nuts Archives - Ari's Menu

Gingerbread Granola

December 1, 2013 · by Ari · 23 Comments

All the flavors of classic gingerbread in a spiced, nutty flavorful granola with big snack-worthy clusters. Vegan, gluten-free, and the perfect edible gift! Friends! I’m so excited. I’ve been waiting for months to share holiday recipes with you! I am still so full from Thanksgiving weekend that I almost can’t even think about anymore food. Almost… But this granola is so special that I actually haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since I made it. In fact, I’ve already run out, and usually I try to think of an other granola I’d like to make so I can share a new recipe, but I think I have to make this one again because it’s literally all I can think about. I had my doubts going in. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get the pure gingerbread flavor to sit just right in a nutty granola, and when I tasted the batter (yes, I taste unbaked granola), I was sure the molasses flavor was going to overpower everything. You know how the best ginger molasses cookies are the ones rolled in sugar? Well, they’re my favorite. Just before baking, I made a game time decision to sprinkle a little granulated sugar over the batch, and it was the BEST idea. I only used 2 tablespoons (on a 12ish cup recipe), but it added that extra sweetness that I would want from my gingerbread, and helped tone down the molasses a bit. Feel free to altar the sugar and spices to fit your preferences. I use a very simple basic granola recipe for all of my granola and just tweak things here and there to bring the flavor profile I want. The recipe is hard to mess up, and super adaptable to your tastes. The recipe is super simple and easy to make, plus it makes a HUGE batch of granola, so if you’re doing edible gifts for any of your friends/family/teachers/coworkers/bike shop employees (my husband insists), you’ll only need one batch, and you’ll still have some left over for you, because trust me, you’ll want some. In fact, you won’t want to share any of it once you sample a cluster. Trust me, those big granola clusters are even more addicting than even the softest ginger cookies.

Gingerbread Granola

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Yield: 12 cups

Serving Size: 1/2 cup

Gingerbread Granola

All the flavors of classic gingerbread in a spiced, nutty flavorful granola with big snack-worthy clusters. Vegan, gluten-free, and the perfect edible gift!

Ingredients

5 cups rolled oats
2 cups pecans, roughly chopped
2/3 cup almonds, roughly chopped
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 tsp cloves
Generous pinch salt
1/3 cup molasses
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 cup apple butter
2 tbsp coconut oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp granulated sugar

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 300. Line two large baking sheets with silpat or parchment paper. Set aside.
In a very large bowl, mix together the oats, nuts, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt.
In a small saucepan, warm the apple butter, molasses, brown sugar, coconut oil, and vanilla extract until well combined, whisking constantly.
Add the molasses mixture into the dry ingredients and toss to combine. Divide mixture evenly between your 2 prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle each baking pan with 1 tablespoon granulated sugar.
Bake until browned and crispy, about 1 hour. Lightly toss granola half way through. Cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. The granola will stay fresh for at least one month. I’ve never made a batch last any longer than that, but it’s still great a month in!

http://www.arismenu.com/gingerbread-granola/

Vanilla Bean Coconut Pistachio Granola

August 11, 2013 · by Ari · 29 Comments

You know those people who rarely speak, and when they do everyone listens? Those quiet people who only speak out when they have something really important to say, and so you know you want to take note, soak it up, and really hear their words?

Yeah, that’s not me. I’m more on the end of talks-too-much-so-most-of-it-must-be-pretty-inconsequential. In fact, the other day, Stacey told me she knew a recipe was mine by the long, overly descriptive title. It’s the truth. And not just in recipe writing. I am a human with a lot to say, and no matter how hard I try to be one of those people that only speaks when I need to like a character on stage, I just keep talking until someone finally stops me and puts the rest of the room out of their misery. 😉

Here’s what you actually need to know about this granola:

Crunchy
Sweet
Vanilla bean flavor
Rich pistachios
Nutty coconut
Big snack-worthy clusters
Vegan
Gluten-free
Ridiculously good

Got it?

