avoiding it, as I currently am)
1/3 cup whole almonds
2 tablespoons olive oil
Smoked paprika (optional)
Cayenne pepper (optional)

Put a big pot of water on to boil and preheat the oven to 375ºF/190ºC. While you’re waiting for that, very very thinly slice the onion, celery and fennel. You want the fennel to be paper thin as you’ll be eating it raw, so use a mandolin if you have one. It’s much easier to use a knife on the celery and onion (or maybe my mandolin is just not very sharp).

Pop the almonds in the oven for about 7-8 minutes and keep an eye (and nose) on them to make sure they don’t burn. You can then sautée them as mentioned above and add the spices — or not. Let them cool slightly and chop them in halves or thirds.

Mix the vinegar, water, salt and sweetener in a small bowl and add the onions. Let that sit while you’re doing the rest (or do ahead of time and let it sit for an hour or so; it’ll be even better).

Blanch the beans in boiling water for about 2-3 minutes (longer if you’re using the fatter ones). Drain and dump into an ice bath immediately.

Combine the beans, fennel, celery, onions, almonds and about 3 tablespoons of the pickling liquid in a large serving bowl. Garnish with salt and pepper to taste. Devour.

Moroccan Butternut Squash Stew

Published on October 21, 2010 in Beans + Legumes, Grains + Rice and Main Courses. 6 Comments Tags: , , , .


Fall is officially here. It’s blustery (especially if you live right by the Hudson River like we do), the leaves are crunching underfoot and the farmer’s market is chock full of butternut squash. So yes, friends, it is time for this stew. It’s not just any stew though; it’s sweet and spicy, earthy and hearty, and it brings me back.

Back to Morocco and the incredible flavors, beautiful things and warm people we found. It was a long time ago (so long that these photos are pre-digital (!) and yes, I unearthed them from the box on the very bottom of the as-yet-unpacked pile wedged in the back of the closet), but I still remember the crazy intensity of the souks, the twisting and narrow paths lined with stalls selling everything from nail files to exotic birds. People haggling, eating, living in their small corner of the market. I couldn’t get enough of the spice stalls. Barrel upon barrel of heady spices piled like pyramids: cinnamon, cumin, ginger, cardamom, saffron (those lovely orangey threads weren’t piled in barrels, but were ridiculously abundant compared to the typical miniature pillbox you get in the US). I just wanted to plunge my hands into the piles and roll around in them. I’m weird like that.

This stew has a few of those spices and some other flavors as well. I love the clean barley bite of the Israeli couscous combined with the rich smoky sweetness of the squash. The almonds add a nice crunch, while the parsley does its fresh little grassy dance on top.

It’s a stew that should be eaten hot on a cold night while dreaming of camel rides in the desert.

If you’re stopping by for the first time via Pretty Mommy, welcome. Come on in and poke around. I hope you find other fun stuff that gets your mouth watering and your stomach growling.

Butternut Squash Stew with Couscous
Adapted from Real Simple

Note: The original recipe has you cook the squash on the stove, but I think the sweetness of the roasted butternut squash brings a lot more flavor to the dish. It is an extra step and requires another pan (and the oven), so if you’re in a rush, feel free to go the stovetop route. You’ll need to cook the squash for about 10-15 minutes longer.

2 pounds/just under a kilo (4 cups) of butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1-1/2 teaspoons cumin
1-15 oz/210 g can diced or crushed tomatoes
1/3 cup dried cranberries
32 oz/~1 liter vegetable broth
1-15 oz/210 g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon salt

1-1/3 cups Israeli couscous (the big pearly kind)
2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup almonds, roughly chopped

Preheat the oven to 425ºF/218ºC. Combine the squash, garlic, olive and oil and half of each of the spices on a sheet pan and mix with your hands to completely coat the squash. Roast, stirring occasionally, until the squash is tender and caramelized (about 30 minutes).

In a large pot or Dutch oven (I like to use my Le Creuset), heat a tablespoon of olive oil. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes. Mince the roasted garlic and add that along with the other half of the spices and cook for a minute or two. Stir in the squash, tomatoes, cranberries, broth, chickpeas, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes.

While that’s simmering away, bring 1-3/4 cups water (or stock) and the remaining salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in the couscous. Cover and simmer on low heat for about 12 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed.

Serve with a sprinkle of parsley and almonds.