Strawberry Salad with Candied Hazelnuts (Vegan)

Here we have Strawberry Salad with Candied Hazelnuts
served along side bbq tofu.

Recipe from Minimalist Baker
Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen 
Servings: 4 (2-cup servings)

It’s strawberry season where we live, therefore, we must eat ‘em any way we can.  Minimalist Baker has consistently posted great recipes and so I was pretty confident this one would be great too.  I confess to making a double batch of the hazelnuts to toss in other salads for the week, but they are absolutely the perfect nut to pair with the strawberries.  I buy vegan feta cheese from Trader Joes.  The strawberries were locally grown and so they were extra tasty.  All in all, this salad is summer in a bowl.  Yum!

Hazelnuts
1 heaping cup raw hazelnuts, roughly chopped
2 tsp olive oil or melted coconut oil
1 Tbsp coconut sugar
2 tsp maple syrup (or agave nectar)
1 pinch sea salt
1 pinch ground cinnamon

Dressing
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp maple syrup
1-2 Tbsp minced shallot
1 pinch each sea salt and black pepper

Salad
1 (5-oz.) package baby spinach OR mixed baby greens
1 ½ cups thinly sliced strawberries
1/4 cup vegan feta cheese crumbles 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and add raw hazelnuts to a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Once oven is preheated, toast hazelnuts for 7 minutes. Then remove from oven and add remaining ingredients directly to the hazelnuts (oil, coconut sugar, maple syrup, sea salt, and cinnamon). Use a spatula to thoroughly toss/combine.
Place back in oven and roast for another 4-6 minutes or until fragrant and golden brown. Set aside to cool.
In the meantime, prepare dressing by adding all ingredients to a jar (or mixing bowl) and shaking vigorously (or whisking) to combine. Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more balsamic for acidity, maple syrup for sweetness, salt or pepper for flavor balance, or olive oil for creaminess. Set aside.

To serve, add spinach or baby lettuces/greens, half of the strawberries, and half of the roasted hazelnuts to a large mixing/serving bowl. Drizzle with half of the dressing and toss to combine.
Plate and garnish with the vegan feta and remaining strawberries and hazelnuts, and serve with remaining dressing (if you like a more heavily dressed salad).
Best when fresh, though leftovers store separately in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Store hazelnuts well sealed at room temperature.

Nutritional Info: (1 of 4 servings) Calories: 368; Carbohydrates: 19.1 g; Protein: 7 g; Fat: 31.9 g; Saturated Fat: 2.9 g; Polyunsaturated Fat: 4 g; Monounsaturated Fat: 23.5 g; Trans Fat: 0 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 68 mg Potassium: 557 mg; Fiber: 5.6 g; Sugar: 11.2 g; Vitamin A: 3337 IU; Vitamin C: 43 mg; Calcium: 94 mg; Iron: 3 mg

Country Mushroom and Nut Pâté

Serves 8

Recipe from Epicurious

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

This mushroom appetizer was a big hit at a recent gathering of friends.  I made it using fresh chanterelle mushrooms that my husband found in the woods.  You can use regular mushrooms or even shiitake mushrooms.  This dish is great for a party because it can be made a day or two in advance. 

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1 ½ pounds mushrooms, sliced

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

¾ cup whole or slivered almonds, toasted

¼ cup hazelnuts, toasted**

2 Tablespoons peanut oil

4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

¼ teaspoon dried thyme

3 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Assorted crackers or French bread baguette slices, for serving

Line a 1-quart bowl or loaf pan with plastic wrap, extending over the sides.  Set aside.

Melt the butter in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the mushrooms, onion, and garlic; sauté until the liquid has evaporated and mushrooms are golden brown, about 20 minutes.  Set aside 1 cup of the mushroom mixture.  Cool slightly.

Coarsely chop the almonds and hazelnuts in a food processor; remove 2 Tablespoons of the nut mixture and set aside.  Continue chopping the rest of the nut mixture, slowly adding the peanut oil until the mixture is well blended.  Add the mushroom mixture that is still in the skillet, cream cheese, salt, cayenne, and thyme to the nut mixture in the food processor.  Blend thoroughly.  Transfer this to a large bowl and mix in the parsley, the reserved mushroom mixture and nuts.  Transfer to the prepared bowl/loaf pan and smooth the top.  Cover and chill at least 4 hours or overnight.  Turn the pâté out onto a platter.  Peel off the plastic wrap.  Surround with crackers or baguette slices.

**To toast hazelnuts and remove their skins:  Heat the oven to 350 F.  Spread the nuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.  Toast the hazelnuts 12-15 minutes.  Pour the nuts onto a clean kitchen towel.  Gather the towel around the nuts and rub together until most of the skins have come off.  (Don’t worry about getting off every bit.)

Fresh Berry Pie with Toasted Nut Crust

This Fresh Berry Pie with Toasted Nut Crust was made

in a spring form pan.

This Fresh Berry Pie with Toasted Nut Crust was made

in a standard glass pie plate.

Serves 8

Recipe from http://www.vegetariantimes.com

Husband Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

When the berries are in abundance, make this delectable pie.  A crumbly homemade nut crust sets this tart apart from other berry pies. This pie is not too sweet.  And it’s not half bad for you too.  There’s protein from the nuts and egg, plus the crust also includes whole-wheat flour.  Using nonfat yogurt and light sour cream for the filling cuts down on calories.  And to top it off, each slice is loaded with berries.  If you are a pie novice, the crust is the “press in” type.  You could even bake the pie shell, crumble it up and then layer it with the filling and berries for a beautiful parfait. 

