Romesco Sauce Makes A Wonderful Dip With Almonds, Red Bell Peppers & Tomatoes

Romesco sauce with almonds, peppers, and tomatoes.

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Romesco
This thick, tasty Catalan sauce can be made with various nuts and red bell peppers. I love it with raw almonds because they are such a great natural source of vitamin E. Vitamin E prevents oxidative stress and protects against heart disease, cognitive decline, cancer, cataracts and macular degeneration. It also helps supports the body's immune system. You cannot get too much vitamin E from food but you can over supplement which could lead to excess thinning of the blood and hemorrhage. So each your almonds and put away those supplements! 

Although most recipes toast the almonds, I shy away from roasting any type of nuts as it can damage and alter their polyunsaturated fats.

Romesco sauce is traditionally served with seafood and meats, but it's also wonderful on veggies and as a dip. I recently served this at a tapas and sangria party along with warm focaccia.

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Romesco Sauce
Vegan, Gluten Free (if made with gluten-free bread)
[makes eight (1/4 cup) servings]
Requires a food processor, such as a Cuisinart

2 Italian Roma tomatoes (or 1 large tomato)
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 cup raw almonds
1 large slice crusty bread (or gluten free)
2 roasted red peppers (1 cup)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus some for greasing pan
2 tablespoons cold-pressed hemp oil
3/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon mild pimenton (smoked paprika)
pinch or two cayenne pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Slice the tomatoes in quarters and place them in a slightly greased, small roasting pan with the garlic cloves. Place in the oven and roast until soft, about 30 to 40 minutes.

Tomatoes and garlic before and after roasting.

 Place the almonds in a food processor with an S blade and process them until they are ground. 

Processing the almonds until ground.

Lightly toast the bread. If you want the recipe to be gluten free, use gluten-free bread.

Break up the bread into pieces and process with the ground almonds until the bread forms crumbs.

Rinse the jarred roasted red peppers and pat dry. Add them, along with the roasted tomatoes and garlic, to the food processor.  

Mix the vinegar, oils, salt, smoked paprika, and cayenne in a small cup and stir until well combined. 

Process the roasted red pepper and tomatoes with the almond and bread mixture until it starts to combine. Through the top shoot, slowly drizzle in the vinegar and oil mixture. Process until combined.

Place in a small bowl and serve.

Per 1/4 cup serving: 131 calories, 11 g fat, 1 g total fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 536 mg omega-3 and 3,516 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 3 g protein, 6 g carbohydrate, 2 g dietary fiber, and 391 mg sodium.

Vegan Collard Greens With Pimentón on Whipped Sweet Potatoes

Collard greens are a nutrient powerhouse!

Remove center stem and cut into 1/2 inch strips.

Pimentón is a Spanish smoked paprika.

What is Pimentón?

Last week while visiting my daughter, she made collard greens with a spice that was new to me. Although I'm no stranger to paprika, I had never cooked with pimentón, a Spanish, "smoked" paprika. Its spicy, smoky flavor went very well with the slowly simmered collards. When I returned home, I ran out and bought this spice and cooked the collards dish once again. I quickly realized that pimentón comes in different levels of "heat" and the one I purchased wasn't very spicy at all. Although both kinds were quite good, the one you buy will definitely affect how much you use in this recipe. The pimentón "picante" is very spicy and would need 1/4 to 1/2 of a teaspoon for a large bunch or two small bunches of collards. If you use "agridulce" or medium hot pimentón, you would use a little more. For the sweet "dulce" version of pimentón, an entire teaspoon of the spice can be used. Just experiment to find the intensity and the flavor that pleases you. I look forward to experimenting further with this delicious spice.

Give Collards a Try!

Collards weren't popular in my mother's household. We ate lots of chard but never any collards. Probably because of her busy schedule (she worked all day at her job and then came home, fed us dinner and worked in my father's store until closing time). Chard takes minutes to braise and collards take much longer to tenderize. But it's worth the wait. Collard greens are a nutrient powerhouse, much like kale. They are a very good source of vitamin A, C, K, B6, riboflavin, folate, calcium, iron, and manganese. One cup of cooked collards is only 49 calories and provides 5 grams of fiber. They also provide protein, vitamin E, thiamin, niacin, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and omega 3 fatty acids. Truly one of the most nutrient dense foods around!

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Collard Greens with Pimenton on Whipped Sweet Potatoes

[serves 4]

For the Collards:

2 bunches organic collard greens

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon "picante" or 1 teaspoon "dulce" pimentón (to taste)

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup water

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

For the whipped sweet potatoes:

6 cups peeled and diced sweet potatoes

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon salt

Soak the collards in a large bowl of water, rinsing them several times to remove any sand. Drain and remove the center stem. Slice into 1/2 inch strips. Set aside.

Heat olive oil and sauté onion for 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook another 2 minutes. Mix in the pimentón. Add the sliced collard greens, vinegar, water and salt and mix well. Cover and slowly simmer until soft, about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Adjust the seasonings adding more pimentón or salt, as needed.

Steam sweet potatoes until soft, about 20 to 30 minutes. Place in a mixing bowl with orange juice, maple syrup and salt and whip them with a hand beater until smooth.

Serve the collards over the whipped sweet potatoes.