walnuts Archives - Epicurean Vegan

Chipotle Lentil & Walnut Taco Filling

February 16, 2016 by Epicurean Vegan

It’s obvious we like our tacos around here. Unfortunately, we’ve lost our taste for most varieties of meatless crumbles; they just don’t taste great and for some reason, our tummies tend to not agree with them later on. That’s where lentils and walnuts come in! Together, they make the perfect combination of soft and crunchy and are way better for you than any meat-filled taco. I added two chipotle-flavored Field Roast sausages and some onion, and it all came out perfect. This recipe is definitely for a crowd of taco-loving friends and family, so feel free to halve the recipe. It also makes some leftover lentils–which I love to snack on with a little salt and pepper. Right now, we have a 17-year-old family member staying with us for a while and he’s been eating vegan for the last three weeks and has loved all of our meals; these tacos have been one of his favorites so far. Teenager tested; meat-eater approved!

INGREDIENTS:
2 C walnuts
2 C green lentils (red will get too mushy)
4-5 C vegetable broth
4 Tbs water
3 tbs olive oil, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 large onion, diced
2 Field Roast sausages, Chipotle-flavored
The rest
15-20 taco shells
Optional fixings: Guacamole or avocado slices, vegan sour cream, diced tomatoes, salsa, vegan cheddar shreds, sliced green onion, chopped cilantro, chopped lettuce

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350. Toast the walnuts for 10 minutes; set aside. Start the lentils by combining them with the broth and bringing to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 30-40 minutes. Test them periodically. You don’t want them too mushy, but not too crunchy (I know, vague, but you’ll know what I mean when you taste them.) You might need to add some more broth if it’s getting absorbed but the lentils aren’t done.

While the lentils are cooking, heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet with the garlic. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, or until softened. Toss the Field Roast sausages in the food processor and pulse a few times until they’re chunky–not too pureed. Add them to the skillet and saute with the onions.

Once the lentils are ready, drain any excess liquid and transfer 2 cups of them to the cleaned out food processor bowl. Add the walnuts, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the 4 tablespoons of water. Pulse a few times to get a chunky consistency.
Add them to the onion-Field Roast mixture and combine well. Heat thoroughly, adding a little water or broth if the mixture seems to dry.
Fill the taco shells with some of the mixture and top with your favorite taco toppers. Enjoy!

Chipotle Lentil & Walnut Taco Filling

It's obvious we like our tacos around here. Unfortunately, we've lost our taste for most varieties of meatless crumbles; they just don't taste great and for some reason, our tummies tend to not agree with them later on. That's where lentils and walnuts come in! Together, they make the perfect combination of soft and crunchy and are way better for you than any meat-filled taco. I added two chipotle-flavored Field Roast sausages and some onion, and it all came out perfect. This recipe is definitely for a crowd of taco-loving friends and family, so feel free to halve the recipe. It also makes some leftover lentils--which I love to snack on with a little salt and pepper. Right now, we have a 17-year-old family member staying with us for a while and he's been eating vegan for the last three weeks and has loved all of our meals; these tacos have been one of his favorites so far. Teenager tested; meat-eater approved!

Author: Epicurean Vegan

Ingredients

2 C walnuts
2 C green lentils (red will get too mushy)
4-5 C vegetable broth
4 Tbs water
3 tbs olive oil, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ large onion, diced
2 Field Roast sausages, Chipotle-flavored
The rest
15-20 taco shells
Optional fixings: Guacamole or avocado slices, vegan sour cream, diced tomatoes, salsa, vegan cheddar shreds, sliced green onion, chopped cilantro, chopped lettuce

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Toast the walnuts for 10 minutes; set aside.
Start the lentils by combining them with the broth and bringing to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 30-40 minutes. Test them periodically. You don't want them too mushy, but not too crunchy (I know, vague, but you'll know what I mean when you taste them.) You might need to add some more broth if it's getting absorbed but the lentils aren't done.
While the lentils are cooking, heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet with the garlic. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, or until softened.
Toss the Field Roast sausages in the food processor and pulse a few times until they're chunky--not too pureed. Add them to the skillet and saute with the onions.
Once the lentils are ready, drain any excess liquid and transfer 2 cups of them to the cleaned out food processor bowl. Add the walnuts, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the 4 tablespoons of water. Pulse a few times to get a chunky consistency.
Add them to the onion-Field Roast mixture and combine well. Heat thoroughly, adding a little water or broth if the mixture seems to dry.
Fill the taco shells with some of the mixture and top with your favorite taco toppers. Enjoy!

