Category: Nut Usage Ideas

Tomato season may be drawing to a close, but tomatoes are still available in an abundance of shapes, sizes and varieties. These versatile ingredients pair beautifully with tree nuts in salads, pasta, soups, curries and more.

Like tree nuts, tomatoes are a nutritional powerhouse – whether enjoyed raw, cooked or frozen – tomatoes provide rich nutrients and antioxidants such as lycopene, vitamins A and C, potassium and folate. It makes sense that a combination of the two will benefit your heart, skin, vision and bones.

Like tree nuts, tomatoes have so many applications and flavor profiles that work with many dishes. Here are 9 delicious tomato and nut recipes and meal ideas to help you make the most of the end of the harvest and add a healthy dose of tree nuts to your diet!

Tomato Salad with Almond Dressing

A simple mixed tomato salad studded with basil is divine scattered with a dressing made by toasting almonds and tossing with olive oil and red wine vinegar.

Pasta with Tomatoes and Brazil Nuts

Toss hot pasta with chopped seasoned tomatoes, mint, parmesan and finely chopped roasted Brazil nuts for a simple mid-week meal. You can also blitz (blend) the tomatoes with herbs, parmesan and the Brazil nuts to make a creamier version to stir through the pasta.  Great with any kind of pasta.

Cashew and Tomato Curry

Kaju Masala, is a rich, creamy North Indian dish. You can Google it to find traditional recipes, but a simple version is to sauté a cup of cashews in ghee until golden, set aside, then add a bay leaf, cloves, star anise and cinnamon to the pan, cook 2 minutes. Add 1½ cups chopped tomatoes and ½ cup water to the pan and cook until tomatoes are soft. Grind half the cashews and add to tomatoes with a pinch of chili and garam masala. Serve with naan or basmati rice, scattered with cilantro and remaining cashews.

Warm Tomato, Corn, Zucchini and Feta Salad with Hazelnuts

Let your imagination run wild with this delightful flavor combination. Here is a template to get you started – sauté corn and diced zucchini until tender and remove from heat. Toss in halved cherry tomatoes, basil, mint and roasted chopped hazelnuts, drizzle with olive oil and lemon and serve crumbled with feta cheese.

Tomato and Macadamia Soup

The creamy richness of macadamias turns a simple tomato soup into a luxurious occasion. Simply sauté macadamias with onions and garlic before adding chopped tomatoes, stock and a sprig of thyme. Cook for 10 minutes, remove thyme and puree until smooth. Reheat and top with chopped basil or enjoy a double nut bonus and drizzle with pesto.

Farro and Tomato Salad with Pecan Crumble

The grain bowl craze shows no sign of slowing down and adding tomatoes works like a tangy dressing, as the juices coat the grains. The crunch and earthiness of pecans add a wonderful contrast. Try with any grains and add any chopped vegetables and fresh herbs.

Tomato, Goat Cheese and Pine Nut Frittata

Here is our recipe for a frittata combining tomatoes and pine nuts or make into a quiche simply by lining the baking tin with a sheet of puff pastry. 

Tomato and Pistachio Pizza

Blend pistachio nuts with just enough olive oil and parmesan to make a thick paste and spread over the base of the pizza.  Top with mozzarella cheese, basil and sliced tomatoes then bake until golden. Simple yet delicious!

Walnut Caprese Bruschetta

Walnuts have a buttery sweetness that make them ideal for pairing with tomatoes, like this walnut toast. Or simply scatter sautéed tomatoes with roasted walnuts as a side dish.

From creamy tomato soup with macadamias to fresh salads topped with almonds or hazelnuts, there are countless ways to combine tomatoes and tree nuts. Experiment with your favorite varieties, and explore our Nut Facts and recipe collections for even more inspiration.

Summer is the perfect time to enjoy the abundance of fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables available at farmers markets, backyard gardens, and grocery stores. From zucchini and sweet corn to juicy berries and ripe peaches, summer produce offers endless opportunities for colorful, flavorful meals elevated with the addition of tree nuts

Why Tree Nuts Pair Perfectly with Summer Produce

Whether you’re planning backyard barbecues, refreshing salads, chilled soups, or simple weeknight dinners, pairing seasonal favorites with tree nuts can transform summer produce into satisfying dishes. Incorporating tree nuts into your healthy summer recipes adds protein, healthy fats, fiber, vitamins, and minerals while enhancing texture and taste of everyday ingredients. Explore these delicious ways to combine summer vegetables and fruits with almonds, walnuts, pecans, pistachios, hazelnuts, and more to make the most of the season’s bounty.

Which Nuts Pair Best with Summer Fruits and Vegetables?

Almonds, walnuts, pistachios, pecans, hazelnuts, pine nuts, macadamias, and cashews pair well with seasonal produce. Here are a few ideas to inspire you.

