Cooking With Fisher Nuts For the Holidays

For some reason I have never been a nut fan, luckily so though because I have a little one with a peanut allergy.  Maybe its because I can’t have them as often as I’d like now but as of recently I discovered just how yummy nuts can be different dishes.  My husband absolutely loves all the different nuts out there and whenever I can I try to make nut-inspired dishes for him.  So when the kids sleep at grandma’s or for a treat for my husband at work, I try to incorporate something nut-related.

With the holidays coming up it seems like nuts are the perfect solution to so many somewhat boring or bland recipes.  Well Fisher Nuts has teamed up with Food Network Chef Alex Guarnaschelli, a regular judge on Chopped, to showcase some simple tips and recipes for cooking with nuts.  With their new Freshness Seal Bag it makes it easy to grab what you need and store the rest.

Here are Chef Alex Guaranschelli’s 10 Simple Twists on Cooking with Nuts:

1. Healthy Snack: Nuts add wonderful flavor and texture when mixed into recipes, but they can also be a healthy snack—season nuts with a little cayenne and quickly roast them in a little olive or nut oil.
2. Crusty Crunch: Use nuts instead of breadcrumbs for added flavor and nutrition. For example, grind some almonds and use them to make a crust for meat or fish.
3. No Regret Vinaigrette: Need a new vinaigrette? Roast a handful of nuts,(for example, walnuts), and blend them with 3 parts olive oil and 1 part lemon juice.
4. Savory & Sassy Sauces: Slow cooking a piece of meat? Add a few nuts to some of the cooking liquid, blend it smooth and pour it back into the rest of the cooking liquid to naturally enrich the flavor and thicken your sauce.
5. Flavorful French Toast: Coat slices of French toast with ground nuts just before browning the slices. This will add great flavor and texture.
6. Upgraded Spice Rub: Next time you’re cooking meat, add some ground nuts to your spice rub. The nuts can mellow some of the heat from the spice and add needed richness to the mix.
7. Fresh Twist on Rice: Nuts are delicious in a classic rice pilaf. Stir some roasted nuts into the rice just before serving. You can also mix nuts with wild rice.
8. Top It Off: Parsley and basil are great flavors to finish many holiday dishes. Try chopping parsley with some Fisher almonds for added texture and taste.
9. Quick and Simple Dessert: For a great addition to your holiday dessert table, melt some sugar in a pan until golden brown and stir in some nuts. Transfer the mixture to a baking sheet to cook and then break into pieces for a quick and simple nut brittle.
10. Spruced up Salads: Healthy greens are a great companion to nuts. Try topping a chopped Arugula salad with walnuts or adding pecans to Dandelion greens. Radicchio is delicious with almonds and apples. Using nuts can easily expand your salad horizon.

After browsing Chef Alex’s recipes, I found so many yummy looking ones like Asparagus with Walnuts, Braised Parsnips with Maple Syrup and Pecans, Pear Crisp with Almonds, Green Bean and Almond Salad, just to name a few.

So far I have tackled a cookie recipe with pecans that it was absolute hit with my family!  While it wasn’t a Chef Alex recipe, the Fisher Nuts really make the cookies pop in your mouth!

Cream Cheese Christmas Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup green sugar crystals
• 1/2 cup red sugar crystals
• 1 cup pecan halves

Directions:

1. Cream together the butter and cream cheese. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until light and fluffy.
2. Combine the flour and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in chopped pecans. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
3. On four sheets of aluminum foil, shape dough into four 6 inch rolls, 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap each roll tightly in foil and refrigerate over night.
4. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line cookie sheets with foil. Remove rolls of dough from refrigerator one at a time. Coat each roll with red or green sugar crystals; cut dough into 1/4 inch slices.
5. Place on prepared cookie sheets; top each cookie with a pecan half. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until bottom of cookie is lightly browned when lifted.

From now on I will be keeping Fisher Nuts on hand for all those last minute touches to my favorite dishes!  I can’t wait too to try out Chef Alex’s 10 tips!

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BUY IT:  Look for Fisher Nuts at your local grocery store in all your favorite nut varieties.

WIN IT:  (1) US winner will receive a Cooking With Fisher Nuts Prize Pack (around $70 value)

• Fisher Chef’s Naturals Slivered Almonds
• Fisher Chef’s Naturals Pecan Halves
• Fisher Chef’s Naturals Walnut Halves & Pieces
• Food Network 5-Piece Stainless Steel Measuring Cups
• Food Network Silicone Spatula
• OXO Whisk
• Wood Cutting Board

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Mom and More Disclosure: I am working with Fisher to share Chef Alex Guarnaschelli’s recipes and create my own original recipe using Fisher Nuts and tools they provided. However, my opinions are entirely my own and I have not been paid to publish positive comments. Please see my Disclosure Policy.