Pasta with Mushrooms, Walnuts & Lemon-Chive Sauce

September 3, 2014 by Epicurean Vegan

This dish is ready in the time it takes to cook the pasta; it comes together that fast. The flavorful sauce is creamy and delicious with just a hint of lemon and chives; nothing too overpowering. I also like to add a bit of crunch to an otherwise “soft” dish, so the walnuts are an ideal way to have it both ways. Enlist someone to make a salad and you have a complete meal in 15 minutes.

INGREDIENTS:
16-oz pasta of your choice
2 Tbs vegan margarine
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 C walnut pieces
3 C mushrooms, sliced
1/2 C parsley, chopped
Lemon-Chive Sauce
1 clove garlic
1 box extra firm silken tofu
1 Tbs yellow miso
1/4 C nutritional yeast
2 Tbs lemon juice
2 Tbs chives, chopped
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

DIRECTIONS:
Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Meanwhile, toss the garlic clove in the food processor and chop it up. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients and blend for 3 minutes, scraping the sides of the processor bowl when necessary. Transfer to a small saucepan and heat over low to medium heat, stirring occasionally until heated through.

In a medium skillet, melt the vegan margarine and garlic. Add the walnuts and saute for 2-3 minutes, then add the mushrooms. Cook another couple of minutes, then remove from the heat.
To serve, top the pasta with some of the mushroom-walnut mixture, some sauce and parsley. Enjoy!

Pasta with Mushrooms, Walnuts & Lemon-Chive Sauce

Prep time

15 mins

Total time

15 mins

This dish is ready in the time it takes to cook the pasta; it comes together that fast. The flavorful sauce is creamy and delicious with just a hint of lemon and chives; nothing too overpowering. I also like to add a bit of crunch to an otherwise "soft" dish, so the walnuts are an ideal way to have it both ways. Enlist someone to make a salad and you have a complete meal in 15 minutes.

Author: Epicurean Vegan

Serves: 6

Ingredients

16-oz pasta of your choice
2 Tbs vegan margarine
2 cloves garlic, minced
¾ C walnut pieces
3 C mushrooms, sliced
½ C parsley, chopped
.
Lemon-Chive Sauce
.
1 clove garlic
1 box extra firm silken tofu
1 Tbs yellow miso
¼ C nutritional yeast
2 Tbs lemon juice
2 Tbs chives, chopped
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper

Directions

Cook the pasta according to package instructions.
Meanwhile, toss the garlic clove in the food processor and chop it up. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients and blend for 3 minutes, scraping the sides of the processor bowl when necessary.
Transfer to a small saucepan and heat over low to medium heat, stirring occasionally until heated through.
In a medium skillet, melt the vegan margarine and garlic. Add the walnuts and saute for 2-3 minutes, then add the mushrooms. Cook another couple of minutes, then remove from the heat.
To serve, top the pasta with some of the mushroom-walnut mixture, some sauce and parsley. Enjoy!

A Spectacular Superfood Salad

June 26, 2014 by Epicurean Vegan

So what’s a superfood, you might ask? Well, according to the online dictionary, it’s “a nutrient-rich food considered to be especially beneficial for health and well-being.” That sounds about right. Chances are, your fridge and pantry are stocked with these very ingredients and a salad is a great way to make the most of them—all in one bite. You won’t find meat and dairy labeled as superfoods. Ever. (Okay, some people consider salmon a superfood, but it’s really the omegas they’re after, which are readily found in plant foods). I made a very light dressing to coat the salad, also packed with immune-boosting deliciousness, so dig in and feel super energized, super healthy, and super happy with this spectacular superfood salad!

The super benefits:

Kale: high in fiber, iron, Vitamin K, C, and A; an anti-inflammatory food, supports cardiovascular health and is full of antioxidants.
Spinach: high in Vitamin A, K, D and E; good source of omega-3 fatty acids, loaded with antioxidants (fights cancer & inflammation), rich in calcium and magnesium, as well as carotenoids for eye health.
Pepitas (pumpkin seeds): high in magnesium, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, fiber and anti-inflammatory properties. They’re also high in tryptophan—you know, the “sleep hormone” found in turkey? Sprinkle some pepitas on your next Thanksgiving dish and enjoy the same post-meal nap without the dead bird.
Walnuts: cancer-fighting properties, heart health benefits, extremely high in antioxidants, as well as Vitamin E, folate, melatonin and omega-3 fatty acids.
Red onion: high in quercetin, a bioflavonoid with antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, cancer-fighting, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties.
Blueberries: said to help with memory decline, reduce heart attack risk, and are full of antioxidants. Also high in Vitamin K, manganese and fiber.
Chia seeds: high in protein, fiber, phosphorus, manganese, calcium and potassium. They also contain healthy antioxidants and are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids.
Garbanzo beans (chickpeas): high in fiber, protein, manganese, and iron. They can also stabilize blood sugar and help lower one’s cholesterol.

