~~ January Ingred./Recipe of the month: Nuts ~~

kellynkay · **~~ January Ingred./Recipe of the month: Nuts ~~**

~Pecans ~ Walnuts ~ Macadamia Nuts ~ Peanuts ~ Cashews ~

What's your favorite recipe that calls for nuts??

kellynkay · **LeeAnn Chins Cashew Chicken**

Ingredients:
12 oz. Raw chicken breast (diced 3/4")
1 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Garlic
½ tsp. White Pepper
2 Tbsp. Corn oil
1 Tbsp. Cornstarch

Mix all ingredients and marinate for 1 hour in refrigerator.

2 Tbsp. Vegetable oil
Chicken (marinated)

4 ribs, Celery (diced)
1 ea. Red pepper (diced)
4 oz. Water chestnuts (diced)
24 ea. Pea pods (diced)
1 tsp. Black Pepper
1 tsp. Salt
8 oz. Chicken stock.
½ C. Hoisin Sauce
2 oz. Sweet Soy Sauce

Mix cornstarch and water together
1 Tbsp. Cornstarch
1 Tbsp. Water
½ C. Cashews

Instructions
Cut chicken into 3/4" cubes, place in bowl add remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly, place in a refrigerator for a minimum of 1 hour.

Cooking Instructions
Place pan on burner and turn to high heat, pan must heat up for 10 - 20 seconds add oil. Cook chicken for 3 -4 minutes until chicken is cooked through.
Add celery, water chestnuts, red peppers, and pea pods and cook for 2 minutes. Add black pepper, salt, chicken stock, hoisin sauce and sweet soy sauce.
Bring to a boil and add cornstarch mixture slowly in the center of the stir fry until thickness of gravy is achieved.
Place on plate and serve with rice or salad.

2 Servings

kellynkay · **Banana Walnut Butterscotch Bars**

Ingredients
For the Crust
1/2 cup chopped California Walnuts
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) cold butter, cut into pieces

For the Filling
2 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chopped California Walnuts

For the Topping
2 firm-ripe large bananas
1 cup freshly whipped cream (start with ½ cup whipping cream)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch sqaure tart pan with removable rim with cooking spray.
Combine walnuts, both flours and granulated sugar in food processor. Whirl until walnuts are finely ground. Add butter and pulse until evenly mixed. Firmly pat mixture into tart pan. With a fork, prick bottom in several places to prevent puffing. Bake 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
Meanwhile, melt butter in microwave in a medium-size microwave-safe bowl. Stir in brown sugar, eggs, vanilla and salt. Add walnuts.
Pour walnut mixture over baked crust. Return to oven and bake additional 20-25 minutes until golden brown and firm to the touch. Cool completely.
Finish by slicing bananas 1/4-inch thick and arranging in an even layer on top of tart. Spread whipped cream over bananas. Refrigerate until serving or up to 24 hours. Cut into 9 pieces and serve.

MOMMA,MOMMA · 01-03-2008, 03:59 PM

Also, nuts can be very expensive, any advice on how to get a great deal. I love nuts of all kinds, but tend to shy away b/c of the price.

swishina · **Pesto**

Here is my pesto recipe. It is SUPER easy to make if you have a food processor. Just dump the stuff in, and you have dinner before your pasta water is even boiling. We keep cubes of this in the freezer for emergency meals or lunches for my husband.

I use spinach instead of basil and walnuts instead of pine nuts - much cheaper!

2 c. fresh basil
1/4-1/2 c. olive oil
3/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2-3/4 c. pine nuts
1 t. lemon juice
1/2 t. salt

Grate parmesan cheese. Wash basil and trim off large stems. Put minced garlic, salt and pine nuts in food processor. Process a little to break up the nuts. Add basil and lemon juice. Process thoroughly to fine consistency, adding a little of the oil as you go. Add grated cheese and process until well combined. Store pesto in glass jar in the refrigerator, adding a layer of olive oil to the top to keep it from turning dark. Or spoon pesto into ice cube trays, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze. When frozen, remove pesto cubes and put in zip-loc freezer bag and store in freezer.

swishina · 01-03-2008, 05:42 PM

Nuts freeze very well and are usually on sale in December. I got a couple of bags of walnuts last month and put them in my freezer.

mommy2mercedes · **Cashew Chicken**

1 (12oz)jar apricot preserves
1/4 c Dijon mustard
1 tsp curry powder
4 skin/boneless chicken breast halves
1 c finely chopped cashews

Preheat oven to 375.

Mix preserves, mustard and curry in a large skillet and heat over low heat, stirring constantly til melted and smooth. (This on its own also makes for a great dipping sauce for kids chicken nuggets...or is also good over pork)

Place cashews in a shallow dish or bowl.

Dip chicken breasts in skillet sauce, then roll in nuts to coat and place in a lightly greased cooling rack placed in a 9x13 or on a cookie sheet lined w/foil.

Bake at 375 20 to 30 min.

Boil any remaining sauce and serve over chicken.

We usually have this w/mashed potatoes and broccoli.
serves 4(yeah araeafinn I remembered

)

kellynkay · 01-04-2008, 12:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swishina

Nuts freeze very well and are usually on sale in December. I got a couple of bags of walnuts last month and put them in my freezer.

I do the same. We also have a store in the area (Mills Fleet Farm) that sells nuts really inexpensively so I pick them up there to use in recipes.

kellynkay · **Toasted Almond White Chocolate Truffles**

Ingredients
1-1/2 cups white chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup almonds, toasted and finely chopped
1 tablespoon almond liqueur
Confectioners¹ sugar for dusting

Instructions
In a double boiler over simmering water, melt chocolate with the heavy cream. Stir to blend well.

Remove from heat. Stir in almonds and almond liqueur. Refrigerate until thick enough to roll into balls, about 3 to 4 hours.

Dust fingers with confectioners¹ sugar. Roll dough into 3/4-inch balls. Roll into confectioners¹ sugar. Place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Refrigerate until serving.
Yield: 30 truffles

**I haven't tried this yet, but am considering it. Just go some white chocolate chips on sale really cheap!

araefinn · 01-04-2008, 10:21 PM

Got this recipe from my sister. It is a quick recipe for some easy candy.

3 12 oz bags of chocolate chips (milk chocolate or semi sweet-whichever you like best)
1 and 1/2 bags of marshmallows
2 cups of nuts (I did these with salted peanuts and she did hers with macadamin-so I would experiment)

Put the marshmallows and nuts in a bowl, mix up a little. Melt chocolate. Than add the chocolate to the marshmallows. Spread on a counter covered with wax paper and the smeared the mixture onto the wax paper. Let harden/cool overnight, break into approximately 1 inch by 1 inch pieces.