Vanilla Bean Coconut Pistachio Granola

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Yield: approx 12 cups

Serving Size: 1/2 cup

Vanilla Bean Coconut Pistachio Granola

Ingredients

5 cups rolled oats (use gluten-free if applicable)
3 cups shelled pistachios, coarsely chopped
2/3 cups almonds, coarsely chopped
1 cup shredded unsweetened reduced fat coconut
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 tsp cinnamon
heavy pinch sea salt
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/3 cup honey or agave
2 tbsp coconut butter or coconut oil
Seeds from 1 vanilla bean
1 tsp coconut extract

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 300. Line two large baking sheets with silpat or parchment paper. Set aside.
In a very large bowl, mix together the oats, nuts, coconut, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt.
In a small saucepan, warm the applesauce, maple syrup, honey/agave, coconut butter, vanilla bean seeds, and coconut extract until well combined, whisking constantly.
Add the applesauce mixture into the dry ingredients and toss to combine. Divide mixture evenly between your 2 prepared baking sheets.
Bake until browned and crispy, about 1 hour. Lightly toss granola every 10-20 minutes while cooking. DO NOT skip the tossing--the pistachios can burn easily if you skip this step.
Cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. The granola will stay fresh for at least one month. I’ve never made a batch last any longer than that, but it’s still great a month in!

http://www.arismenu.com/vanilla-bean-coconut-pistachio-granola/

Macadamia Crusted Halibut

July 16, 2013 · by Ari · 17 Comments

For most of my life, I hated seafood. Anything other than canned tuna was totally out, and I wouldn’t even dream of giving it a try. I passed up cedar-grilled salmon, spicy shrimp, and never knew that swordfish tasted like steak and chilean sea bass tastes like butter (serious, it does). I missed out on a ridiculous amount of awesomeness, and now that I LOVE fish, I still rarely make it at home. I forget that I love it, and because it’s still fairly new to me, I don’t always know what to do with it.

People are always crusting fish with macadamia nuts and, well, macadamia nuts are AWESOME, so I figured this dish would be a sure thing. That’s the way I like it. No stress, don’t have to work too hard to make something awesome–just use awesome ingredients and your dish will be, well, awesome. How many times can I say awesome in one post? Awesome awesome awesome awesome awesomeawesomeawesome. It’s like when you repeat a word too many times and then it doesn’t even make sense anymore.

This dish is a perfect healthier grilling option. It’s grain and dairy free using only fresh, whole ingredients. It also fits into the paleo and whole 30 diets (if you buy organic) that everyone and their mom are doing right now. I’m not. I just like fish. And macadamia nuts. And coconut. Really, I just like food in general.

The macadamia nuts and coconut add a great buttery flavor and lightly brown at the bottom for some crispness. Halibut is a mildly flavored fish, so even if you’re like the Ari-of-10-years-ago and think you hate fish, you will probably love this, but you could always use chicken if you’re really against the sea, or any fish of your choosing. It’s a simple recipe with only 5 ingredients that’s easy to play around with and change up, and it comes together in minutes!

Macadamia Crusted Halibut

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 6 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Yield: 2 servings

Serving Size: 1 x 6-8 oz halibut fillet

Macadamia Crusted Halibut

Ingredients

2 x 6-8 oz halibut fillets
1 large egg white, beaten
1/3 cup macadamia nuts, crushed or finely chopped
2 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
3 tbsp finely chopped parsley + extra for garnish
pinch each salt and pepper

Instructions

Place beaten egg white in a wide, shallow bowl. In a separate large shallow bowl, toss together macadamia nuts, coconut, parsley, salt and pepper.
Dip one halibut fillet in egg whites coating completely, then submerse in macadamia mixture. Press coating in lightly and ensure that the fish is fully covered. Repeat with remaining fillet.
Wrap each fillet in aluminum foil and grill over medium heat for about 3 minutes per side. Do not overcook. Fish should be tender and flaky. Serve immediately.

http://www.arismenu.com/macadamia-crusted-halibut/

Cranberry Almond Granola

March 11, 2013 · by Ari · 13 Comments

While you’re reading this, I am currently living it up in New Orleans!

I can’t tell you what the heck I’m doing, because Steve and I left with absolutely no plan.

Okay, that’s a little bit of a lie. I had 2 plans. Bourbon and beignets. Have I ever mentioned my life revolves around food? In fact, I’ve spent the last week being suuuuuper food conscious just so I could live it up a little on this vacation. I was pretty cranky for most of the week because I reallllllly hate anything resembling a diet, but I’m pretty sure it was worth it. 😉

Okay, enough about my trip–let’s talk about granola! One day I had the brilliant idea that I was done buying things at the store that I can make myself. I made my own Larabar replacement, and granola was the next thing. I literally eat it every single day, and it is not cheap!

So then, in true Ari fashion, I tried to bake like 7 things in a 2 hour time period, declared that making things from scratch was a big waste of time, and I would immediately be going back to buying granola, and granola bars for that matter, at the store.

But after one bite of this stuff, I was sold. As I was taking pictures, I kept sneaking little nibbles. I must have eaten at least an entire serving just during my photo session!

