Soft crumbly almond orange bars are a flourless almond torte/brownie like dessert made with all the goodness of crushed almonds. I got the idea for this almond bar when I was making a Spanish almond cake called Tarta de Santiago—Galicia. The almond cake was wonderfully fluffy and light but it took 6 eggs to make it that way and I thought let me try and make a version with just 2 eggs and alter the recipe a bit. Here I was trying to figure out if anyone would like this almond bar like cake when a funny thing happened; the family started trying it and absolutely loved it! Continue reading Almond Orange Bars
Tag Archives: nuts
Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice. Hazelnut Apple Almond Crumble.
Last weekend I was invited to my friend Nishma’s home for a pre-Diwali dinner and for the party I was requested to bring my cardamom apple almond crumble. It was the perfect time to make this dessert as I had a bunch of garden apples from my friend Devi waiting to be consumed. This time though I made a slight change to my recipe, when I went to the store to pick up all the ingredients I noticed in the baking isle Bob’s Red Mill Hazelnut Meal. I grabbed a bag and made the apple crumble with a mix of hazelnut meal, almond flour and oats. It turned out awesome! Interesting observation that one of my kids made with the hazelnut addition is that this nut flour binds much better than almond meal, almost the same consistency as flour. This is one decadent healthyish dessert packed with good for you oats, nuts, fruit and spices with the sweetness of brown sugar. Give it a try! Continue reading Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice. Hazelnut Apple Almond Crumble.
Light and Fluffy Blueberry Muffins
Looking to make a quick batch of cup cakes loaded with good for you blueberries? This recipe makes the most light and fluffy blueberry cup cakes ever! I picked up this recipe from my friend Nishma who asked me to stop by for a quick cup of tea and a light breakfast after my morning gym workout one day. These delicious blueberry muffins were on her menu. Light and fluffy and sweetened to perfection, these muffins tasted so good with a cup of tea in the morning, that I must admit I did feel a little guilty having it after my workout. But Nishma informed me that it was light on the sugar and made with almond flour. Somehow hearing this made me enjoy the muffin even more. Continue reading Light and Fluffy Blueberry Muffins
Akbar Mashti Ice Cream. Rose Saffron Pistachio Ice cream
Akbar Mashti ice cream is an extremely popular Persian ice cream flavor that I had for the first time last summer when we were on holiday in Vancouver, Canada. At popular local gelato parlor Bella Gelateria is where I had this delectable ice cream and absolutely loved it. Flavored with saffron, rose water and pistachios, seriously folks, this ice cream is creamy delicious! Continue reading Akbar Mashti Ice Cream. Rose Saffron Pistachio Ice cream
Peach, Plum and Nectarine Oat and Nut Crumble
August has been overflowing with homegrown stone fruits in our area. A never-ending supply of peaches, plums, apricots, and nectarines have been arriving at our home from friends gardens and even my kid’s friend’s gardens. I love homegrown fruits, but we aren’t eating them fast enough and some of them are getting too ripe too fast. In an attempt to use up a large quantity of over-ripe fruit I whipped up this fruit crumble for an indulgent weeknight dessert. Loaded with juicy fruit and a crunchy soft oat and nut mixture, this is a delicious summer dessert made with delicious stone fruit. Continue reading Peach, Plum and Nectarine Oat and Nut Crumble
Whole Grain Banana Bread with Flax and Chia Seeds
It was my birthday back in July and I got to celebrate it in Spain this year,which meant that I didn’t get a chance to celebrate it with my dear friends Rose and Devi like we have been doing for almost a decade now. But a gal can celebrate her birthday more than once, can’t she? So my friends hosted a small tea for me after I returned as a belated b’day get together. It turned out to be a wonderful relaxing afternoon with good friends and good food. Continue reading Whole Grain Banana Bread with Flax and Chia Seeds
Cantaloupe and Sugar Snap Peas Salad with Feta and Pistachios
This is a sweet refreshing salad with the cheesy tang of fresh feta and a mustardy vinaigrette. Cantaloupe adds not only a fruity flavor in this salad but also gives the salad some heft. Then add in thinly sliced sugar snap peas, thinly sliced onions and cucumber and this becomes a delicious salad that is sweet, fruity, crunchy and tangy. Served with some crusty bread and a chilled glass of anything drink, this makes for a wonderful light Sunday salad dinner on any hot sweltering summer evening. Continue reading Cantaloupe and Sugar Snap Peas Salad with Feta and Pistachios
Toasted Almond Cardamom Ice cream with Mint and Almond Liqueur
Almond and cardamom together in a recipe is nothing new to me as I have made many Indian sweets with these two ingredients, so I knew this combo would taste wonderful in an ice cream, but mint on the other hand is a new addition and I was dubious about adding it to this combo. This combination of flavors might sound unusual together but they actually taste really good in this ice cream. I would even venture to say this is an avant garde ice cream with flavors that are not typically seen together. Surprisingly though mint tastes wonderful in this ice cream as it adds a burst of unexpected minty freshness to the cardamom spice and almond flavors. It doesn’t take much to infuse the mint flavor as just a hint is all you need to give the ice cream that perplexed “I wonder what that flavor is 🤔?” type of reaction. Give it a try! Continue reading Toasted Almond Cardamom Ice cream with Mint and Almond Liqueur
Hazelnut Apricot Torte
I am always looking for inspiration when it comes to cooking creatively; I especially love it when friends send me an impromptu text sharing a photo of what they’ve made. That’s how I came across this easy and amazingly delicious Italian hazelnut apricot torte. I had just sent my friend Rose a text with a photo of a Spanish almond cake I had made (from her recipe) when she in return sent me a photo of her freshly baked hazelnut apricot torte. Continue reading Hazelnut Apricot Torte
Pistachio Cake with Rose Petal Confetti
It’s rose season in our area, all I see are roses, roses everywhere in full bloom. Besides making rose bouquets I am also looking for creative ways to use rose petals in edibles. I especially favor my fragrant pink David Austin roses for cakes and ice creams. A pistachio cake maybe? I figured a beautiful backdrop of pale green would look lovely for these rose petals. And so began my hunt for a really good pistachio cake recipe; an all-natural kind, the type of recipe that uses actual pistachios as one of the cake ingredients. Continue reading Pistachio Cake with Rose Petal Confetti
