Pecan Store August 25th, 2009

Pesto is typically made with pine nuts, basil leaves, Parmesan cheese and a little bit of olive oil to bring it all together. But, thanks to Whole Foods Market, I have a new pesto recipe to try this weekend. And of course, it’s going to be made with fresh Green Valley Pecan Company pecans.

Let me start by saying that I really love Whole Foods Market. They always have such fresh, wholesome food in every aisle, and their prepared foods are fantastic. But, I didn’t realize until recently that they have recipes on their website. I was browsing for new and interesting pecan recipes and I definitely found what I was looking for.

I came across the recipe for Grilled Squash with Cilantro-Pecan Pesto. While I am by no means a huge fan of squash, I immediately thought about pouring the cilantro-pecan pesto all over a huge bowl of al dente pasta. And, you know me, I wouldn’t post it unless it was super simple to make…

Just take ¼ cup pine nuts and toast in a heavy skillet. Repeat with ¼ cup pecans. Combine the toasted nuts with 2 garlic cloves, ¼ cup packed cilantro (roughly chopped) and little bit of Parmesan cheese in a food processor. Start pulsing until fine and well mixed. With the food processor running, finish it up by slowly adding 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.

Give it a try and let me know what you think!

photo credit: bloggyboulga

• Pecan Skills , Recipe
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Pecan Store August 23rd, 2009

I have just discovered the most amazing, naturally good for you, delicious snack bar in the world. LÄRABAR is the brainchild of one woman who came upon the idea of combining wholesome ingredients like fruits and nuts into a food bar while on an ordinary hike through the Rocky Mountains. The bars proved to be so popular, that within just four years of coming up with the idea, LÄRABAR had sold over 1 million bars in the US and can now be found internationally.

So what’s so great about LÄRABAR? Well, for one, all the ingredients in all of the LÄRABARs are 100% natural. No preservatives, no added colors, and each bar is gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, non-gmo, vegan and kosher.

Sound a little too healthy for your liking? Well, believe it or not, healthy doesn’t have to taste like cardboard and packing peanuts. Each bar is amazingly delicious, and you can find them in plenty of fantastic flavors like Cinnamon Roll, Cherry Pie, Banana Bread, Lemon Bar, Apple Pie, Ginger Snap, and my personal favorite, Pecan Pie. And although the Pecan Pie bar only contains three ingredients - dates, pecans and almonds - it tastes like the real thing, only better for you.

Check out their site for more information. The bars can be found at most health food stores across the country, including Trader Joe’s, REI, Sprouts and Whole Foods, and I’ve even seen them at Costco.

• Health and Wellness
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Pecan Store August 21st, 2009

There’s nothing better to put on top of a homemade pecan pie, than some homemade whipped cream. It’s easier than you think to make, and tastes so much better than the store bought version that comes in an aerosol-filled can.

All you really need is heavy whipping cream. But, if you’d like to add a little sugar or flavoring, you can do that too. Check out the video below to see exactly how it’s done, and then go whip up a batch for yourself!

• Food Shows , Pecan Skills
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Pecan Store August 20th, 2009

The Walden Family and The Green Valley Pecan Company are proud to announce an exciting new event! The inaugural Sahuarita Pecan Festival will be held on Saturday, December 5, 2009, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Green Valley Pecan Company farm.

This fantastic festival is the first of its kind in Southern Arizona and will feature live entertainment, regional Santa Cruz Valley cuisine, tasty pecan-related dishes, hayrides, games and plenty of family-friendly activities, including real harvest demonstrations. And with a local arts and crafts market and live music, there’s something for everyone to enjoy!

Affordable sponsorships and booth opportunities to showcase your company are also available, and with 5-10,000 people expected to attend, that’s great exposure for any business. If you’re interested in becoming a sponsor, click here to see available packages or call Barbara Dolan at (520) 207-5546 or Debbie Walden Ralls at (602) 882-5807.

For more details about the first annual Sahuarita Pecan Festival, including directions and more about the excitement to come, visit the official website at www.sahuaritapecanfestival.com today.

photo credit: ishrona

• Fun and Such , Pecan
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Pecan Store August 19th, 2009

There’s really nothing better than starting your day with a bowl of fresh, crunchy, delicious pecans. And thanks to Honey Bunches of Oats, you can have pecans every morning with a delicious new addition to their product line.

Honey Bunches of Oats with Pecan Clusters can now be found in the cereal aisle at your local grocery store. This fantastic new flavor combines the original cereal and oat clusters with a nutty twist. Pecans have been baked right into the oat clusters to give the cereal a big kick of flavor, and also provides an added health boost for your morning with 0g trans fat, whole grains, and 9 essential vitamins and minerals.

Check out the official site for yourself and don’t forget to print out the coupon that’s linked at the bottom of their page.

• Meals
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Pecan Store August 10th, 2009

It’s August and that means that fall is coming up quick. Soon soups will become a weekly staple and heartier meals will be creeping back into kitchens everywhere.

I love summer salads, so I’m always sad when fall first hits. I love the crisp, cool air that comes with the change of the seasons, but that means I have to say goodbye to the crisp, cool greens that decorate my plate every summer as well.

So, as a tribute, I’m going to share with you my favorite summer salad before it’s too late. It’s super easy and can be made in a snap. All you have to do is purchase a bag of premixed and washed spring greens, candied pecans, dried cranberries, blue cheese and a bottle of really good raspberry vinaigrette. I prefer the creamier raspberry vinaigrettes; they don’t seem to have quite so much of a bite to them.

Arrange the lettuce on the plate, top with a generous helping of pecans, blue cheese crumbles and cranberries, drizzle with the dressing and enjoy. Sometimes the simplest things in life are the best.

• Meals
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Pecan Store August 7th, 2009

I absolutely love the show Good Eats on the Food Network. Each episode infuses two of my favorite things in life: cooking and humor. Host Alton Brown takes you through each episode while explaining the science and history behind each recipe. The show is a little quirky and definitely unlike any other show on the network.

I think I love this show so much because there was a point in time where I didn’t understand the difference between baking soda and baking powder, I didn’t get why over-mixing pancakes turned them into perfect little circular bricks, or why I should use cake flour versus all-purpose flour. This show helped me understand that there’s a science to cooking, and explained the reasons why ingredients are used.

This episode is fantastic, and well worth the 10 minute watch time. Baklava and the complexities of Phyllo dough are explained in this edition of Good Eats. Although this recipe calls for pistachios, walnuts and almonds, you can substitute one of the ingredients for pecans, or head over to PecanStore.com for some fresh Arizona-grown pistachios to use.

• Food Shows , Pecan , Recipe
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Pecan Store August 3rd, 2009

I just discovered the most amazing site, and I know you’re going to love it too.

I love wine. It’s delicious. I just don’t really know what I’m doing with it though. I get lost in the pairings, the swirling and slurping, the aroma and bouquet. I’ve always been told whites for chicken and fish, reds for meat. But, this site breaks is all down for you by exactly what you’re eating.

All you have to do is go to WinedIn.com and enter your food into the “Ask for a Pairing” box. I typed in “pecan’, and voila, it came back with plenty of results for pecan related food: pecan pie, pecan encrusted whitefish, goat cheese with figs, pecans and honey.

Definitely bookmark this site and use it as a reference for all food-related wine parings. Now, you’ll never have to guess what wine goes best again.

photo credit: emdot

• Pecan Skills
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