Tag Archives: Almonds
Super Simple Kale Salad
Super Simple Kale Salad
Author: Sweet Green Kitchen’s Jen Jones
Ingredients:
1 bunch Kale – cut or torn into bite size pieces
A drizzle of Olive Oil – Use your most flavorful Extra Virgin / or even a nice lemon infused
A sprinkle of Flaked Sea Salt
Directions:
This is the simplest salad you’ll ever make, just 3 ingredients and you’re done. For the kale, I really like a nice curly or Red Russian variety of kale here. Pull out the center rib and then just tear off the leaves into bite size pieces, it’s that easy. Next, drizzle with your most flavorful olive oil, not too little and not too much, just a drizzle. Now here’s the fun part and perhaps the most time consuming of this super simple recipe, massage the olive oil into the kale leaves until every leaf is glistening. Top with a sprinkling of flaky sea salt and you’re done!
Note: For the most part, I am a big believer in adding acid to my salads, I tend to like most dressings with a higher ratio of acid to oil, but in this case the olive oil and salt speak for themselves, no acid needed.
I like topping this easy salad with some roasted squash or sweet potatoes and maybe some chick peas too if I’m in the mood for a great vegan main dish. This would also be delicious topped with your favorite protein whether it be, grilled salmon, shrimp or chicken or my simple pan fried tofu or even a dollop of goat cheese or shaved pecorino, or as I’ve done here with my Maple Orange Tempeh, topped with a few clementines and almonds. Enjoy!
Blueberry Almond Oatmeal Scones with Blueberry Mascarpone
It occurs to me that maybe I should have named this blog Lemon & Oats or Oatmeal & Zest, considering how many of my recipes here include both oats and lemon. So, here’s one more for you… Blueberry Almond Oatmeal Scones, and yes they even have lemon zest! I really do love scones, probably even more than muffins or cookies, they make a tasty little breakfast treat or afternoon snack. They are delicious on their own or even better topped with a little cream cheese and jam, like the mascarpone cream cheese jam I used here. For a more substantial breakfast, serve with a side of yogurt and berries OR as a “breakfast dessert” with your eggs. Some people in my home have even been known to top theirs with a smear of peanut or almond butter, also quite tasty. If you’re a traditionalist or hail from the British Isles, you may question my use of the term scone here, but to me these are my perfect Americanized interpretation with a nice crumby texture, not too moist and not too dry. I use a lot less butter than many versions, but the yogurt adds extra moisture and a little tang, plus some protein to boot. I love scones with all kinds of mix ins and though the rest of my family will almost always opt for chocolate, I prefer a mix of fruit and nuts, which often leads to multiple versions being made all on the same morning! Blueberries and almonds are one of my favorite combinations, they just work well together and lemon zest adds a little bit of extra flair to the flavor. I use a combo of vanilla and almond extracts here, but you could easily go with all of one or the other if you prefer. A quick and easy recipe perfect for any lazy weekend morning.
Blueberry Almond Oatmeal Scones
Author: Sweet Green Kitchen’s Jen Jones
Makes 16 scones
Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
½ cup all purpose unbleached flour
1 cup old fashioned oats
1 Tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ cup natural cane sugar
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
Zest of ½ lemon
3 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter – cut into small cubes
1 extra large egg
½ cup plain yogurt (Greek or regular is fine, vanilla would be ok too, just a little sweeter)
¼ cup milk of your choice (I use plain soy milk, but cow, almond, etc should work just fine)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
¼ cup slivered almonds
1 cup blueberries – fresh or frozen
Wheat Berries and Sprouts Salad with Grapes & Almonds
Wheat berries are dense and chewy with a slightly nutty flavor, packed with protein and fiber and a decent amount of iron, they make for a filling and healthy base to this delicious salad. Raw Brussels Sprouts have a mild flavor, so different than cooked sprouts, if you’ve never had them this way I think you will be pleasantly surprised. I also love how the grapes along wth the fruity vinegars add some brightness to both the taste and look of this salad. The almonds, aside from being super healthy; protein, fiber and vitamin packed, add a really nice crunch. This salad is so filled with flavors, texture and nutrition, I hope you love it as much as I do!
Wheat Berries and Sprouts Salad
With Grapes & Almonds
Author: Sweet Green Kitchen’s Jen Jones
Ingredients:
Salad:
1/2 cup uncooked wheat berries – rinsed and cooked in about 1 ½ cups water for about an hour
1 container or large handful of Brussels Sprouts – outer leaves & stem ends removed, sliced very thinly
1 – ½ small red onion (about ¼ – ½ cup) – slivered or diced
A handful of red grapes – halved
A small handful of parsley – chopped
3-4 Tablespoons slivered almonds
Dressing:
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Blackberry Balsamic Vinegar or similar
A few shakes of dried Rosemary – about ¼ – ½ teaspoon
Sea Salt to taste
Optional add ins: crumbled bleu cheese or goat cheese
Directions:
Stir together the dressing either in a small bowl or right in the bottom of your serving bowl.
