Toasted Rosemary Walnuts

December 6, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Toasted rosemary walnuts You can never have too many go-to holiday appetizers. This is one of our favorite “bites” to serve. Toasted Rosemary Walnuts are festive, satisfying and ready in 15 minutes. Serve them day of warm or store them in an air tight container in a cool spot for up to a week.

Toasted Rosemary WalnutsTempting, aren’t they? Go ahead, help yourself to a few.

Toasted rosemary walnutsWalnuts are one of my favorite nuts. Why? Well aside from their rich and earthy taste, they’re also a nutrient powerhouse. One 1 oz serving (about 1/4 cup) provides polyunsaturated fats (including heart-smart omega 3s in the form of alpha linoleic acid), 4 grams of filling protein, 2 grams of fiber and are rich in antioxidants and the minerals phosphorous and magnesium.

Here’s how to make this holiday snack:

Toasted Rosemary Walnuts

Serves: 8-10

Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups shelled walnuts
  • 1.5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ tablespoon garlic & sea salt blend (or use ¼ tsp each)
  • 1 tablespoon chopped dried rosemary

Directions: preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with tin foil. In a bowl, toss walnuts with olive oil. Add garlic salt and rosemary and toss again. Pour nuts onto baking sheet and toast for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and serve. Or cool then store in an air tight container for up to a week.

 

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Baked Brie with Pumpkin Butter and Walnuts

December 1, 2013 by Leave a Comment


Baked brie with pumpkin butter and walnutsPair fall apples and cheese and you’ve got the perfect match. But put that cheese into the oven and top with some sweet pumpkin butter and walnuts and you’ve got an ooey gooey match made in heaven. Serve with apple slices for a holiday appetizer that will be devoured in minutes. You may want to have a back-up ready.

We made this for brunch with the idea that we’d save 1/2 of it for dessert during the week. However, we may or may not have eaten ALL of it for brunch.

The recipe is super simple.

IngredientsThis is all you need, plus a dusting of cinnamon.

Brie with pumpkin butter and walnutsTop the Brie with pumpkin butter, walnuts and cinnamon and pop into the oven.

Baked brie with pumpkin butter, walnuts and applesRemove after 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Apple slice with baked brieEnjoy. It almost tastes like an adult version of a candy apple…but so much better.

Here’s how to make it:

Baked Brie with Pumpkin Butter and Walnuts

Serves: 6-8 as an appetizer

Ingredients:

  • 1 8oz wheel of Brie cheese
  • 2 tablespoons pumpkin butter (you could also use apple butter)
  • 1 tablespoon walnuts
  • Sprinkle of cinnamon
  • 2 apples, sliced

Directions: preheat the oven to 350 degrees with cast-iron skillet inside. Trim the rind from the top of the Brie. Top Brie with pumpkin butter, walnuts and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Remove skillet from oven and add Brie. Bake for ~15 minutes or until cheese is melted but hasn’t yet lost its’ form. Serve with sliced apples and/or whole grain crackers.

 

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Dark Chocolate Peppermint Truffles

November 21, 2013 by 8 Comments

dark chocolate peppermintsThe Recipe ReDux theme for this month is Adding Merriment to Mixes, DIY gifts from your kitchen. The holiday wonder that came right to mind are our famous truffles that we love to bring to parties and love to share how to make them. They are much easier to make than you’d think. Give these Dark Chocolate Peppermint Truffles as a hostess gift along with the DIY ingredients so the recipient of your gift can both try these decadent truffles, fall in love and then make them.

Last year we took a truffle making course in the Back Bay at ChocoLee Chocolates and since then we’ve been making truffles of one kind or another for every holiday celebration. Dark chocolate drizzled with White for Christmas, Bailey’s dark chocolate for St Patty’s Day, Lemon White Chocolate for Easter and more. And now, Dark Chocolate Peppermint Truffles are on the menu. These remind me of a peppermint patty or peppermint ice cream. Rich dark chocolate with cooling peppermint. A pair made in chocolate heaven.

Dark chocolate peppermint boxMake them, enjoy them and save a few to package up in a pretty box for hostess gifts.

dark chocolate peppermint truffle ingredientsThen package up the ingredients in a pretty box and let your friends and family experiment with truffle making themselves. The only ingredient they’ll need to add is light cream. The dark chocolate and the peppermints are chopped and the dark chocolate coating is ready to pop into the microwave.

Dark chocolate peppermint truffle

Here’s how to make these holiday party pleasing truffles:

Dark Chocolate Peppermint Truffles

Makes: 40 truffles

Time: 10 minutes + overnight rest + 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Directions:

Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Heat light cream over medium heat until lightly steaming, not boiling. Add dark chocolate, remove from heat and stir quickly until combined. Poor chocolate onto wax paper and let cool. Place plastic wrap over baking sheet, letting the wrap touching the chocolate. Refrigerate overnight or at least 6 hours. Remove chocolate from fridge. Have another baking sheet with wax paper ready. Using a melon baller or teaspoon scrape the chocolate with the tip of the spoon a few times – then form the chocolate into a ball. View more details here. Place onto wax paper. Repeat until the ganache is gone. Heat the dark chocolate shell according to package directions. Drop each truffle into chocolate, coat in chocolate and remove with a fork. Place back onto wax paper and sprinkle with crushed peppermint. Repeat until you’ve made all the truffles. Refrigerate until 30 minutes before serving.

For more great DIY offerings, visit these great Recipe ReDux blogger sites:

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Quinoa with Roasted Tomatoes and Feta

November 17, 2013 by Leave a Comment

quinoa and roasted tomatoesQuinoa is one of the most versatile grains out there. It has a nutty earthy taste and slightly crunchy texture. And it’s one of our favorites because it’s packed with protein, unlike other grains, rich in fiber and quick cooking (the dry version only takes 15-20 minutes on the stovetop). Even more quick cooking if you use precooked frozen quinoa.

Oven roasted tomatoes

 Since it’s no longer tomato season, we rarely buy fresh tomatoes since most fresh have zero flavor at this time of year.  We’ll stick with canned. If we do buy fresh, we’ll roast them, which brings out their natural flavor and caramelizes their sugars for an earthy sweetness. These roasted tomatoes really make this dish, hands down. You can’t sub canned here.

quinoa with roasted tomatos and fetaThis quinoa dish is tossed with briny and salty feta, sweet roasted tomatoes and chopped parsley. Simple yet very flavorful.

quinoa and roasted tomatoes

Here’s how to make it:

Quinoa with Roasted Tomatoes and Feta

Serves: 4 as a side dish or 2 as a light lunch

Time: 30 minutes (including roasting of the tomatoes)

Ingredients:

  • 2.5 cups cooked quinoa – we use Village Harvest fully-cooke,d heat in seconds, golden quinoa
  • 1 cup grape tomatoes
  • ½ cup feta cheese
  • 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions: Preheat oven to 375 with cast-iron skillet inside. Toss grape tomatoes with garlic, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Add to skillet and roast 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside. Meanwhile prepare quinoa either on stove-top or microwave. Toss quinoa with tomatoes and their juices, feta and parsley. Serve.

This dish is just as good warm as it is cold. I tossed the leftovers with salad greens and brought them as the best out-of-the-ordinary work lunch I’ve had in awhile.

 

Disclaimer: We received free samples of golden quinoa from our friends at Village Harvest. However, our opinions are our own and we were not compensated for our time.

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