Tag Archives: walnuts

Food

Salmon with Arugula Walnut Sauce

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A beautiful filet of wild salmon, some fresh organic zucchini and arugula were the inspiration for this plate.

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I am always looking to add spices and tastes from my heritage to my cooking when I can.

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I also grew up with beautiful large walnuts trees which first gave the succulent raw walnuts which are white in the interior and then the beautiful dried ones that we all know so well. Walnuts are a staple in my pantry, I buy in bulk and keep them in the freezer.

The sauce is a play on the flavors of cumin and mustard to start with and then the flesh spiciness of arugula an garlic pulls it all together. It will stay in the fridge for a while to be used on salads and others dishes during the week so do invest in making a batch.

 

IMG_8823_HDRI have used 3 organic zucchinis so you will have leftovers for the week. The zucchini is inspired by Ayurveda which calls for simple ingredients. I have used clarified butter, cumin, mustard and fresh curry leaves….. the flavor is just amazing

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Salmon with Arugula Walnut Sauce

  • Servings: 2
  • Difficulty: easy
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A simple pan-seared Salmon served with Zucchini and a Walnut Arugula Pesto .

Credit: Food for the Soul

Ingredients

Salmon

  • 2 fillets of wild salmon
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 tablespoon Grapeseed oil

Zucchini

  • 3 organic zucchini
  • 1 tablespoon Ghee ( clarified butter)
  • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1/2 mustard seeds
  • 10 pieces curry leaves
  • Himalayan salt to taste

Sauce

  • 1 bunch Arugula
  • 1/2 cup parsley leaves
  • 1/2 cup walnuts
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1/2 tsp lemon zest
  • 1/2 red o1-inch
  • inch piece of Feta cheese (optional)
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Pat fillets dry with a paper towel. Season on both sides with salt and pepper and set aside.
  2. Run the ingredients for the sauce through the food processor adding water if needed and set aside. I like the taste Feta brings to this sauce but do adjust to your own taste
  3. Chop the zucchini into bite size pieces. In a skillet, add Ghee, cumin seeds, mustard seeds and curry leaves.
  4. When the spice starts to splutter add the cut zucchini and sauté on medium heat until tender. Salt to taste as you go,
  5. Put a cast-iron skillet or heavy pan over high heat. Add grapeseed oil and when the oil is hot the fillets in the pan, flesh side down and let sear for 1 minute. Flip to skin side down and let it cook for 3-4 minutes until the skin is crisp.
  6. To serve, plate the sauce and layer on the zucchini topped with the Salmon.

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Easy Recipes

Sharing this at Fiesta Friday with  Ginger  and Julianna

Dessert, Food

Figs with walnuts, yoghurt and honey

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Figs, one of the oldest fruit cultivated and consumed by humans traverses global cultures and complex history. Fresh, dried and preserved figs have carried many a generations through culinary experience of reaping its sweet benefits.IMG_7171

 

When I saw my parent’s fig ( Anjeer) tree in Kashmir this summer, I was in complete awe. It took my dear friend Imtiaz a fair amount of effort to climb up and get me a basket. My newly planted tree in Virginia seemed dwarfed and needed way too much maintenance.IMG_6923

I am not giving though, my Virginia tree now is freshly fertilized and nurtured and although just a few months old has delivered a few fruit.

When you don’t have enough figs growing, there is always the local market. Beautiful figs were calling me and I brought them home.

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This recipe is simple with drained thick yoghurt, toasted walnuts and a drizzle of saffron infused honey. The walnuts and saffron are from Kashmir which are the absolute best. Be careful not to burn the walnuts and just lightly toast them.

Please note that I used drained coconut yoghurt so this version is DF. Experiment to your taste.

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I have paired this with my coconut orange cake.

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Figs with walnuts, yoghurt and honey

  • Servings: 2
  • Difficulty: easy
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a simple summer dessert

Credit: https://foodforthesoul00.com/ 

Ingredients

  • 5-6 fresh figs slices
  • 1 cup drained Greek yoghurt or drained coconut yoghurt
  • 1/2 cup toasted  walnuts
  • 1/2 cup raw organic honey
  • 1 pinch saffron
  • 1/4 tsp lemon zest
  • 1/4 tsp orange blossom water
  • Squeeze of 1/2 lemon

Directions

  • Warm the honey over low heat with saffron, lemon zest, orange blossom and lemon juice for 5 mins. Don’t not let it boil. Let it cool to room temperature.
  • Toast Walnuts in a dry small skillet over medium-low heat, tossing often, until golden brown, about 4 minutes.  Let them cool
  • Serve yogurt and figs drizzled with warm honey mixture and topped with toasted walnuts. A slice of cake pairs perfectly.

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It’s been a long time since I shared with my friends at Angie’s Fiesta Friday so here goes. Thanks to the cohosts this week  Colleen @ Faith, Hope, Love & Luck and Alex @ Turks Who Eat

 

Fish, Food

Tandoori Salmon with Pomegranate Walnut Chutney

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A kicked up spiced salmon that is so easy and quick to make. Just marinate and bake. I have made it a little fancier by pairing with turnip greens and a pomegranate walnut radish chutney.