A Spectacular Superfood Salad

Prep time

20 mins

Total time

20 mins

Author: Epicurean Vegan

Recipe type: Salad

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

2 heads of kale, stems removed and discarded, leaves chopped small
3 C spinach, chopped small
2 C fresh or dried blueberries
1 C red onion, diced small
1 15-oz can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
½ C pepitas
1 C walnuts, chopped
.
Dressing
.
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbs yellow miso
1 Tbs tahini
1 Tbs nutritional yeast
1 T lemon juice
½ tsp chia seeds
¼ C water

Directions

Toss all of the salad ingredients together in a large bowl.
In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Let the dressing sit about 10 minutes to allow the chia seeds to thicken the dressing just a bit.
Add the dressing to the salad and toss to coat thoroughly. Enjoy!

Beet Ravioli with a Garlic-Butter Walnut Sauce

February 12, 2013 by epicureanvegan

I’ve had this “Sexy Beet Ravioli” bookmarked since last April and I figured it was high time to give it a try. After 3 hours and 15 minutes in the kitchen, the meal was ready (this included making a salad). Good thing it was worth it! This dish definitely ranks in the top ten meals I’ve made and despite the long prep time, I’d make these again for sure. You have to like beets. Even though I’ve eaten them plenty of times, I’ve never roasted them before, but piece of cake! The original recipe said it yielded 12-15 raviolis. It was hard to gauge what size raviolis that made, so I decided to double everything. I would have been fine to just double the filling and the sauce, but not the dough. Luckily, the dough is outstanding and I now have a batch in the freezer for another pasta meal. With the doubled filling, I got about forty-eight 1-1/2″ square raviolis. Don’t be freaked out by the prep work. You can certainly make up the dough and filling ahead of time and store until ready to assemble the raviolis. Regardless, freshly made pasta is just going to take more time, but in the end, it’s worth it! (Perfect for a Valentine’s Day dinner!)

INGREDIENTS:
Dough: (not doubled)
2 C semolina flour
1 C whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp salt
1 C warmed almond milk
2 Tbs olive oil
Filling: (Doubled)
2 beets
2 C raw cashews, soaked for 1 hour in water
1/2 C water
1 tsp salt
2 tsp nutritional yeast
Garlic Walnut Butter sauce: (Doubled)
8 Tbs vegan margarine
8 cloves of garlic, crushed (You could roast the garlic while roasting the beets . . .)
1 C walnuts, chopped

DIRECTIONS:
To roast the beets, preheat oven to 425. Scrub the beets clean, remove the greens, and wrap in foil. Roast for one hour. You can also be soaking the cashews during this time. To prepare the dough, whisk together the flours and salt. Create a well in the middle and slowly pour in the warmed almond milk and olive oil.

Blend well with a spoon, or your hands and then transfer to a clean surface. Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes, or until the dough forms a smooth, un-sticky ball. Wrap with plastic wrap and set aside until ready to use. Refrigerate if not using right away.

To make the filling, drain the cashews and add them to a food processor. Chop up the roasted beets and along with the other filling ingredients, add them to the food processor.

Process until smooth. You’ll end up with a very hot pink filling!

I used my pasta maker to roll out the dough, but you can also use a rolling pin. I also used my ravioli plate, which was the best thing to happen to raviolis . . . it’s so easy to use and it ensures a closed edge, unlike using a fork. You can find one at Amazon . . . this one is for $13!

Perfect raviolis!

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the raviolis—about 8-12 at a time—and remove with a slotted spoon once they float to the top, in roughly 2-3 minutes. I transferred them to a large colander, but be sure you drizzle with a little oil as they will a stick to one another as they cool.

The sauce is quite easy to make and you can just throw the ingredients into a small saucepan while you cook the raviolis. I didn’t brown the garlic, I just threw it all in at once, let the butter melt, and stirred it every minute or so.

