pine nuts

After a weekend of burgers and beers, opt for a lighter dinner menu tonight. Broiled salmon is quick, healthy, and scrumptious.

Served on a bed of wilted spinach dotted with creamy feta crumbles, this dish is perfectly balanced in both flavor and texture. Pine nuts add a necessary crunch that complements the plump, flaky fish, chewy greens, and tangy cheese.

Learn the technique when you read more

During the holidays, I keep homemade brittle in pretty packages to ensure that unexpected guests don't leave empty handed. This year, I made two different types of brittle: a classic peanut brittle and a more exotic, spicy brittle with pine nuts. However, it's easy to make brittle with any nut, seed, spice, or dried fruit.
Making brittle can be a daunting task, but with a couple of helpful tips, the procedure is uncomplicated. A candy thermometer is essential. There's a limited amount of time between brittle and burned sugar disaster, so have all the nuts and other ingredients ready and waiting. When the amount of steam produced by the boiling water and sugar mixture lessens, you have reached the hard-crack stage. Most importantly, remember to be patient! Get started on this crunchy, sweet, and spicy gift when you read more

Just because it's cooler doesn't mean you have to stop having hearty salads for dinner. Fall's fabulous flavors, like pears, dark greens, and nuts, are excellent ingredients in dinner salads.

In this recipe, the cinnamon-spiced pears are roasted in a bath of orange juice. Parsley leaves add freshness and toasted pine nuts provide a delicious crunch. Creamy goat cheese and salty Parmesan cheese finish off the salad. This dish is also a perfect starter for a fancy dinner, so get the recipe and read more

Whenever I take a trip to the store, a couple of items that aren't on my grocery list make their way into my cart. When I spotted a California-raised lamb shoulder at the meat counter, I couldn't stop myself from sliding it into the shopping cart.

I was eager to experiment with lamb because of a recent disappointing experience with imported Australian lamb. Ironically, I found an Australian recipe that I decided to try. If I made it with a local piece of meat, the dish might taste better.

And taste better it did! The lamb is filled with a rich stuffing of eggplant, onions, bell pepper, wine-soaked dried currants, and toasted pine nuts. The bold flavor of the lamb balances out the sweetness of the stuffing and the bitterness of the chard resulting in a dish that is succulent and scrumptious. To try this rewarding lamb dish, read more

During the Summer, I try to consume as many dinner salads as possible. This grilled salmon salad, from the wonderful minds of MyRecipes.com, is healthy yet filling. The salmon is marinated in a fragrant spice rub before being quickly cooked on the grill. A tomato vinaigrette adds freshness while goat cheese provides a creamy texture. Pine nuts and green onions are a necessary crunch that balance out the buttery texture of the salmon. For the simple yet scrumptious recipe, read more

Spinach is one of my favorite things to cook. Whether it's put into a salad or cooked into a casserole, I absolutely love the way it tastes. I recently came across a simple recipe for spinach sautéed with pine nuts and golden raisins. While I have put raisins in many a spinach salad, I've never put them in cooked spinach. I think the squishy texture of the raisins will go nicely with the slightly wilted spinach. To get the recipe and try it for yourself, read more

Pasta is an obvious choice for a super swift yet delicious meal. Why? Because an easy and tasty sauce comes together while the pasta cooks. Sautéed Italian sausage, garlic, and swiss chard are delicious when tossed with cooked gemelli. Raisins, pine nuts, and Parmesan round out the hearty dish.

Feel free to get experimental with the recipe. Use arugula instead of chard, or dried cranberries instead of raisins. For the recipe, please read more