The robust, nutty flavor is more full and bold than any granola I’ve ever bought at the store. It baked up perfectly crunchy with next to no oil in the entire batch, and the soft, sweet cranberries are the perfect touch to balance out the flavors and textures.

Then I realized that this made enough granola to last me at least a month! 12 cups of deliciousness for about 1 hour of time? Totally worth it!

**Note: I wanted to add dehydrated apple chips to this, but I couldn’t find any. If you have them–they would be delicious!

Cranberry Almond Granola

yield approx 12 cups

adapted from David Lebovitz

5 cups rolled oats (use gluten-free if that’s important to you)
3 cups almonds, coarsely chopped
1 cup sunflower seeds
1/3 cup finely shredded unsweetened reduced fat coconut
1/3 cup milled flax seed
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
pinch cloves
heavy pinch sea salt
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup honey or agave
2 tbsp coconut oil
2 cups dried cranberries

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 300. Line two large baking sheets with silpat or parchment paper. Set aside.
In a very large bowl, mix together the oats, almonds, seeds, coconut, brown sugar and seasonings.
In a small saucepan, warm the applesauce, maple syrup, honey/agave, and coconut oil until well combined, whisking constantly.
Add the applesauce mixture into the dry ingredients and toss to combine. Divide mixture evenly between your 2 prepared baking sheets.
Bake until browned and crispy, about 1 hour. Lightly toss granola every 10-20 minutes while cooking. The more often you toss it, the less clusters you will have.
Cool completely, then add cranberries. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. The granola will stay fresh for at least one month. I’ve never made a batch last any longer than that, but it’s still great a month in!

Cinnamon Raisin Sunflower Seed Butter

February 18, 2013 · by Ari · 15 Comments

If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, there are a few things you’ll know about me.

1. I am addicted to nut/seed butters. Peanut, almond, pistachio, macadamia, pecan, sunflower….you name it, I love it. and 2. I am obsessed with all flavors of PB&Co, but my two favorites are white chocolate wonderful and cinnamon raisin swirl.

It’s funny, sometimes I have ideas floating around in my head for months before I get around to making them, and sometimes I just go to the kitchen to get a glass of water, and before I know it, I’m whipping up some new recipe that I had no plans on making. We were out of most of our nut butters, so I stuck some sunflower seeds in the food processor to make more, and before I knew it, this came out!

Okay, maybe not before I knew it. I must confess that sunflower seeds took longer to process, and form a nut butter than anything I’ve tried before. BUT with patience (and overheating my food processor), I finally got the result I was looking for! Thick, creamy, slightly sweet, with the bold flavor of cinnamon, and sweet, soft raisins in the mix. It was well worth the wait.

I’ve learned a little bit of patience since I first started making my own nut butters. I used to quickly get frustrated that it wasn’t coming together quickly enough, and add oil to help it along. Well, I’ve learned that *most* of the time, it really isn’t necessary. Most of the time, if you are patient, it will come together on it’s own, but patience isn’t really my forte, so I recommend spending the time while you wait reading a book, or blogging, or making dinner to keep yourself occupies. 😉

In the end, it’s 100% worth the wait. Pinky promise.

Cinnamon Raisin Sunflower Seed Butter

8oz roasted sunflower seeds (I used salted, if you don’t, add a pinch of salt)
1 tsp cinnamon
1-2 tbsp brown sugar (depending on how sweet you like it. I used 1 1/2, but I love sugar, and could have easily added more…)
1/2 cup raisins

Directions:

Place sunflower seeds in your food processor. Blend for 3-4 minutes at a time (less if your food processor starts to sound like it needs a break–give it one!), scraping down the sides of the bowl in between. Eventually, sunflower seeds will form a paste-like consistency, then finally a nut butter consistency. This took me about 30 minutes.
When seeds have reached your desired texture, add cinnamon and brown sugar to food processor, and blend to combine. Start with 1 tbsp brown sugar, and add the rest at your discretion.
Remove sunflower seed butter from food processor and fold in raisins. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. I do not refrigerate mine, but you may if you like.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Dough Bites

February 15, 2013 · by Ari · 11 Comments

Today I want to tell you about how embarrassing my busband is.

Yesterday he got into an argument with a lady at the store. Apparently, she gave him a dirty look, and he thought this was a good reason to cause a scene and argue with her right in the middle of the grocery store. Clearly, he’s really mature. 😉

Luckily, I wasn’t with him. I only felt embarrassed hearing the story. You see, he is totally the type to just say whatever is on his mind, which is, like, the opposite of me. I am the type that when I say the wrong thing, I still think about it, and analyze it months later.