Crust

¼ cup each almonds, pecans, and hazelnuts (You could also substitute walnuts for any of these nuts.)

¾ cup whole-wheat flour

¼ cup sugar

¼ tsp. salt

6 Tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, diced

1 large egg yolk

Filling (If you like lots of filling, the ingredients can be doubled.)

½ cup light sour cream

½ cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt, drained of whey**

2 Tablespoons light brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon freshly grated orange zest

1 Tablespoon fresh orange juice

2 cups blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and/or black raspberries

1 Tablespoon sugar

**Note: Draining the whey will thicken the yogurt.  Here’s how:  Place a coffee filter in a sieve.  Put the yogurt in the coffee filter.  Place the sieve over a bowl and store in the refrigerator overnight or for several hours.  The whey (liquid) will have dripped to the bottom of the bowl leaving the yogurt thickened in the filter.  The consistency will be similar to cream cheese.

To make crust: Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 8 or 9-inch pie pan or tart pan with cooking spray. Set aside. Spread nuts on baking sheet and toast in oven 12 to 15 minutes, or until browned. Set aside to cool.

When the nuts have cooled, pulse nuts, flour, sugar, and salt in food processor until nuts are very finely ground. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add egg yolk and pulse until moist clumps form. Press dough into bottom and sides of prepared pan until about ¼-inch thick, and pierce with fork. Freeze for 30 minutes. 


Adjust oven temperature to 400°F. Bake Crust 12 to 14 minutes, or until golden. Cool completely before filling.

To make filling: whisk together sour cream, thickened yogurt, brown sugar, vanilla, orange juice and orange zest in small bowl. Spread sour cream mixture in crust with spatula. Chill. (The filling will thicken and set up after it has chilled in the refrigerator.)  Toss berries with 1 Tablespoon sugar in separate bowl. Spoon berries over top a little at a time, until sour cream mixture is evenly covered. Refrigerate 30 to 60 minutes before serving.  It can be made up to three days ahead and refrigerated until ready to use.

*Note:  I’ve made this pie many times.  Sometimes I’ve had a little trouble removing a piece of this pie without the slice falling apart. (When that happens, I just pile the fabulous nut crust chunks, filling and berries right on a plate or layer them in parfait glasses.  That’s what Julia Child would most likely do.)  However, I’ve had much better success with keeping the slices in tact by preparing the pie in an 8-inch spring form pan. After removing the spring form “frame” the tart/pie slides right out and is much easier to serve.

Per Slice:  Calories: 288; Protein: 6 g; Total Fat: 19 g; Saturated Fat: 9 g; Carbohydrates: 26 g; Cholesterol: 58 mg; Sodium: 87 mg; Fiber: 4 g; Sugar: 13 g

Here's a photo of this fabulous pie with
fresh-picked, local Amish strawberries.

And here it is with lovely raspberries!

Butternut Squash Gratin with Goat Cheese and Hazelnuts

Recipe from Bon Appétit November 2007 Molly Stevens

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen with Marimar

Serves 10

Our beautiful daughter-in-law, Marimar, is a wonderful cook. When she and our son come to visit during the holidays, she and I spend much of the time cooking. We served this dish for our Christmas dinner. Our good buddies, Bob and Debbie, joined us for this special meal. Debbie was chatting away during dinner. She stopped mid-sentence and said, “I’m sorry, but I can’t do conversation right now….This is incredible!!” We all thought so too. You must try this for your next dinner party. It can be made in advance and popped in the oven before serving. It’s absolutely lovely to look at. There’s just a hint of sweetness from the butternut squash that is balanced perfectly by the creamy saltiness of the goat cheese and the crunch of the hazelnuts. All of the ingredients can be found at Lost River Market & Deli, including local goat cheese. (If you’ve never toasted and husked hazelnuts before, the directions are at the end of this recipe.)

• 3 1/2 pounds butternut squash (about 2 medium), peeled, seeded, cut into 3/4- to 1-inch cubes (8 cups)

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• Kosher salt

• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, divided

• 3 cups sliced leeks (white and pale green parts only, about 2 large leeks)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage

• 1 5.5-ounce log soft fresh goat cheese, crumbled

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

• 1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted, husked, coarsely chopped (If you don’t have hazelnuts or you don’t wish to bother with husking them, try pecans. However, we thought the hazelnuts were FABULOUS in this dish and certainly worth the effort!) (Hazelnuts are also called Filberts.)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place butternut squash cubes and olive oil in large bowl; sprinkle with coarse kosher salt and ground pepper and toss to coat. Spread out squash cubes on large rimmed baking sheet. Roast until just tender and beginning to brown, stirring occasionally, about 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt 3 tablespoons butter in heavy medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add sliced leeks and chopped sage; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté until tender but not brown, about 15 minutes. Coat 11x7-inch baking dish with remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Spread half of leek mixture over bottom of prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with half of squash and half of cheese. Repeat layering with leeks, squash, and cheese.

DO AHEAD: Can be made to this point 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Pour cream evenly over gratin. Sprinkle with toasted chopped hazelnuts. Bake uncovered until gratin is heated through and cream is bubbling, about 30 minutes (40 minutes if previously chilled).

How to toast and husk hazelnuts: Preheat oven to 275. Place the hazelnuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet; Bake until the skins crack, about 25-30 minutes. Transfer to a clean kitchen towel and roll up. Let steam in the towel for 5 minutes. Rub the bundled-up nuts vigorously. Some skin will remain; this is fine.