Trivia
One ounce of nuts daily can reduce the risk of heart disease by 10%. The
healthiest of nuts are high in monounsaturated fats, such as almonds,
hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, pistachios and walnuts.
Equivalencies
Almonds:
1 lb. with shells = 1 1/2 cups
1 lb. shelled = 3 1/4 cups
Cashews:
1 lb. = 3 cups
Chestnuts:
1 lb. peeled = 2 1/2 cups Hazelnuts (Filberts):
1 lb. shelled =
3 1/2 cups whole Pine Nuts:
8 oz. = 1 1/2 cups
Pecans:
1 lb. shelled = 4 cups of halves Walnuts:
1 lb. shelled = 3 1/2
cups of halves
Additional Information (Web Sites)
http://www.walnut.org
http://www.pistachios.org
http://nuthealth.org
http://www.oregonhazelnuts.org
http://www.almond.org
Recipes
Chicken Cashew Salad
by Jennifer A. Wickes
1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
1/4 cup thinly sliced celery
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
2 tablespoons chopped unsalted cashews
2
tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
2
tablespoons plain low-fat yogurt
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black
pepper sprouts
4 croissants, halved
Combine first 10 ingredients in a
bowl. Place some sprouts on 4 of the croissant halves. Spread 1/2 cup chicken
salad over sprouts; top with remaining croissant halves.
Yields: 4
servings
Pistachio Ice Cream
1 cup half and half
3/4
cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 egg yolk -- beaten
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup pistachios -- blanched, chopped
1 tablespoon
orange peel -- finely grated
1. Heat half and half in saucepan; stir in
sugar and salt.
2. Pour a small amount of hot half and half into egg yolks,
stirring constantly.
3. Return yolk mixture to half and half; cook and stir
over medium heat about 5 to 10 minutes or until
thickened and creamy. Do not
boil. Cool.
4. Stir in vanilla and heavy cream. Chill.
5. Pour into
freezer container; follow manufacturer's directions for freezing.
6. Add pistachios and orange peel when almost frozen; freeze until firm.
7. Allow ice cream to stand at least 2 hours in refrigerator-freezer to
mellow flavors.
Yields: 10 servings
BLANCHING PROCESS: To
blanch the nutmeats, pour boiling water over shelled pistachios. Let stand for
five to ten minutes, drain and cool. The skins can then be removed easily
between fingers and thumb, or by rolling between two coarse towels. Place in
warm oven at 250 degrees F, for about one hour.
Dad's Southern Pecan
Pie
Recipe By: Trent Snyder
http://foodgeeks.com
CRUST
1 cup flour
1/3 cup shortening
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons
water
PIE
3 eggs
Dash salt
1 cup dark corn syrup
2/3 cup
sugar
1/3 cup butter -- melted
1 cup pecan halves
CRUST: Cut
shortening into dry ingredients. Add water gradually until just moistened. Roll
and place into 9-inch pastry dish.
PIE: Beat eggs thoroughly with sugar,
salt, corn syrup, and melted butter. Add pecan halves. Pour into a 9-inch
unbaked pastry shell. Bake at 350 degrees F for 50 minutes or until knife
inserted halfway between center and the edge comes out clean. Cool.
NOTES : Chef's Comments: This pie recipe won the Mt. Gilead, Ohio Kiwanis club
pie bake-off in 1988!
Yields: 6 servings
Homemade Marzipan
Recipe By: TJ Hill - Appetites Catered
1 1/2 cups blanched almonds
1
cup powdered sugar -- sifted
2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon almond
extract
2 cups powdered sugar -- sifted
1 tablespoon egg white -- slightly
beaten
food coloring
powdered sugar
Process almonds in a food
processor or blender, until finely ground. Combine almonds, 1-1/3 cups
powdered
sugar, water, and almond extract in a mixer bowl. Beat on low speed, until
mixture forms a ball. Beat in 2-1/4 cups powdered sugar. Add egg whites, stir
to a consistency of clay. Divide and mix in food coloring as desired. Dust mint
molds with powdered sugar. Pack tightly into molds. Cover and store at room
temperature. Serve at room temperature.
Yields: 16 servings
Quick Baklava
Recipe By: TJ Hill - Appetites Catered
3/4 cup
unsalted butter -- melted
2 cups walnuts -- finely ground
1 tablespoon
ground cinnamon
10 sheets frozen filo dough -- thawed
1/2 cup honey --
warmed
3/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice -- strained
Lightly brush a 9x13x2-inch pan with a small amount of the melted butter.
Combine walnuts and 2-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon in a small bowl, set aside.
Cut filo sheets in half crosswise. Cover with a damp towel. Place 1 sheet onto
the bottom of the buttered pan. Brush with butter. Repeat for a total of seven
layers. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup walnut mixture. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons warmed
honey. Brush 1 filo sheet with melted butter. Place onto nut mixture. Repeat
with another filo sheet. Repeat adding nut mixture, warm honey, and two filo
sheets until no nut mixture remains. Brush 1 filo sheet with melted butter.
Place on top of nut mixture. Repeat for a total of seven sheets. Gently cut
into 1-1/2x2-inch portions.
Bake at 350 degrees F, in center of oven,
for 30-35 minutes, until golden.
Combine remaining lemon juice, honey
and cinnamon in a small saucepan, over a medium flame. Heat to a light boil.
Heat and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Pour over baklava in pan. Allow
to cool completely before serving.
Serve at room temperature.
Yields: 12 servings
This article was originally published at Suite 101.
Jennifer Wickes is the editor at "Cookbook Reviews" and "Cooking Wit The
Seasons", which has been voted to be one of the Top 100 CulinarySites on the
Internet! For more information about Jennifer Wicke or her columns, please go
to:
http://www.suite101.com/profile.cfm/CulinaryJen