Serve the raviolis with a drizzle of the sauce and thoroughly enjoy!

Beet Ravioli with a Garlic-Butter Walnut Sauce

I've had this "Sexy Beet Ravioli" bookmarked since last April and I figured it was high time to give it a try. After 3 hours and 15 minutes in the kitchen, the meal was ready (this included making a salad). Good thing it was worth it! This dish definitely ranks in the top ten meals I've made and despite the long prep time, I'd make these again for sure. You have to like beets. Even though I've eaten them plenty of times, I've never roasted them before, but piece of cake! The original recipe said it yielded 12-15 raviolis. It was hard to gauge what size raviolis that made, so I decided to double everything. I would have been fine to just double the filling and the sauce, but not the dough. Luckily, the dough is outstanding and I now have a batch in the freezer for another pasta meal. With the doubled filling, I got about forty-eight 1-1/2" square raviolis. Don't be freaked out by the prep work. You can certainly make up the dough and filling ahead of time and store until ready to assemble the raviolis. Regardless, freshly made pasta is just going to take more time, but in the end, it's worth it! (Perfect for a Valentine's Day dinner!)

Author: Epicurean Vegan

Ingredients

Dough: (not doubled)
2 C semolina flour
1 C whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp salt
1 C warmed almond milk
2 Tbs olive oil
Filling: (Doubled)
2 beets
2 C raw cashews, soaked for 1 hour in water
½ C water
1 tsp salt
2 tsp nutritional yeast
Garlic Walnut Butter sauce: (Doubled)
8 Tbs vegan margarine
8 cloves of garlic, crushed (You could roast the garlic while roasting the beets . . .)
1 C walnuts, chopped

Directions

To roast the beets, preheat oven to 425. Scrub the beets clean, remove the greens, and wrap in foil. Roast for one hour. You can also be soaking the cashews during this time. To prepare the dough, whisk together the flours and salt. Create a well in the middle and slowly pour in the warmed almond milk and olive oil.
Blend well with a spoon, or your hands and then transfer to a clean surface. Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes, or until the dough forms a smooth, un-sticky ball. Wrap with plastic wrap and set aside until ready to use. Refrigerate if not using right away.
To make the filling, drain the cashews and add them to a food processor. Chop up the roasted beets and along with the other filling ingredients, add them to the food processor
Process until smooth. You'll end up with a very hot pink filling!
I used my pasta maker to roll out the dough, but you can also use a rolling pin. I also used my ravioli plate, which was the best thing to happen to raviolis . . . it's so easy to use and it ensures a closed edge, unlike using a fork.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the raviolis---about 8-12 at a time---and remove with a slotted spoon once they float to the top, in roughly 2-3 minutes. I transferred them to a large colander, but be sure you drizzle with a little oil as they will a stick to one another as they cool.
The sauce is quite easy to make and you can just throw the ingredients into a small saucepan while you cook the raviolis. I didn't brown the garlic, I just threw it all in at once, let the butter melt, and stirred it every minute or so.
Serve the raviolis with a drizzle of the sauce and thoroughly enjoy!

Quinoa with Walnuts and Spinach

December 27, 2012 by epicureanvegan

I hope everyone had a happy and safe holiday! For the first time in many years, we had snow falling on Christmas Eve! You wouldn’t think that’d be such a rarity in Colorado, but a drought will do that to ya. It’s even snowing as I type! So I wasn’t sure what to call this dish because it has more than just walnuts and spinach it—it’s loaded with veggies. I served this warm, but I think it would be tasty cold as well.

INGREDIENTS:
1 C regular quinoa
1 C red quinoa
2 tsp Better Than Bouillon
3 C water
1 C spinach, chopped
4 green onions, sliced
4 mushrooms, chopped
1/3 C fresh parsley, chopped
2 Tbs chia seeds
1/2 C walnuts, chopped (and toasted, if you’d like)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 Tbs lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:
In a medium or large saucepan, whisk together the bouillon and water and then bring to a boil. Add the two quinoas (you can also use tri-colored quinoa if you’d like), stir, reduce heat, and cover. Cook over low heat for 15-20 minutes, or until just a little bit of liquid remains. Stir in the spinach, green onion, and mushrooms and let cook for a few minutes—just enough for the spinach to wilt and the mushrooms to cook down a little.

Stir in the salt, pepper, chia seeds, and lemon juice. Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley and walnuts. Enjoy!

