Easy cashew chicken fried rice recipe

If you are in the mood for Asian, this easy cashew chicken fried rice is the perfect recipe to satisfy your craving. Inspired by restaurant-style fried rice, this dish is packed with chicken, pineapple, red pepper, peas and toasted cashews. This one pot meal is all you need instead of turning to take-out.
Ingredients:
1 lb. chicken breasts, cut into cubes 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided 2 eggs, beaten with a dash of soy sauce 1 1/2 cups cubed fresh or canned pineapple 1 large red bell pepper, diced 1/2 cup frozen peas, defrosted 3 green onions, green and white parts, thinly sliced 2 cloves garlic, finely minced 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger 1/2 cup chopped raw, unsalted cashews 2 cups cooked and chilled rice, white or brown 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce 1 to 2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce 1 small lime, juiced 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped

Directions:
Step 1: Marinate chicken in 2 teaspoons of soy sauce and freshly ground black pepper and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Step 2: Heat one tablespoon of oil in a large skillet or wok over medium high heat. Add the chicken to the pan and cook until the chicken is no longer pink, about 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
Step 3: In the same pan, add a teaspoon of oil and gently scramble the eggs. Scoop the eggs into a bowl and set aside.
Step 4: Add one tablespoon of oil to the pan and add the pineapple and red pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until the pineapple is caramelized on the edges and the red pepper has softened, about 3 to 5 minutes. Then add the green onion, peas, ginger and garlic. Cook, while stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds or longer. Transfer the contents of the pan to your bowl of eggs.
Step 5: Add the remaining two teaspoons of oil to the pan. Pour in the cashews and toast them, stirring constantly, until the cashews smell fragrant and have turned golden brown, about 30 seconds. Add the rice to the pan and stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice is hot, about 3 minutes.
Step 6: Pour the cooked vegetables and eggs back into the pan with the rice and stir to combine. Season with soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, and lime juice. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Garnish with fresh cilantro.
By: Leah Rodrigues
Recipe courtesy: foodista.com

read more

VEGAN GNOCCHI WITH THYME VINAIGRETTE AND CASHEW CREAM

SERVES

2-3

INGREDIENTS

For Gnocchi:

• 2 russet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 1 Cup bread flour

For Thyme Vinaigrette:

• 2 Tbsp. fresh thyme, leaves only
• 1-2 pinches salt, to taste
• 4 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. white wine vinegar

For Lemon Cashew Cream:

• 1 cup water
• 1 1/4 cups cashews
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1/2-1 tsp. lemon juice

PREPARATION

For Thyme Vinaigrette:

1. Strip the thyme leaves off their stems into a mortar. Add a pinch or two of salt and grind with the pestle until a rough paste is formed.
2. Add oil and vinegar and mix again. Don’t worry if it’s emulsified, it just needs to be mixed. Taste and adjust salt or vinegar as needed. Set aside.

For Lemon Cashew Sauce:

1. Place all the ingredients for the cashew cream in a blender and blend on high until thick and smooth. Adjust seasoning if needed.

For the Gnocchi:

1. Boil potatoes till soft.
2. Peel potatoes and let cool for 10-15 min.
3. Push potatoes through ricer or food mill and form a mound on your workstation.
4. Adding flour ½ cup at a time knead dough till ball forms.
5. Shape the dough into long ½ inch thick ropes.
6. Using a bench scraper, cut each rope into ½ inch pieces.
7. For final shaping, roll each piece pressing slightly across a fork to form rough surface on top and slight concave underneath.
8. Drop each piece into simmering water and cook until 30 seconds after they float to the top.
9. Toss lightly with vinaigrette.
10. Plate and drizzle with Cashew Sauce.

read more

The best of cashew chicken

If you’ve ever been hungry for Chinese food and saw cashew chicken on the menu, you might have ordered it without thinking much about its history.

Unless you’re from Springfield, you probably didn’t know that cashew chicken was created here and has a rich history. If you’re from Springfield, you probably know that Leong’s Asian Diner is the “home of the original Springfield style cashew chicken,” according to its website.

