Muhammara Red Pepper Spread-Pomegranate Walnuts
I think I lived in the Mediterranean in my last life eating Muhammara Red Pepper Spread- Pomegrante Walnuts. Fresh veggies, olive oil, sunny flavours, oh yes! Muhammara Red Pepper Spread represents everything that I love about this style of cooking. Vegetables prepared with savoury garlic and a bit of smoky, salty mysteriousness. Muhammara is a tasty side dish appetizer that hails from Aleppo, Syria. It is traditionally made with cut up bread inside the spread, and paired with pomegranate molasses, a middle eastern food staple. For my diabetic, paleo and low glycemic people I, of course, have processed my Muhammara Red Pepper Spread through the L.S.Livewell machine. This new Muhammara is low carb, vegan, and full of useful nutrients to enhance vibrant health.
Make mine gluten free
How can we make this recipe diabetic friendly, low glycemic and paleo compatible? It also needs to be easy and fast to create, not too expensive and great tasting. We are going to attack this together. You with your dreams and wishes, me with my can- do attitude and giant library of books from the seventies. If we take a moment to analyse our recipes, we can adjust our food so it fit nicely with our food-nutrition protocols and goals.
Let’s make it easy
For our Muhammara Red Pepper Spread to be diabetic friendly we are taking out the bread. Also, though the pomegranate molasses is a great tasting and interesting ingredient, we don’t need the added white sugar. Another important factor is time, as in, I need more! Making our own pomegranate molasses from scratch means 1 hour of you in the kitchen stirring the pot. So let’s throw that out. Instead of pomegranate molasses I have created pomegranate walnuts(5 minutes!). They are crunchy, sour-sweet, and made with monk fruit, a healthy zero calorie, zero sugar sweetener.
For your information
Below is a nutrient summary for the ingredients in Muhammara Red Pepper Spread with pomegranate walnuts. By making and eating this recipe you can support vitality for your body and mind.
- Red Pepper– Flavonoids and vitamin C
- Walnuts-Omega 3 and minerals
- Pomegranate– Anti-oxydent and full of vitamins
- Sumac-Glycemic control and lowered cholesterol levels
Muhammara Red Pepper Spread
Here’s what I love about this recipe:
- easy
- fast
- delicious
- low glycemic
- great for parties
- vegan
Start out with nice red peppers. Examine them closely for bruises or soft spots.
Roast whole over gas range. I do them when I am working in the kitchen, so I can watch them as they cook. Roast for about 5 minutes and then turn them over. If you don’t have a gas range, half the peppers and place them face down on a cookie sheet. Broil until charred.
Wash charred skin off. Cut up and core your peppers to prep them for blending.
Blend all ingredients in a blender or food processor.
Sautee walnuts, lemon, monk fruit and pomegranate juice in a cast iron pan. It will start to caramelize. When done place on a parchment sheet to cool completely.
Change it up
Experiment with the flavour. Try Muhammara with parsley, roasted garlic, or with a side of sautéed onions. This yummy red pepper walnut spread is great as a sauce on a sandwich, or on top of a grain for dinner. Pomegranate walnuts also make a healthy snack: awesome on a salad, and tasty on your morning oatmeal. If you are using monk fruit as your sweetener you are guaranteed a low glycemic load and zero added calories. I find monk fruit to be easy to use and to digest. Muhammara Red Pepper Spread makes a great alternative to hummus, an easy-to-make, hearty appetizer, and a fantastic small serving guest food.
And now, the feasting!
Muhammara (red pepper spread)- Pomegranate walnuts
This savoury spread is gorgeous to behold and easy to make. Paired with crunchy pomegranate walnuts makes a sweet spicy treat.
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 10 min
- Total Time: 30 min
- Yield: 8 oz
- Category: Spread
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: Vegan Diabetic
Ingredients
For the Muhammara
2 red bell peppers
1 cup walnuts
1 clove garlic
1 tea smoked paprika
1/2 tea red pepper flakes
pinch of salt
1 tea sumac
1 tbl olive oil
For the Pomegranate Walnuts
1 cup walnuts
1 pomegranate
1 tea lemon juice
1 tbl monk fruit
Instructions
To make Muhammara
Char and clean peppers as instructed above. Blend peppers, walnuts, olive oil, garlic, spices and salt. You may need to scrape down the blender a few times to get it mixed. Sometimes a food processor can work better if the mixture is thick. Put your mixture in a bowl in the fridge.
To make Pomegranate Walnuts
Take the seeds out of the pomegranate. You may need to work over the sink as it is quite messy. Put all seeds in the blender and blend on high. Sprain the liquid. Discard pulp. In a medium size cast iron pan add walnuts, pomegranate juice, lemon juice and monk fruit. Cook on high heat until the mixture becomes thick and fully coats the walnuts, about 1 minute stirring constantly. When done place walnuts on a sheet of parchment paper, cool. To plate the spread spoon it into a nice bowl, add a layer of olive oil, some cut peppers with the walnuts on the side.
Notes
If you are not diabetic you can add in the bread. It makes for a thicker spread. For best taste, make the Muhammara Red Pepper Spread the day before. Walnuts should be made the day that you are eating them.
Muhmmara Red Pepper Spread-Pomegranite Walnuts is the second part of our on-line series “Snacky Small Plates”. For more healthy appetizer and savoury small plates, check out our previous posts Blistered Shisito Peppers, Wild Mushroom Sofrito, and Grandpa Joe’s Pickles.
I want a spoonful! If you make this recipe tag it on instagram with #lslivewell # livingwellisbest. See you in cyberspace!
The recipe “Muhammara Red Pepper Spread-Pomegranite Walnuts” first appeared on the blog L.S.Livewell.
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