Quinoa with Walnuts and Spinach

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

30 mins

Author: Epicurean Vegan

Serves: 2

Ingredients

1 C regular quinoa
1 C red quinoa
2 tsp Better Than Bouillon
3 C water
1 C spinach, chopped
4 green onions, sliced
4 mushrooms, chopped
⅓ C fresh parsley, chopped
2 Tbs chia seeds
½ C walnuts, chopped (and toasted, if you'd like)
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
2 Tbs lemon juice

Directions

In a medium or large saucepan, whisk together the bouillon and water and then bring to a boil. Add the two quinoas (you can also use tri-colored quinoa if you'd like), stir, reduce heat, and cover. Cook over low heat for 15-20 minutes, or until just a little bit of liquid remains.
Stir in the spinach, green onion, and mushrooms and let cook for a few minutes---just enough for the spinach to wilt and the mushrooms to cook down a little.
Stir in the salt, pepper, chia seeds, and lemon juice.
Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley and walnuts. Enjoy!

Papaya Trail Mix

May 29, 2012 by epicureanvegan

The Seventh Grader is on a school hiking trip this week, so it gave me an opportunity to make some homemade trail mix that has everything he likes; nothing gets picked over. I also used butter-flavored olive oil that a friend gave me (it’s dairy-free) and works perfectly for trail mix. The subtle buttery taste is amazing. (It works great on pasta, too). Mine is from Rocky Mountain Olive Oil Company in Fort Collins. After the family had some of the mix, I got, “This is all you made?” I’ll be making another batch today.

INGREDIENTS:
3/4 C almonds, raw and unsalted
3/4 C walnuts, raw and unsalted
1/2 C pumpkin seeds (with the shell), unsalted
1/2 C dried papaya, cut into chunks
1/4 C chocolate chips
Butter-flavored olive oil
1/2 to 1 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with a little cooking spray. In a medium bowl, combine the nuts. Drizzle with the olive oil—just enough to lightly coat the nuts. Do the same with the salt. Mix well. Layer onto the baking sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes, turning once halfway through. Since most ovens tend to run different, check often—don’t let the nuts burn.

Let cool for just a minute or two and combine the nuts and papaya in a bowl.

Once the mix has cooled completely, stir in the chocolate chips. Store in an airtight container. Enjoy!

Papaya Trail Mix

Author: Epicurean Vegan

Ingredients

¾ C almonds, raw and unsalted
¾ C walnuts, raw and unsalted
½ C pumpkin seeds (with the shell), unsalted
½ C dried papaya, cut into chunks
¼ C chocolate chips
Butter-flavored olive oil
½ to 1 tsp salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with a little cooking spray. In a medium bowl, combine the nuts. Drizzle with the olive oil---just enough to lightly coat the nuts. Do the same with the salt. Mix well. Layer onto the baking sheet.
Bake for 15 minutes, turning once halfway through. Since most ovens tend to run different, check often---don't let the nuts burn.
Let cool for just a minute or two and combine the nuts and papaya in a bowl.
Once the mix has cooled completely, stir in the chocolate chips. Store in an airtight container. Enjoy!

Chocolate-Espresso Balsamic Granola

March 31, 2011 by epicureanvegan

Oh, my. This is good. This is similar to my original granola recipe, but tweaked a little. Flavored oils or balsamic vinegars are ideal for granola. I don’t care for overly sweet granola, so this Chocolate-Espresso balsamic vinegar adds just the right amount of sweetness. Great for cereal, on top of yogurt, or with ice cream. A new olive oil/vinegar shop recently opened up downtown and a friend and I spent at least 45 minutes tasting all their different varieties. I found what I was looking for. A little pricey at $15, it will be slowly savored.

INGREDIENTS:
2 C oats
1 C coconut, shredded
1/2 C wheat germ
1/2 C each: walnuts, almonds, and sunflower seeds
1 tsp salt
1/4 C Chocolate-Espresso Balsamic vinegar
1/8 C brown rice syrup
1/4 C almond milk
1/8 C olive oil
6 to 8 oz dried fruit, such as craisins or cherries

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 300. Line a large baking sheet with foil, and mist with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine the oats, coconut, wheat germ, nuts, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, oil, brown rice syrup, and almond milk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones and mix well. Spread the granola mixture on the prepared baking sheet; spread it out evenly.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until it begins to brown. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the dried fruit. Once it has cooled, store in an airtight container. Enjoy!