The dish was invented by David Leong, who came to the United States from Guangdong, China, and became an American citizen at the age of 19. Leong fought in World War II and would often cook in the middle of combat. His friends told him that he needed to start his own restaurant, so he teamed up with a doctor in Springfield, who helped him open the Lotus Garden, which was the first Asian restaurant in town. After a fall out, Leong opened up Leong’s Tea House in 1963 off Sunshine Street across from KY3’s station. The restaurant, now called Leong’s Asian Diner, is now located off Republic Road.

Wing Yee Leong is the son of David Leong and the executive chef and owner of Leong’s. If you go into Leong’s today, you can see him cooking up his father’s original cashew chicken recipe.

Wing Yee said his father came up with the recipe when a friend came into the restaurant one day asking for something new.

“Back then, there was no boneless chicken,” Wing Yee said. “He boned the chicken and took the authentic Asian dish of stir fry chicken and battered and fried it to adapt to the Ozark lifestyle. He came up with Asian sauce, like an oyster sauce, and threw cashews and green onions on it. The guy loved it.”

Wing Yee said once word started spreading about the new dish, the restaurant was constantly busy with customers dying to try it.

Since the 1970s, several restaurants have adopted this recipe into their menus.

“It has caught on so much. Now, there is cashew chicken all over the nation. You’ll see signs outside restaurants that say, ‘We feature Springfield style cashew chicken,’” Wing Yee said.

I asked some Missouri State students where to get the best cashew chicken in Springfield.

Callee-Mae Bertram, a sophomore professional writing major, said she first tried Leong’s about a year ago. She ate cashew chicken in her hometown of Lebanon, Missouri, before coming to Springfield, but after trying Leong’s, she fell in love with the restaurant and claimed it as her favorite.

“The quality is really good. Plus you get enough for two meals so that’s nice,” Bertram said.

Trev Burnham, a senior business major from southeast Missouri, said he ate cashew chicken before coming to school in Springfield and thought it was offered everywhere.

“I thought it was a casual dish,” Burnham said. “I didn’t realize it had such a rich culture and story behind it.”

He first had it at Hong Kong Inn, and it’s been his favorite ever since.

“I’ve tried a few places since then, but I just prefer the Hong Kong Inn because it has good taste and is pretty cheap too.”

Spencer Trower, a senior logistics and supply chain management major, claimed Triple Eights has the best cashew chicken.

“You can get the cashew chicken, rice and a side for like five bucks,” Trower said. “I go there at least twice a week.”

I also talked to some area natives, who love and rave about their regional favorite. Some even bragged about how it was created here.

Derek Pon, a graduate student in business administration, has lived in Springfield his whole life.

“Most of us grew up on and are excited about the fact cashew chicken originated here — our bragging rights if you will,” Pon said.

He said his favorite place to get the local favorite used to be a place called Yen’s, but because it closed, he gives Peking House the people’s choice for the best cashew chicken.

“That’s where most everyone in the east side high schools would go,” Pon said. “Because once you get combo C, you’ll see.”

Emily Burwell, a senior elementary education major, has lived in Springfield her whole life as well. She also prefers to go to Peking House because the portion sizes are so big.

“The (cashew chicken) sauce is unlike any other and it is always fresh,” Burwell said. “It’s right next to my high school so we would always go there before games. It’s even where I always want to go for my birthday.”

Sam Boone, a senior exercise and movement science major, has lived in Springfield for almost 22 years. He said he realized cashew chicken was a Springfield specialty in kindergarten when they served it for lunch one day in the cafeteria.

“People around town started chirpin’ about his place called Lucy’s, and my family, after hearing how much I liked it at school, took me there one day and I fell in love,” Boone said.

He said he tried several other Chinese restaurants after his first trip to Lucy’s, but he didn’t seem to find anything better and has been a Lucy’s fan for years now.

“I would always come back to Lucy’s, like a cashew chicken boomerang of love.”

Lucy’s won 417 Magazine’s “Best of 417” award for best cashew chicken in 2006 and has won first runner up in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2012.

Ashlyn Baker, a junior early childhood education major, prefers Bao Bao for her cashew chicken. Prior to discovering Bao Bao, she thought that the Chinese buffet in her hometown of Ava was the best Chinese she had ever tasted.

