California Walnuts & Vegan Punks Recipes

California Walnuts has teamed up with vegan influencers Vegan Punks to develop three simple recipes to help support omega-3 ALA levels – the important nutrient shown to offer benefits for heart health^[iv], brain health^[v] and healthy ageing^[vi].

The body can’t make omega-3 ALA so it’s important to include a regular supply in your diet. Walnuts are the only tree nut to contain a significant amount of the plant-based omega-3 fatty acid ALA (2.7g per 30g*) and is highlighting this during its #ThePowerof3 campaign. 

Choose from California Walnuts and Cauliflower Soup, Creamy Ramen with Homemade Walnut Butter and Spiced California Walnuts andPear Baked Oats.

CALIFORINA WALNUTS AND CAULIFLOWER SOUP

Serves 4

Ingredients

• For the soup:
• 1 large cauliflower (~900g) – chopped into florets
• 1 onion – peeled & quartered
• 1.5 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1.5 tsp cumin powder
• 1.5 tsp coriander powder
• 4 cloves garlic – peeled
• 0.75 cups California walnuts (~80g)
• 3 cups veg stock
• 1 cup soy milk
• For the crumb:
• 0.75 cup cauliflower stalks
• 0.25 cup California walnuts
• 2 tsp harissa paste

Method

For the soup:

1. Preheat oven to 190°c / gas mark 5.
2. Put the cauliflower and onion in a non-stick roasting pan, drizzle with a little oil and toss in the spices. Put in the oven to roast for 15 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and walnuts to the pan and pop back in the oven for another 10 minutes.
4. Blend the roasted ingredients with the stock and milk, and season well with salt and pepper.

For the crumb:

1. Use a food processor to finely chop the cauliflower stalks and walnuts.
2. Add a splash of oil to a frying pan and bring to medium-high heat.
3. Chuck the cauliflower and walnuts in and fry for a couple of minutes.
4. Add the harissa paste and fry for another minute while stirring to evenly coat the mix.
5. Make sure the soup is warmed through, then serve with a good helping of the crumb on top.

CREAMY RAMEN WITH HOMEMADE CALIFORNIA WALNUT BUTTER

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the walnut butter:

• 2 cups (~200g) California walnuts
• Pinch of salt

For the ramen:

• 4 cloves garlic – peeled and finely chopped
• 1 tbsp ginger – peeled and finely chopped
• 3 cups veg stock
• 2 cups plant milk
• 1 tbsp porcini mushroom powder
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast
• 4 tbsp walnut butter
• 2 tbsp miso
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 200g vegan ramen noodles – cooked & rinsed with cold water.
• 1.5 cups sweetcorn
• 120g baby pak choi – halved and seared in a frying pan, inside facing down
• Tofu crumbles – 280g crumbled tofu fried with 1 tbsp minced garlic, 1 tbsp minced ginger + 2 tbsp soy sauce

Method

For the walnut butter:

1. Preheat the oven to 160°c / gas mark 3.
2. Evenly spread out the walnuts on a baking tray and roast for ~10 minutes – they should darken in colour and smell delicious but be careful not to burn them.
3. Once roasted, add the walnuts to a blender and blend until smooth. This will take a couple of minutes – every 30 seconds or so, scrape down the sides of the blender to ensure none of the walnuts get missed.

For the ramen:

1. In a large wok or pan, add a splash of oil and bring to medium-high heat.
2. Fry the garlic and ginger until fragrant.
3. Add the veg stock and plant milk and bring to a simmer.
4. Stir in the mushroom powder and nutritional yeast, once mixed, add the walnut butter, miso and soy sauce. Stir until the walnut butter and miso have dissolved.
5. In large bowls, add the noodles and top with the broth. Spoon on tofu crumbles and sweetcorn, then add the pak choi.
6. Garnish with spring onions and optionally chilli flakes.

SPICED CALIFORNIA WALNUTS AND PEAR BAKED OATS

Serves 4
Ingredients

• 1 banana
• 2 cups non-dairy milk
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1.3 cups oats
• 0.66 cups California walnuts – roughly chopped
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp allspice
• 2 ripe pears – thinly sliced

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 190°c / gas mark 5.
2. Mash the banana and mix well with the milk and maple syrup.
3. Add the oats, walnuts and spices to a non-stick baking pan that’s at least 1” deep – mix everything well and try to keep the walnuts fairly evenly laid out.
4. Pour over the plant milk and banana mix, and again, stir well so that it’s combined.
5. Lay the pear slices over the top of the mix in two lines. Optional: sprinkle a little coconut sugar and extra cinnamon over the pears.
6. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, turning halfway.
7. Remove from the oven and rest for 5 minutes.
8. Serve with coconut yoghurt and extra toasted walnuts.