Swedish Tea Cookies

December 19, 2010 by epicureanvegan

These treats are also called Mexican Wedding Cookies, but growing up, they were known as Christmas cookies around my house. I suppose since I’m also a fraction Swedish, I’ll go with the Scandinavian title. The recipe is my mom’s and all I had to do to veganize them was to use Earth Balance.

INGREDIENTS:
1 C Earth Balance Margarine
2 C Confectioner’s sugar, divided
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract
2 C flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 C almonds, chopped

DIRECTIONS:
Place the oven rack in the middle—maybe a bit higher, otherwise the bottom of the cookies will get too brown. Preheat oven to 400. Cream together butter, 1 cup of the Confectioner’s sugar, vanilla, and almond extract. In a small bowl, combine flour, salt and nuts; add to the butter mixture. Combine well until the dough holds together.

Form dough into 1″ balls and place on a baking sheet. Once you get down to the last 1/2 dozen, the dough will be crumbly, but just squeeze it together—works great.

Bake 10 minutes.

Once the cookies are cooled, roll them in the remaining cup of Confectioner’s sugar and enjoy!

Makes 3 dozen

Buttered Party Mix

November 16, 2010 by epicureanvegan

Vegan MoFo, Day 16

So easy! And a great way to grab some protein. You can sub in pecans if you’d like—I’m just not a big fan. These are for an artist reception at the Northern Colorado Writers Association that is tonight. I’m also bringing my favorite hummus. The artist happens to be my mother-in-law, watercolorist-extraordinaire.

INGREDIENTS:
4 Tbs Earth Balance margarine, melted
1 Tbs garlic salt
1/2 tsp cayenne, or more for taste
1 C raw, unsalted cashews
1 C raw, unsalted walnuts
1 C raw, unsalted almonds
1/2 C sunflower seeds

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 300 and line a baking sheet with foil. In a medium bowl, combine the nuts, garlic salt and cayenne. Add the margarine and thoroughly combine. Layer onto the lined baking sheet and bake for about a half an hour. Stir and flip over the nuts. I know, that’s not easy, but you’ll be able to tell which side is which since the cooked side will be dry-looking. Bake another 20-30 minutes. Let cool, then transfer to an air tight container if not eating right away. Enjoy!

Hummus and Kalamata Olive Pizza

March 23, 2010 by epicureanvegan

Being a vegan, you can say good-bye to pizza. Well…traditional pizza, that is. But…vegans say hello to healthier pizza. I had a similar pizza while in Estes Park, CO when we got away for Spring Break, so here is my version. The Kalamata olives are wonderful on this pizza and the Husband kept sneaking them while I was making this meal, so if they look sparse, it’s his fault! Add some tofu feta if you’d like. Also, I strongly recommend using chopped fresh spinach–if using large leaves and you take a bite, it could be like pulling a tablecloth out from underneath a set of china and having it go horribly wrong. Chop it up.

INGREDIENTS:
2 C flour
1 C whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
2-1/2 tsp yeast
2 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp dried rosemary
1-1/2 C hummus
1 C chopped fresh basil
3 C chopped fresh spinach
3/4 C chopped walnuts, toasted
1-6oz jar Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced in half
2 roma tomatoes, diced
Balsamic vinegar

DIRECTIONS:
Dough:
Preheat oven to 400. In a large bowl, combine flours, yeast, salt and rosemary. Add 1-1/4 C of hot tap water and olive oil. Mix well and shape into a ball. Knead for 5 mins, then let rise in a warm place for 15 mins. Roll out the dough on a floured surface.

Grease a large baking sheet and place dough in it. (I did slice off a small section to make a separate pizza for the 5th Grader, so the one you see on the large pan below is minus that…this makes a good-sized pizza, so making smaller ones would work well). Stick dough several times with a fork and bake for 4 mins.On baked crust, spread hummus first, then layer spinach, basil, olives and tomatoes.

Bake again for 8 mins. Before slicing, add toasted walnuts.

After serving, but before devouring, drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Enjoy!

Chipotle Lentil & Walnut Taco Filling

Pasta with Mushrooms, Walnuts & Lemon-Chive Sauce

A Spectacular Superfood Salad

Beet Ravioli with a Garlic-Butter Walnut Sauce

Quinoa with Walnuts and Spinach

Papaya Trail Mix

Chocolate-Espresso Balsamic Granola

Swedish Tea Cookies

Buttered Party Mix

Hummus and Kalamata Olive Pizza

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