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This would make a great weeknight night dinner. You make the chutney ahead of time and refrigerate. The greens can be any greens….turnip, spinach, kale or collards and are quick and easy to put together.

I love Salmon but try and stay away from the farm raised version. Do use a wild caught salmon fillet with skin. The marinade is an easy tandoori marinate and I have a added a couple of tablespoons of pomegranate juice to it for sweetness.

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The chutney has its inspiration from a Kashmir chutney from which I have diverged. If you want to see the original one with yoghurt, check it out on my blog Walnut and Radish Chutney

Fall vegetables are amazing and full of flavor. Turnips are one or my favorites in this autumn season. I have the basic recipe here but there are a couple of recipes for turnips and greens on my blog that you can use. I found the baby turnips at the farmers market and such delicious greens including spinach, beet greens and radishes.

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Tandoori Salmon with Pomegranate Walnut Chutney

  • Servings: 2
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

a spiced salmon baked in the oven served with pomegranate walnut chutney

Credit: https://foodforthesoul00.com/ 

Ingredients

Salmon

  • 2-3 pieces of  wild-caught Salmon
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 tsp minced fresh ginger
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1/2 tsp garam masala
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoons pomegranate juice
  • 1 tablespoon  grapeseed oil
  • Pomegranate seeds for garnish

Walnut Pomegranate chutney

  • 1 cup walnut soaked in water for an hour
  • 5-6 red radishes
  • 1 green chili
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 1 cup pomegranate seeds
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Turnip and greens

  • 1 bunch turnip greens/beet greens/radish greens
  • 1 bunch fresh spinach
  • 2 baby turnips – quartered
  •  3 cloves garlic
  • 2 whole dried red chilies
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Mustard or grapeseed oil

Directions

Salmon

  1. Mix the ingredients together and marinate the salmon pieces.
  2. Set aside for 10 mins
  3. Preheat the oven to 425F
  4. Put the salmon on the baking sheet (skin-side down), then put it in the oven.
  5. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Pomegranate Walnut Chutney

  1. Blend all the ingredients together and season to taste.

Turnip greens

  1. Heat the oil in a pan.
  2. Add garlic and chilies and sauté for  for a couple of minutes making sure the garlic does not burn
  3. Add the turnips and fry until golden
  4. Add all the greens and mix together until wilted
  5. Season with salt and pepper
  6. Add the vinegar and cook on medium heat until tender. You may need to add a dash of water to continue the cooking.

To plate…spread the chutney out on a plate, layer on the greens and top with the salmon. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and serve.

Angie’s Fiesta Friday is where the party is so come and vote! for your favorite dish!

Food, side dishes, Snack

Green Banana Walnut Kebabs with garlic greens

29 Comments

Raw or Green banana is just an unripe yellow banana but it is firm and not sweet. It needs to be cooked (boiled or fried) to bring out the taste. Nutritionally, the green banana is a good source of fiber, vitamins and minerals, and contains a resistance starch that may help control blood sugar.

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Green Banana and Walnut Kebabs

It is pretty easy to cook and these cool kebabs and the addition of aromatic herbs and spices helps the banana stand out as the main ingredient.

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I used garlic greens since I had them harvested and was looking for  ways to use them. You can leave them out if you don’t have them.  I did not add a boiled potato as I would normally in veggie kebabs as the consistently looked perfect and I opted to leave the extra starch out.

This consistency should come out something like this:

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Green Banana and Walnut Kebabs Dough

Walnuts are my favorite tree nuts to use and always remind me of being under a walnut tree in Kashmir trying to bring down the big green raw nuts , breaking them apart and savoring the exquisite white flesh inside.  Besides the fabulous taste Walnuts are rich in omega-3 fats and contain higher amounts of antioxidants than most other foods.

 

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Green Banana and Walnut Kebabs

Green Banana and Walnut Kebabs

Green Banana and Walnut Kebabs

Green Banana and Walnut Kebabs

  • Servings: 12
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Ingredients:

  • 3 raw green bananasBananaKebabs-4
  • 1/2 cup rice flour
  • 1/2 cup cilantro
  • 1/3 cup mint leaves
  • 1 cup garlic greens (optional)
  • 2 green chilies
  • 1 cup dry walnuts
  • 1-2 inch piece of ginger
  • 1/2 tsp cumin powder
  • 1/4 tsp garam masala
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
  • Avocado oil for frying ( you can use another oil you like)

Putting it together:

  1. Pressure cook the raw bananas in 1/2 cup water for about 3-4 whistles. You can also microwave the raw bananas in high for 5 minutes
  2. Add walnuts to a food processor and chop coarsely and set aside in a bowl.
  3. Add cilantro, mint, green garlic, green chili and ginger to the same food  processor and pulse until blended but still coarse. Transfer to the bowl with walnuts
  4. Pulse the cooked banana in the food processor and transfer this to the bowl with other ingredients as well. You can also mash the bananas by hand.
  5. Add salt, pepper, garam masala and cumin. Add rice flour a tablespoon at a time and mix everything together until you have a dough consistently. It should still be soft.
  6. Make balls, flatten to a patty and pan fry to a golden brown.
  7. Serve hot with cilantro mint garlic chutney .