“It took me two years to find a place up here that I like as much or more than the place in Ava,” Baker said.

She said she tried six or seven places before she found Bao Bao, and they have the best cashew chicken in Springfield. Bao Bao has dine in or carry out; great prices and lunch portions are available all day.

read more

Carrot, orange and cashew salad

I’m not usually a fan of fruit in salads, but it really works here as the orange pieces are sautéed with the date (or maple) syrup and cumin, which totally changes their texture and taste. They lose their acidity and become soft enough to blend perfectly with the other ingredients. The salad is then dressed with orange juice, too, and it all has a wonderfully sweet feel to it.

SERVES 4 OR MORE

· 4 carrots

· 200g (7oz) raisins

· 5 oranges

· 1 teaspoon ground cumin

· 2 teaspoons date syrup or maple syrup

· 200g (7oz) cashews

· 180g (6¼ oz) pitted olives

· salt and pepper

♥ Peel the carrots then use the peeler to slice them into thin slivers. Place these in a large bowl.

♥ Put the raisins in a bowl of boiling water and let them soak while everything else is being prepared. This makes them much plumper and juicier.

♥ Peel four of the oranges, taking off the pith. Cut the oranges into bite-sized segments and place these in a saucepan with the cumin and date syrup – they don’t need any oil as they have their own juice. Sauté the oranges on a medium heat for about 5 minutes until they’re really nice and soft. Then pour them and all the juices in the pan over the carrots.

♥ Now put the cashews in the same pan (so that they soak up the orange flavour) and cook them on a medium heat, stirring, for about 3 minutes or until they go slightly brown, then add these to the salad too.

♥ Squeeze the juice of the fifth orange on to the salad and mix in the olives. Drain the raisins and stir them in along with some salt and pepper before serving.

TOP TIP As you peel the carrots, rotate them as you go so that the strips stay thin. If you only peel from one place, the strips will be very wide.

Source: dailymail.co.uk

read more

Recipe: Baked Pesto Mushies with Crunchy Cashew Cheese

There was a couple I once knew who would make these amazing stuffed mushrooms. They’d bring them along to parties pre-made, chuck them in the oven for 10 minutes and pop them out for party-goers to munch on. You wouldn’t want to be in the bathroom powdering your nose when they got placed on the table. Blink and you would miss bagging yourself a delicious mushroomy morsel.

I’ve dreamt of those mushrooms for a long while. Only problem is they had cheese on them and I never did actually write the recipe down.

Then I realised you could make cheese out of cashews!

My life got significantly better after that and this vegan version of the amazing stuffed mushrooms was created.

What goes in:

20 button mushrooms

For the pesto herby goodness:

· 4 garlic cloves

· 2 spring onions

· 2 cups basil leaves

· 1/2 cup chives

· 4 small red chillies

· 1/4 cup pine nuts

· 5 tablespoons olive oil

· Juice from half a lemon

· Salt to taste

For the cashew cheesey goodness

· 3/4 cup cashews

· 2-4 tablespoons of water

· 1 garlic clove

· 3 teaspoons nutritional yeast

· Juice from half a lemon

· Salt to taste

How you do it:

Soak the cashews in water for at least three hours but overnight is better.

To make the pesto

Crush the garlic and loosely chop the herbs, chilli and spring onions. Place these and the remaining ingredients into a food processor and pulse until chopped finely. Place to one side.

To make the cashew cheese

Place your soaked cashews and the water into a food processor. Pulse until the mixture becomes smooth and free of lumps. This can take a while. Crush the garlic and then add all the remaining ingredients to the cashew mixture.  Again, pulse until everything is smooth and mixed through.

If you have the time, it’s worthwhile popping both the pesto and the cashew cheese into the fridge for a few hours to allow the flavours to blend and settle.

Assembling the mushies

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. Wash the mushrooms and pull out the stems. Scoop the pesto into the mushroom heads, then add a dollop of the cashew cheese on top. Sprinkle with freshly cracked pepper. Place in the oven and bake for 10-20 minutes until the cashew cheese is golden and the mushrooms are cooked through.

