Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Spicy Almond Pulp Pate

I don't know why I never tried experimenting with almond pulp.  Wish I did this sooner.  I've followed recipes on blogs and Youtube.  Most used the whole amount of pulp from the 1 cup of almonds used to make almond milk.  So if you don't like the final product, you're out of luck until the next batch of almond milk.  It was discouraging (and expensive) to see things not coming out well.
Then I noticed that many of the recipes state "as needed" or "to taste" etc.  Well, why don't I just try a smaller portion.  Plus that means I may have 4 different almond pulp dishes from one batch of pulp!
This one started with about 1/3 cup of almond pulp.  I added nutritional yeast (about 3 tbsp) for the cheesy flavor (but may leave it out next time), olive oil to keep the mixture moist (about 2 tbsp by the end of the mixing), oregano (I liberally sprinkled it on, maybe 2-3 tsp), 1/2 clove garlic crushed, 1 green onion minced, and 1/2 tsp cayene pepper. By then, the mix was kind of dry, not very spreadable. I added 1/2 small avocado (mashed) --- just for kicks and since the riped avocado needs to be used.  Once that's all mixed, I added sea salt to taste (about 1/8 tsp).
The avocado gave a delicious creamy texture and seems to tie all the flavors together.  It's quite savory (garlicky so use less if you're not a garlic fan or in a work environment!).
It was so good, my folks are keeping the remainder for their meatless Wednesday tomorrow.
Can't wait to try an Italian-inspired one with the basil next and one with cumin.  And the last batch will be a sweet one --- maybe a modified version of a cookie dough for dessert.
This spicy almond pulp pate will be perfect in a collard wrap and some crackers for lunch.