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Taking this along with my  chutney will to  Angie’s Fiesta Friday where the co-hosts this week are Kaila @ GF Life 24/7 and Laurena @ Life Diet Health

Food, Lunch, salad

Watermelon Radish salad with Ginger Miso vinaigrette

15 Comments

A simple salad featuring the beautiful crisp colorful watermelon radish. Tossed with baby kale, walnuts, sprouts, goat cheese and a tangy ginger vinaigrette. Th

Watermelon Radish Salad with Ginger Miso dressing
Watermelon Radish Salad with Ginger Miso dressing

 

This is the first lunch I have made in my re vamped kitchen. It’s been a month of no cooking as the kitchen was gutted and resurrected again…shiny marbly white:) Looks too clean to cook in right now but I am sure I will wear it down.

A trip to restock the kitchen located this beautiful watermelon radish and a sprout mix at the local MOMs organic market. I am still looking for my pots and pans but thought I can certainly do a delicious spring salad.

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The dressing is a blend of fresh ginger and miso with rice vinegar and honey.IMG_2265

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Watermelon Radish salad with Ginger Miso vinaigrette

  • Servings: 2
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Ingredients:

Dressing:

Ginger 1 inch

Watermelon Radish Salad with Ginger Miso dressing
Watermelon Radish Salad with Ginger Miso dressing

Miso paste 1 tsp

Rice vinegar – 2 tbspn

Lemon juice – 1 tsp

Raw honey – 1 tbsp

Grapeseed oil – 1 tbsp

Pink or Sea Salt – to taste

 

Salad:

A bunch Baby Kale

One Thinly sliced watermelon radish

One cup Mix of power sprouts ( Alfalfa,  radhis, garbanzo, lentils)

Crumbled goat cheese

Toasted walnuts about 1/2 cup

 

Putting it together:

Put the dressing ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy.

Assemble the salad topping with cheese and walnuts. Spoon over the dressing.

 

 

Its been a while since I joined Angie and friends at Fiesta Friday but am ready to join the party co hosted by  Jhuls @ The Not So Creative Cook

 

 

 

 

 

Food, Snack

Heavenly Energy Balls

13 Comments

It is a sweet sublime pleasure to continue experimenting with food and recipes. Working with your hands, imagination, the sense of smell tastes and optics. Never fails to enrich your soul, like music, like literature, like growing plants, like creating art.

Energy Balls with Nuts and Dried Fruit
Energy Balls with Nuts and Dried Fruit

Enough said. I was looking for something to take for my sister as I went to visit her in NY. It had to be decedent yet healthy and energy rich for a avid runner. My inspiration and base recipe come from Lili’s Spirulina energy balls…..just minus the Spirulina. Thank you Lili.

Make these….they travel well, refrigerate well and freeze well ( if you don’t finish them first)

The ingredients
The ingredients

The measurements are listed here for reference, but I usually just add and subtract to get the right consistency.  I also like to soak the nuts – soaking will break down the phytic acid and help digest the nuts. Use all organic ingredients to get the best nutrition out of this.

Here is what you need:

  • 1 and 1/2 cup walnuts ( soaked for a few hours and drained )
  • 1 cup dried Apricots ( chopped)
  • 7-8 Mehjool dates  ( pitted ad chopped)
  • 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
  • 1 tbsp coconut nectar ( or raw honey)
  • 2 tbsp raw cacao pwd
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 tsp Almond meal
  • 1tsp Maca pwd ( optional if you don’t have it)
  • Extra coconut flakes and Almond meal for rolling
Energy Balls with Nuts and Dried Fruit
Energy Balls with Nuts and Dried Fruit

Putting it together:

Could not be simpler. Grind the ingredients using a good food processor until everything comes together in a coarse paste.

Roll the balls with moist hands and then cover with coconut flakes and almond meal you reserved for rolling.

Set in the fridge for an hour.

Snack, dessert, workout food, breakfast??

Fiesta Friday is on and I am ready. Thanks to our co-hosts are Loretta @ Safari Of The Mind and Caroline @ Caroline’s Cooking.

Energy Balls with Nuts and Dried Fruit
Energy Balls with Nuts and Dried Fruit
Chutney, Food, Kashmir

Walnut and Radish Chutney

1 Comment

In the series of amazing chutneys inspired by the Kashmir cuisine, this is the one I make most often. I have made quite a few variations so feel free to experiment.

Walnut Radish Chutney
Walnut Radish Chutney

Walnuts and White daikon radish  are the star ingredient in this recipe both of which are abundantly found in supermarkets. Try and look for the organic versions. Continue reading Walnut and Radish Chutney →