Walnuts and cranberries -- they're not just for muffins anymore

[Duer 157099]

I now have two favorite dishes that use walnuts and cranberries.

One is a spinach salad with shredded cheddar cheese, cherry tomatoes, walnuts and cranberries, with a red wine vinegrette dressing.

The other is a dish at a local restaurant, that I managed to make a reasonable knockoff of last night.

The restaurant serves butternut squash ravioli in a basil cream sauce with smoked chicken and walnuts and cranberries.

Not wanting to get involved in making ravioli, I used some chicken ravioli I had frozen (from Costco, of course) and then steamed cubed butternut squash (and then sauteed in butter to brown, and top with a little maple syrup). Had some basil artichoke cream sauce in the fridge, used that. Candied some walnuts -- sauteed in butter, then add some brown sugar. And don't forget the cranberries (dried, of course).

I'm wondering what other main dishes I can toss walnuts and cranberries into -- they just go so great together.

[Dora]

1. fruit salad

Sugar the walnuts over a med flame in a non-stick pan and add them at the last-minute.

The cranberries will soak up some of the juices from the fruit and their texture will change - for the good.

[htuttle]

2. Broil/bake them in stuffed mushroom caps, with a daub of cream cheese

I'd give it a shot if I had some handy. :shrug:

[Duer 157099]

3. Oh that sounds good

I just cooked up a huge batch of mushrooms the other day, so none left, but next time...

what a texture combo that will be! crunchy nuts, chewey cranberries, creamy cream cheese, and spongy mushrooms.

[The empressof all]

4. A slightly different salad

Using raw spinach mix candied walnuts, dried cranberries and blue cheese crumbles. Dress with a vinegerette made with walnut oil and rasberry vinegar.

[japple]

5. They're great in oatmeal cookies. N/T

[babylonsister]

6. My jaw dropped at basil artichoke cream sauce.

That's not something I'd usually find in my fridge, but sounds so gooooood!:9

Chicken salad is great with walnuts, apples and grapes, I'll bet the cranberries would be like a cherry on top!

[Duer 157099]

7. Yeah, it's not exactly a "pantry" item

but it was the ingredient around which this dish was based -- had gotten it on sale and it sat in the fridge for awhile while I considered what to do with it.

It was yuuummmy!