Posts Tagged ‘Nuts’
Store-bought chocolate hazelnut spreads are often made with refined sugars, excess amounts of fat, and preservatives. This recipe replaces chocolate chips with pure cocoa powder for all the chocolatey goodness without the extra fat. It also uses fat-free evaporated milk to add milkiness and demerara raw sugar to sweeten as opposed to refined white sugar commonly used in store-bought varieties. This recipe makes approximately 3 cups.
Ingredients:
- 2.5 cups skinned hazelnuts
- 1.5 cups fat-free evaporated milk
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup raw demerara or turbinado sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup low-fat milk powder
Directions:
- Toast hazelnuts in dry skillet until fragrant. Toss frequently. Set aside to cool.
- Combine milk, cocoa, raw sugar, and salt. Heat in small pot until all ingredients are completely dissolved and slightly thicker. Set aside to cool.
- Blend hazelnuts, milk mixture, and milk powder in high-speed blender or food processor (blender preferred here, but one with a strong motor) until smooth. This may take several minutes. Scrape down sides intermittently. Enjoy with fresh strawberries!
This chutney is a perfect mix of sweet, spicy, and tangy and goes well with any protein that has an inherent bland flavor-I use tofu here. The pine nuts add a nice butteriness and the slight crisp on the tofu is also a welcome textural punch. Make sure to cook the apples only until they are just tender and still maintain their shape.
Ingredients:
- 1.5 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/4 medium red onion, diced
- 1/2 serrano chili, chopped finely
- 1 fresno chili, chopped finely
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 Red Delicious Apple, diced
- 2 tablespoons raw turbinado sugar
- 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
- 14 ounce container of extra firm tofu, patted dry and cut into 8 pieces
Directions:
- Heat oil. Add onions, chili, salt, and pepper. Cook on medium low until translucent. Stir constantly.
- Add curry powder, vinegar, and one-third cup water. Stir to combine. Cook on medium or until oil leaves edges of mixture. Add apples, raw sugar, stir, and then add 1/4 cup water. Stir to scrape off bits from bottom of pan. Bring to a boil and then simmer covered or until apples are just tender and still hold their shape. (Take off lid and evaporate out some of the water over high heat if consistency is too loose for your liking.) Fold in parsley off heat and set aside.
- Spray flat griddle with cooking spray and heat. Sear tofu on each side until golden brown. Pat gently to assist searing. Top tofu with chutney, sprinkle with a some toasted pine nuts, and enjoy!
These are a great go-to snack or even a quick breakfast item. Many commercial granola bars contain refined sugar so making them at home with these unrefined sweeteners is something to consider. Add any combinations of nuts or dried fruit you’d like. The reduced fat evaporated milk adds a nice touch of milky creaminess without too much fat.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup pecans
- 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup dried unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup light agave nectar
- 1.5 cups 2% low -fat evaporated milk, divided
- 1 teaspoon gelatin
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine all dry ingredients together in bowl and then pour into a sprayed meatloaf tin. Bring honey, nectar, and 1.25 cups of the low-fat evaporated milk to a boil.
- Meanwhile bloom gelatin in the remaining 1/4 cup of evaporated milk. Let stand for 2 minutes. Once the honey mixture comes to 245 degrees Fahrenheit, stir in the bloomed gelatin and vanilla. Stir to dissolve gelatin completely.
- Pour honey mixture over dry ingredients in meatloaf tin and press down lightly with spatula. Bake for 15 minutes. Let cool completely (put in fridge if in rush) , cut into squares, and enjoy!