Add to the serving bowl cooked and cooled wheat berries, dressing and remaining salad ingredients. Stir well to combine.
Optional, crumble in cheese of your choice.
Serve as a side salad or atop a pile of greens, romaine or baby spinach are nice as a yummy and filling vegetarian entrée. Enjoy!
<a href=”http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/13176217/?claim=bzkvwkgvmeh”>Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>
Oatmeal Blackberry Almond Scones
Oatmeal Blackberry Almond Scones
Author: Sweet Green Kitchen’s Jen Jones
Endorsed by my four year old, who took one bite and pronounced (unsolicited, I might add) “mmm, these are really tasty”, what more could you ask for. I make a lot of different scones and these are my latest variation. These are by no means traditional Irish scones, but my very Americanized version with whole grains and less fat, I would agree with the four year old they are “really tasty”, but also a little bit healthy to boot. A nice breakfast treat, perhaps with a little yogurt or a lovely afternoon “teatime” or after school snack. I use frozen blackberries here which stay intact a little bit more than fresh berries would, plus using frozen berries makes it a great year round recipe when perfect summer berries are not available.
Heart shapes seemed to be in order since the blackberries “bleed” quite a bit into the dough, coloring it a nice pinkish red. I resisted the urge to title this recipe “Bleeding Hearts”, but maybe for Halloween…Otherwise you can share the love all year long with these tasty little scones.
Ingredients:
1 Cup Unbleached White Flour
½ Cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
1 Cup Old Fashioned Rolled Oats (not instant)
¼ Cup Almond Flour (see note below)
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
¼ teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
¼ teaspoon Ground Ginger
Zest of 1 Lemon
¼ Cup Sugar (I use a minimally processed and Organic sugar)
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
3 Tablespoons Coconut Oil (Solid) OR cold Butter OR Vegan Butter
¼ Cup Slivered Almonds
1 Cup Partially Defrosted Frozen Blackberries
½ Cup Buttermilk (I use lowfat)
1 Extra Large Egg
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon Almond Extract
About 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
Directions:
Measure out 1 cup Frozen Blackberries and set aside in a small bowl. Leave at room temperature while preparing other ingredients.
Preheat Oven to 400 F
In a medium – large bowl combine all the dry ingredients (Flour through Sugars) with a whisk.
Next, measure out the Coconut Oil or Butter and cut into small pieces. Add to the flour mixture and incorporate through using a pastry cutter or I find a potato masher works great too or even the back of a fork, leaving small pieces throughout, about the size of peas.
Next, stir in Almond slivers. Then add in the partially defrosted Blackberries, do not mix in.
In a separate bowl or directly in the liquid measuring cup, mix together Buttermilk, Egg, Lemon Juice and Vanilla and Almond Extracts.
Add the liquids to the flour mixture. Stir to combine. At this point, the Blackberries will mash up a bit and color the batter a pinkish hue, try not to completely annihilate them, you want to still be left with some pieces and even a few whole berries is nice.
Place the batter in the refrigerator for about 15-20 minutes to chill a bit so it will be easier to form into shapes.
I cut my scones into heart shapes, using a 2 ½ inch heart shaped cookie cutter. I get about 13-14 scones. If you plan to cut the scones into shapes as I do, sprinkle a little bit of flour onto a pastry mat. Pour the batter out onto the mat, it will be very wet. Spread the batter out using the back of a spoon, spatula or your hands, to about 1 inch thick. Carefully cut shapes out of the batter and transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet. I find it easiest to cut out the dough and then move the cutter over to the baking sheet and gently press the batter out of the cutter directly onto the parchment. Continue and reshape the dough to cut more shapes.
Alternatively, you can make “drop” scones, by scooping out some batter with an ice cream scoop or large soup spoon and drop it onto the parchment.
Depending upon the size of your cutter or drop scones you should end up with about 12-16 scones.
Bake in the middle of the oven for about 12-16 minutes. Remove from the oven, cool on the pan for about a minute and then transfer to a wire cooling rack. Any leftover cooled scones can be stored in an airtight container for a few days or frozen in a zip top bag. Enjoy!
Ingredient Note: If you don’t have almond flour on hand, you can make your own by grinding whole or sliced almonds in a spice grinder or food processor. They should be finely ground when done, just be sure not to process so long that the almonds turn into paste, which would be Almond Butter, also quite tasty.
i love getting feedback, here are some of your most recent comments…