Pop them out on a serving platter and watch the little guys disappear before your eyes.

read more

India: Cashew prices rise on fresh buying

NEW DELHI: Cashew prices rose by Rs 5 per kg in the national capital today largely on the back of fresh buying by retailers and stockists due to 'Navratras' demand.
Tight supplies from growing regions also supported the upside in prices.
Cashew kernel No 180, No 210, No 240 and No 320 rose by Rs 5 each to conclude at at Rs 735-755, Rs 675-700, Rs 595-615 and Rs 515-565 per kg, respectively.
Marketmen said increased buying by retailers and stockists to meet 'Navratras' festival demand, mainly pushed up pistachio prices on the wholesale dry fruit market here.
The following are today's quotations (per 40 kg): Almond (California) Rs 13,600 Almond (Gurbandi-new) Rs 7,300-7,700; Almond (Girdhi) Rs 3,300-3,500; Abjosh Afghani Rs 8,000-20,000.
Almond Kernel (California-new) Rs 480-500 per kg, Almond Kernel (Gurbandi-new) Rs 350-450 per kg.

Source: India Times

read more

Recipe: Spicy cashew moment

By Adapted from "It's All Good: Delicious, Easy Recipes That Will Make You Look Good and Feel Great", The Washington Post

Spicy Cashew Moment, a rich condiment. (The Washington Post)

This rich, textured condiment was inspired by the smoked cashew salsa served at Empellon Taqueria, a Mexican restaurant in Manhattan's West Village.

Serve with tortilla chips or on crackers, or as a topper for Turkey and Black Bean Chili With Sweet Potatoes (see related recipe).

MAKE AHEAD: The condiment can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Adapted from "It's All Good: Delicious, Easy Recipes That Will Make You Look Good and Feel Great," by Gwyneth Paltrow and Julia Turshen (Grand Central Life & Style, 2013).

Makes a generous 1 1/4 cups.

Ingredients

1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup raw unsalted cashews

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika (pimento dulce)

1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from 3 or 4 limes)

1/3 cup water

1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Steps

Heat the 2 tablespoons of the oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers. Add the cashews and stir to coat, then add the cumin, chili powder and sweet smoked paprika and stir to coat. Cook for about 2 minutes or until the nuts begin to brown.

Transfer the mixture to a food processor, then add the jalapeno, lime juice, water, sea salt and the remaining 1/3 cup of oil. Puree until smooth. Transfer to a container and refrigerate until ready to serve.

NUTRITION: Per tablespoon serving: 80 calories, 1 g protein, 2 g carbohydrates, 8 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 125 mg sodium, 0 g dietary fiber, 0 g sugar

read more

Chicken With Cashews

Chef floWer's Note:
A Chinese type of Chicken with Cashews recipe. I added less peanut oil when I was stir-frying as I thought six tablespoons was a bit to much. I used chicken liquid stock instead of water to give the recipe more flavour. I use bean sprout instead bamboo shoots (personal taste) however I think you could add any vegetables you wish without dramatically altering the flavour. When I make this again I would add cashews to the wok to allow them to warm a little instead of sprinkling them at the end. The recipe said the yields is four servings but we had small servings for three people. This recipe is from 'Cooking with Love' by Friends of Karen, Inc Does not include marinating time.

Ingredients:

Servings: 2
Units: US | Metric
2 chicken breasts, diced
6 tablespoons corn oil or 6 tablespoons peanut oil
1/2 cup bamboo shoot, diced
1/2 cup green peppers or 1/2 cup green capsicum, diced
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1/4 cup cashew nuts
Marinate
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons cornstarch or 2 teaspoons cornflour
2 teaspoons oil

Directions:

1. In a bowl add soy sauce, water, cornstarch and oil to form the marinade. Mix well until the cornstarch as dissolved.
2. Add to the marinate chopped chicken breasts, mix well cover and marinate for 1 hour in refrigerator.
3. Heat oil in Wok until hot, add bamboo shoots and green capsicum. Stir-fry for a few minutes.
4. Remove bamboo shoots and green capsicum with slotted spoon or any spoon which drains the oil back into the wok.
5. Drain marinate and add chicken to the wok. Quickly toss and turn.
6. When chicken is cooked or slightly brown add hoisin sauce. Continue to toss.
7. Return vegetables to work.
8/ Serve over rice and sprinkle the cashew nuts.