I suppose I should be less embarrassed, and more grateful that I have a husband who never minds running out to the store for whatever crazy ingredients I need at the moment. You see, I am also the type of person who forgets everything. I’m really type A about some things, but not normal things. I make lists, but I don’t follow them. I hate mess, but I’m messy. Sometimes, I don’t even understand myself!

You know what else I don’t understand? Dates. How do they make things so sweet, and delicious when you don’t add any sugar??? And WHY HAVE I NOT BEEN DOING THIS FOREVER AND EVER????? The thing is, my sweet tooth has gotten totally out of control, and I’m not running right now to at least balance out all the sugar I want to eat ALL THE TIME, so something needs to give. My friend Heidi is always making all sorts of delicious treats that are only sweetened by dates, then the other day Sally made some that looked amazing too.

Then, I went to Whole Foods, and they had samples of something pretty similar, and it literally tasted JUST LIKE COOKIE DOUGH. I looked at the ingredients, took it as a sign, and went right home to my food processor.

You guys, THEY TASTE JUST LIKE COOKIE DOUGH!!! Not like the “oh these taste pretty good for healthy food” or in the way a Larabar says it tastes like cookie dough, but really just tastes like a delicious snack; no–these taste like legit cookie dough, and the 8 that came out of my batch lasted about a day. Soft, chewy, cinnamony goodness that is totally good for you. I’m in so much love. I made these Wednesday, and it took me all of 36 hours to share them with you!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Dough Bites

yield 8

3/4 cups chopped pitted dates
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp butter extract
1 tbsp almond butter (or peanut butter, or sunflower butter, or whatever kind you like)
1 tbsp chopped roasted almonds (or any nut of choice)
pinch salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp rolled oats (use gluten-free if that’s important to you)
1/4 cup raisins
finely shredded reduced fat unsweetened coconut for rolling (optional, but recommended)

Directions:

Blend dates and extracts in your food processor until they form a sticky ball, about 4-5 minutes. Add almond butter, and continue to process until combined. Add almonds, salt, cinnamon and oats, and process for 1-2 more minutes, until everything is sticking together.
Remove dough from food processor. Use you hands to fold in raisins.
Roll dough into 1″ balls. If desired, roll in coconut. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Roasted Macadamia Butter

August 15, 2012 · by Ari · 12 Comments

I don’t like pineapple. I don’t like the way it looks; I don’t like the way it smells; I don’t like how it’s all spiky and uninviting. As soon as we checked into our hotel/condo in Maui, we were handed a pineapple. Almost all of the drinks contain pineapple juice, and everything you order comes with a pineapple wedge! Steve loves them, so this was pretty much his dream come true. I, however, wanted to only eat coconut and macadamia nuts the entire trip. Oh, and fish. SO MUCH FISH. Anyway, we were given some macadamia nuts on one of our activities, and I was reminded just how delicious they are, and clearly that meant I needed to turn them into butter.

Have you ever seen macadamia butter at the store??? I have not, and I ask you: why not? I don’t get it. If every nut can be made into nut butter, why is the rest of the universe not as obsessed with this idea as I am??? I mean, it’s SO EASY. You just dump some nuts into a food processor

Look at all my red Kitchenaid appliances. They match. They are a happy Kitchenaid family. ~~I love them like my children.~~

Turn it on

~~Whisper sweet nothings~~ Stand impatiently in the kitchen for what seems like an hour, but is probably about 4-5 minutes, sighing a lot waiting for it to be done. Then, before you know it, you have this:

In fact, the macadamia nuts worked better than any other nut I’ve used so far. I didn’t have to add any oil, and it turned out the perfect drippy texture.

In fact, depending on your taste, you could make it with just the nuts, and no added ingredients. I like a little more flavor in mine, so I added a little raw turbinado sugar and some extra sea salt.

I put some on my rice cake before my long run on Saturday and I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I kind of wanted to take the entire jar and pour it into my mouth, then go into a deep and peaceful food coma. That sounded much better than running at 4am. I settled for a little extra on my rice cake, and called it a day. Besides, I have big plans for this stuff. BIG PLANS.

No, my big plans aren’t eating it with a spoon. I wish.

Macadamia Butter

yield 1/2 pint

1 1/2 cups salted roasted macadamia nuts
1 tsp turbinado sugar
pinch sea salt (optional, depending on taste)

Directions:

Pour all ingredients into your food processor, and process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Transfer to half pint jar and store in refrigerator.

**Note: You may store at room temperature, but macadamias are a very oily nut. Keep refrigerated for best texture, or if keeping for more than 2 weeks.