We love making varieties of this biscotti, sometimes with different nuts, or even peanuts, sometimes with chocolate chips or different kids of dried fruit. The recipe is so versatile, but this combination is our mom’s favorite; apricot and pistachio is a classic flavor profile of lots of Syrian and Middle Eastern desserts.
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Tag Archives: nuts
Homemade Cashew Milk
Chag Sameach! We are back here and back to blogging after a busy busy few months and a little blog hiatus. We have still been active on Instagram, though. And have actually been cooking, and even photographing some recipes. And now we will catch up with those. I have a confession to make: We made this a LONG time ago. Probably in June, actually. Better late than never, right?
Some news: We just moved into a new house! With a double wall oven, five burner stove, and two dishwashers! Plus, no more green counter tops and yellow walls; I have black granite and three skylights in my kitchen! I cannot wait for the food photos in my new kitchen. Steph wants to start off by making me bake cronuts for her, but I’m open to ideas and suggestions from everyone else.
But for now, I will give you an amazingly delicious and simple recipe that we made together this summer. In my favorite kitchen gadget, my Vitamix! It’s amazing for making nut milks, but really if you have just any old blender, cashew milk is the best kind of nut milk to make. Cashews are very soft and will blend well. Because of that, the milk from them is super creamy and silky. Also, cashews are cheaper than almonds, so really this is a great substitution.
Claudette’s Granola
This isn’t the first granola recipe we’ve posted. And it definitely won’t be the last. But hey, there are tons of ways in this word to enjoy granola. In a bowl with milk, on top of yogurt, in a parfait, as an ice cream topping, plain as a snack, mixed with apples and thrown all over your kitchen floor…wait, that one isn’t so enjoyable. But you get the idea. Granola is a staple in our kitchens and it should be in yours, too. If not because the blend of oats, nuts, and fruit is good for you and an easy, homemade, and unprocessed snack, then because it makes the entire kitchen (and house) smell amazing as it bakes!
Sephardic Charoset
You’re probably not doing much relaxing this Sunday, it’s Passover prep season! That’s right, since tomorrow’s the first seder, you’re probably busy in your hametz-free kitchen, cooking away. Is your local grocery store all out of charoset? Or are you feeling extra eager this holiday season? Maybe you want to make your own.
Granola
Granola is so expensive when you buy it at the supermarket. It’s mostly oats, which are so cheap! And I get that nuts are expensive, so when I make it, I usually use whatever is hanging out in my freezer. This time, I still had lots of pepitas from my pumpkin biscotti leftover, so I used those to make this nut-free granola, but feel free to use pecans, walnuts or whatever you like. You can even add in some flax seed or wheat germ, but I think this is healthy enough as it is. And you can really use any fruit you like or have, dates and apricots are just some of my favorites. Dried cherries would work great, too. Or even raisins…you get the point. Continue reading
Ka’ik ib’Fisdok, or Pistachio Cookies
I love pistachios! I think they’re my favorite nut (besides Richie, teehee). So these cookies are great, because they don’t hide the pistachio flavor with almond extract, ick! Don’t get me wrong, I like almonds, too, but there’s something about almond extract that I don’t like. I can pick out the flavor in any recipe, and it’s almost always used as a flavoring in pistachio desserts.
This recipe uses orange blossom water instead, which is optional, and therefore I skipped it, because I didn’t have any. So the four-ingredient cookies turned into three-ingredients cookies! That’s right, three.
Did I mention they’re parve and gluten free? Well, they are! I frozen half, because that’s what I do, and while lots of cookies are best hot out of the oven, these shine when they’re cold out of the freezer.
Ka’ik ib’Fisdok, Pistachio Cookies from A Fistful of Lentils
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups shelled pistachios
- 2 large egg whites
- 1 to 2 teaspoons orange blossom water, to taste (optional)
- 3/4 cup sugar
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Place the pistachios in a food processor and blend until finely ground
- Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form and then fold in the orange blossom water if using.
- Gently pour the sugar over the egg whites and fold with a wooden spoon. Add the pistachios and fold until fully incorporated.
- Scoop the “dough” onto the cookie sheet, leaving 1 inch in between. Bake for about 15 minutes.
- Allow to cool for 30 minutes before removing them from the sheet, or else they may break.
Sole with Almonds and Panko
We’ve never made sole for you before. Not that you can’t do this with another fish, but the recipe called for sole, and the supermarket has some frozen wild caught kosher sole, so I decided it was fate, I had to make a sole recipe to share with everyone. This is an easy meal, especially if you have fish in the freezer. I loved the sweet and salty taste of the crumb mixture! Sometimes, I just like to have a light dinner, and this fits the bill. Serve it with your favorite vegetable side dish, and that’s dinner!
Granola
Whenever I see granola at the supermarket, I think about mixing up the flavors to make the ultimate combination. Maybe I want cranberries and not raisins, or coconut and almond. Well, by making my own granola I can make my own flavors, and I can save money, too. Make two trays worth of granola and freeze half of it.