Source: Food.com

read more

Cashew Chicken

Lately, several people have asked me for recipes that are quick and easy. I agree that we need foods that are interesting, tasty and healthful, but that do not require an unreasonable investment in time, especially on a daily basis. After all, most of us cannot commit hours of a day to prepare dinner, especially after a day’s work. We may find ourselves caught in a mealtime rush hour.

Stir-fries can meet the requirements of an evening meal that is interesting, tasty and healthful. They may include ingredients that we may not use regularly, making them interesting. These can ingredients make them tasty and they can be made healthful with lean meats and fresh vegetables.

Cashew Chicken is a dish that I order when at a restaurant that has it on the menu. I love the flavorful sauce, the tender chicken and the crunch of the roasted cashews and I admit that I love anything served over rice. The dish is simple to make at home, too, with just a few ingredients. Serving the Cashew Chicken over rice makes this dish a complete meal.

From start to finish, dinner can be on the table in about 20 minutes.

The chicken is precooked in boiling water for this dish. This gets it ready for stir-frying and keeps it tender and moist.

One of the ingredients in the recipe is fresh ginger. Fresh ginger can be purchased in the produce department of most supermarkets. It is a brown root that should be firm, not shriveled. Once purchased, it can be wrapped and stored in the freezer for longer life. When needed, a chunk of the tuber can be cut off and the remainder re-wrapped and put back into the freezer.

Another ingredient in the recipe is toasted sesame oil. Using it will add flavor to the dish, but if you don’t have it in the pantry, an oil like canola or peanut oil can be used instead.

The scallions (green onions) are added at the end of cooking and add freshness to the dish.

Serve this dish over rice for a quick and delicious meal.

CASHEW CHICKEN

1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

¾ cup roasted cashews

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce

1 cup sliced scallions

Cook chicken in a saucepan of boiling salted water until cooked through, 4 – 5 minutes; drain.

Heat oil in a wok or skillet over medium-high. Add cashews; stir-fry until fragrant, 1 minute. Add ginger and stir-fry 30 seconds. Stir in soy sauce and chili garlic sauce, then add cooked chicken; stir-fry 2 minutes more. Stir in scallions.

Source: tuscaloosanews.com

read more

Recipe: Levi Roots’ Tenderstem Broccoli, cashew and tofu stir fry

Serves 4
Cooking & Preparation time: Ten minutes

You’ll need:
250g (9oz) firm tofu, cut into 2cm (3/4 in) dice
1 red onion, roughly chopped
1 garlic clove, finely sliced
5cm (2in) fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
¼ hot red chilli (ideally Scotch Bonnet), deseeded and finely chopped
Juice of 2 limes
2tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sunflower oil
200g pack of Tenderstem broccoli cut into 2cm (3/4in) diagonal slices
100g cashew nuts
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh coriander leaves to garnish

What to do:
Mix the onion, garlic, ginger, chilli, lime juice and soy sauce in a medium sized, non-reactive container. Add the tofu and gently stir to cover with the marinade; don’t be too vigorous or you’ll break it up. (Ideally, if you have time, you can marinade the tofu for an hour before cooking or ideally overnight but this is not essential.)

Take the tofu out of the marinade. Drain off the liquid and reserve. Head the oil in a wok over a high heat. Add the onion, garlic, chilli, and ginger from the marinade to the pan and stir-fry for a couple of minutes. Add the Tenderstem broccoli and continue to cook for a couple of minutes more. Tip in the nuts and fry until they are patched with brown. Now add the tofu and very gently stir it in. Pour in the liquid from the marinade along with 200ml (7fl oz) water. Reduce the heat, cover and cook gently for 2 minutes or until everything is heated through.

Serve with plain rice.

Source: yourlocalguardian.co.uk

read more

Recipes for Almond Amaranth Banana Bread and Homemade Cashew Milk

Jarred up cashew milk and amaranth bread (photos by Matthew Shelley)

Our resident voracious eater, Matthew Shelley, usually takes pretty pictures and writes pretty words about other peoples’ food, but this time he’s showing you what he can do in a kitchen. I’m sorry to report that he’s off the market, ladies. Mr. Shelley is engaged.

