What a year! We’ve had the opportunity to meet and reconnect with so many of you and really enjoyed seeing the innovative ways you are using California walnuts! As 2016 draws to a close, we are pleased to report that California Walnuts took part in several partnerships and promotions this year from working with Delta Air Lines to Honeygrow.
We’re especially excited about the alliance with U.S. Foods and Food Fanatics, which allowed us to see how chefs are using California walnuts in their cuisine. Our foodservice team visited the U.S. Foods/Food Fanatics Headquarters for a tailored presentation of the newest trends incorporating California walnuts into everyday menu items. Consequently, chefs were inspired to submit their new ideas into a California Walnuts recipe contest, resulting in an abundance of recipes that ranged across different dayparts. From breakfast to beverages and gluten-free to vegan, the dishes highlighted the versatility of the walnut. But it was these five top recipes submitted by four Food Fanatics chefs that truly emphasized the value in using California walnuts:
Winning Recipe: Hickory-Smoked Walnut Street Tacos with Superfood Slaw, Avocado, Cotija and Pickled Red Onions
- Sylvia Oliveira (Albuquerque, NM)
Finalist: Walnut Roasted Beet Pesto
- Matthew Dean (Streator, Illinois)
Finalist: Brown Butter Walnut Gnocchi with Smoked Gorgonzola, Walnut-Kale Pesto and Cherry-Wine Reduction
- Peter Felton (Allentown, Pennsylvania)
Finalist: Toasted Walnut Coconut Mussels
- Jaci Shelby (Lenexa, Kansas)
Finalist: Spiced Walnut Coconut Cream Soda
- Peter Felton (Allentown, Pennsylvania)
Chef Sylvia Oliveira used omega-3 rich California walnuts (2.5 grams of alpha-liolenic acid omega-3 per ounce) as a winning “meat replacement” recipe. She coarsely chopped the walnuts for an authentic texture as a ground meat component for a savory, out of this world, vegetarian taco (In August, Chef Sylvia was also on hand with the California Walnuts team at the Food Fanatics Live! Show in Denver demonstrating her standout street tacos).