I am no chef. I am no baker. Now that I am absolved, let me say this, I do love to make food. I like to think of myself of a practitioner of love in the kitchen. I want my home to be a place of production, not just consumption. So I found this recipe on the Whole Food’s recipe website, but I decided to make some minor changes. I will share this with you, as well as a recipe for nut milk, which goes well with this savory and sweet loaf of banana bread.

I know the idea of making your own milk may seem alien at first, but it’s outrageously simple and I find myself beaming with pride after each batch I complete. The simplicity and joy of knowing exactly what’s going in your body is a wonderful feat of self-sustainability and cultivates a sense of personal truth and endowment of warmth and love. Enough with the mushy spiritual ideologies and onto the goods. All nut milks are delicious, healthy, and just plain kicka**. I normally make cashew milk because the cashews require the least time to soak before they are ready and don’t always require straining. Almonds need at least six hours to soak as they are some hard bodied little bastards. Lately I’ve been mixing almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seed kernels, and cashews for one powerhouse of a nut/seed milk. They can all soak together overnight for the easiest preparation. For this recipe, we are doing cashews, but it’s the same for all of them.

Rinsing the cashews

Soaking the nuts

Straining the Cashew Milk through the nut milk bag

Homemade Cashew Milk

½ cup raw cashews (or other nuts/seeds)
1 liter of clean water
1 nut milk bag or cheesecloth

Put cashews in a bowl. Add water so all the cashews are submerged. Allow to soak for at least 2 hours, but more time is perfectly acceptable. Also, soaking your nuts, (refrain your giggles) makes the nuts more bio-available and increases their healthful properties while also making them easier to digest. (Side note: sometimes cashews turn purple. Don’t be alarmed, they are still good.) Once the cashews have soaked, strain them and rinse them well. Some people like to let them dry and all that, but I don’t see the point. Put the cashews in a blender and add about a half cup of water. Start the blender on low and let it run for a minute while the mixture forms a nice creamy consistency. Add a little water if you need to. Once you have your nice creamy base, add water slowly and let it get all awesome. Once you’ve added the entire liter of water, let it blend for a moment and then stop. You can stop here and jar your milk if you’re okay with a little grittiness or you don’t have a nut milk bag. There is more protein if you leave the pulp in, but I sometimes prefer my milk to be smooth and grit free. Prepare a container and pour your new milk through the nut milk bag or cheesecloth into the container. It will take some time to strain through, and you can gently squeeze the bag to move the process along. After that, jar it and love it. This is good for about three to four days, and expect some separation when it’s sitting in the fridge.

After you’ve strained the milk, there will be a nice portion of nut pulp remaining in the bag or cloth. This makes a great substitute for flour in a baking recipe. I jar this as well and save a couple batches to get a usable amount. This brings us to our next recipe, the almond amaranth banana bread.

The banana bread and Cashew Milk

Almond amaranth banana bread, loaf of glory

Almond Amaranth Banana Bread

1 ¼ cup of almond pulp/flour (I used almond meal flour from the store as well as my almond pulp from making milk)
¾ cup amaranth flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
3 mashed, ripe bananas
2 large eggs (Bolsa Mercado has some incredible ungraded local eggs)
1/3 cup plain yogurt (I use Siggi’s Skyr yogurt)
2 tablespoons coconut oil (melted)
½ cup maple syrup or honey (I always substitute honey or maple syrup for sugar)
1 tablespoon of cinnamon
¾ cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350. Use the coconut oil to grease up the 8 ½ x 4 ½ inch loaf pan. I also like to add some cornmeal to the bottom and sides.

In a large bowl, whisk together almond flour, amaranth flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together bananas, eggs, yogurt, cinnamon, oil (melted), and maple syrup. Add the banana mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Fold in ½ cup of chopped walnuts. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and top with remaining walnuts.

Bake one hour. My oven hits the spot at 1 hour and ten minutes, but that’s for you to determine. Let cool, loosen sides, and remove the loaf from the pan. This bad boy is phenomenal when warm, especially with a little butter and jam. Pour yourself some of your homemade milk and have a ball, or whatever food fantasy comes to mind. When this bread cools completely, let’s say after 5 hours or even the next day, it only gets better.

This happy little loaf of nutrient packed bread is full of protein, fiber, and deliciousness. I hope it brings you love.

read more

Recipe: Caramel-Cashew Thumbprints

These cookies can be made nut-free by eliminating the cashews.

Hands on: 30 minutes

Total time: 45 minutes

Makes: 48 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 egg white
• 1 teaspoon water
• 1 1/2 cups chopped roasted, salted cashews
• 16 individually wrapped caramels (about 1/3 of 14-ounce package)
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• 3 ounces white chocolate
• 1 teaspoon vegetable shortening
• Instructions:
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter and brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg, vanilla and salt and blend on low speed 1 minute. Add flour and beat on low just until ingredients are combined. Wrap dough in plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.
• When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a pie plate, beat egg white and water until foamy. Pour cashews into a second pie plate.
• Scoop out dough and roll into 1-inch balls. Drop each ball into the beaten egg white and roll to cover, then into the cashews and roll to cover. Arrange on baking sheet 2 inches apart. Using your thumb, make an indentation in the center of each cookie. Bake 12 minutes or until edges are set.
• While cookies are baking, make caramel filling. In a small saucepan, heat caramels and cream over low heat, stirring until caramels melt, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat but keep warm.
• As soon as the cookies are done, move them to a wire rack and fill each indentation with caramel filling. Allow cookies to cool completely.
• To make the drizzle, in a small saucepan, combine white chocolate and vegetable shortening. Warm over low heat just until chocolate is melted. Using a fork, drizzle chocolate over cookies. Allow cookies to cool completely before moving. Caramel topping will be sticky for 6 hours.

Per cookie: 87 calories (percent of calories from fat, 53), 1 gram protein, 9 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, 5 grams fat (3 grams saturated), 11 milligrams cholesterol, 24 milligrams sodium.

read more

Main dish recipe: Cashew Turkey Salad Sandwiches

Ingredients

* 1-1/2 cups cubed cooked turkey breast

* 1/4 cup thinly sliced celery

* 2 tablespoons chopped dried apricots

* 2 tablespoons chopped unsalted cashews

* 1 green onion, chopped

* 1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise

* 2 tablespoons reduced-fat plain yogurt

* 1/4 teaspoon salt

* 1/4 teaspoon pepper

* 4 lettuce leaves

* 8 slices pumpernickel bread

Directions

* In a small bowl, combine the turkey, celery, apricots, cashews and onion. Combine the mayonnaise, yogurt, salt and pepper; add to turkey mixture and stir to coat.

* Place a lettuce leaf on half of the bread slices; top each with 1/2 cup turkey salad and remaining bread. Yield: 4 servings.

read more

Recipe: Chicken with Cashew Nuts

Called ‘Gai Phad Met Ma-Muang’ in Thai, this is a great winter dish and is considered one of the best Thai dishes for foreigners to taste. Its flavour betrays its Chinese origins. Use a variety of sauces and oils to get that rich, authentic taste.

Ingredients

• Boneless chicken, thinly sliced  400g
• Medium sized onion, finely chopped 1/2
• Spring onions 2
• Cashew nuts (roasted) 10-12
• Whole dried chillies 4
• Mushrooms (fresh and cut into squares) 200g
• Cornflour 3 tbsp
• Water 3 tbsp
• Oyster sauce 3 tbsp
• Soya sauce 1 tbsp
• Sesame oil 1 tbsp
• Chilli oil 1 tbsp

Method

• In a bowl coat the chicken with cornflour, adding water.
• Take a pan and pour 1 cup vegetable oil. On medium heat fry the chicken pieces until the colour changes.
• Place the fried chicken on oil absorbent paper.
• In a frying pan or wok heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil. Add onions and cook till transparent.
• Add mushrooms, oyster sauce, chilli oil, soya sauce, sesame oil and stir fry for 5 minutes.
• Now add chicken, spring onions, cashew nuts and toss for another 2 minutes.
• Lastly, mix dried chillies.
• Serve with boiled rice.

Madiha Hamid is a digital media professional. She loves the food traditions unique to families. She is running a food blog for Pakistani and regional cuisines called cheflingtales.com

read more