Summer Squash Recipes with Tree Nuts

Whether it’s zucchini, yellow squash or patty pan, there are so many ways to enjoy them: 

• Try shaving thin slices with a potato peeler or mandolin, and tossing with olive oil, lemon, basil and mint. Scatter with dollops of fresh ricotta and toasted nuts.
• Boil until tender, then puree with a little white pepper, tarragon, yogurt or buttermilk until a thick soup consistency. Enjoy warm or chilled topped with dill and finely diced nuts.
• Chop into bite sized pieces, toss with olive oil, season, scatter with tree nuts and roast until tender. Serve with toasted bread or over pasta.
• Squash makes terrific pizzas, finely sliced and arranged over dough (or puff pastry), with ricotta cheese and mint. Here’s a recipe for you with lots of nuts.
• Grate and add to your favorite muffin mix full of nuts and spices.

Corn Recipes Featuring Tree Nuts

• There are few things that shout summer as much as corn wrapped in foil and roasted or put on the barbecue. And it’s even more deliciously summer when smothered in a smooth nut pesto.
• Corn succotash, sautéed with bell peppers, green onion and nuts such as pine nuts, walnuts or pistachios makes a great base for grilled chicken or fish.
• A puree of corn is also divine when blended with stock and given a thickening of nuts such as macadamias and almonds.

Bell Pepper Recipes with Almonds and Pecans

• Roast and peel bell peppers, and blend with oil, almonds, garlic and chilis for a classic Spanish sauce that’s wonderful over meat or rice.
• Barbecued sliced peppers, eggplant and asparagus are wonderful with goat cheese and toasted hazelnuts.
• Stuffed peppers are a great lunch or midweek meal, and you can fill with all manner of chopped vegetables, cheese, herbs and nuts. Here’s one with Pecans and avocado.

Eggplant Recipes with Nuts

• Give your eggplant parmigiana a crunchier texture and earthy flavor boost with ground nuts in the coating.
• A wonderful party dish, Baba Ganoush is made by pureeing roasted eggplant with lemon, garlic and tahini. It’s extra special with nuts such as walnuts, pecans and almonds. Serve with pita bread and vegetable crudites.
• Like summer squashes, eggplant roasts beautifully and the combination of silky and the crunch of nuts is addictive. This recipe will give you ideas for roasting veggies and nuts.

Fresh Bean and Pea Recipes

• These simple yet delicious summer vegetables are often just left plain, but add a dollop of butter, some white pepper and toasted nuts and they are now gourmet heroes. Add some grains such as farro or couscous, sit a poached egg on top and that’s lunch right there!
• A fresh mixed pea and bean salad – steam green peas, snap peas, lima beans and green beans until just tender– toss in olive oil and pepper and sit on a bed of watercress, topped with fresh ricotta and toasted nuts.

Creative Ways to Enoy Radishes

• The French are known to serve sliced radishes simply with bread and butter, but have you tried using a nut butter? The earthiness and texture of the nuts and flavor of the radish work together like a symphony.
• Not many have discovered the joys of sautéed radishes. Flash fry with olive oil with beans or cauliflower and scatter with fresh thyme, oregano, parmesan and diced pine nuts or macadamias.

Refreshing Cucumber Recipes

• A classic summer chilled soup combines cucumber, green grapes, bread soaked in milk and almonds with buttermilk – so refreshing and sustaining!
• Shaved cucumber, tossed with yogurt and lemon is a terrific side dish for curry.  Great with pea shoots or tatsoi. Or grate cucumber and add to yogurt with garlic and lemon for a classic Middle Eastern sauce for fish.

Berry Recipes with Tree Nuts

There are so many ways to enjoy fresh berries with nuts:

• A classic fruit salad with ice cream and nuts.
• Over your breakfast overnight oats studded with nuts.
• Wrapped in pastry for a succulent berry pie with a nut-based pastry or crumble.

Cherry Recipes for Summer

• Salmon loves cherries, particularly when warmed and served over the fish with an almond brown butter sauce.
• The cherry season is so short, sometimes it’s just best to serve a big bowl of fresh cherries and chilled nuts to graze over with a glass of bubbles. Add some apricots for added color.

Stone Fruit Recipes with Walnuts and Almonds

• Roasted apricots and peaches drizzled with honey and scattered with toasted walnuts begs a scoop of gelato for a perfect summer dessert.
• Salads with greens such as arugula, endive and radicchio are brought to life mixed with finely sliced stone fruit or fresh figs, shaved gouda and toasted nuts. A simple dressing of oil and lemon is all you need.

Experiment with these healthy summer recipes and discover new ways to enjoy nature’s bounty to enjoy a tasty and nutty summer!

Salads are ubiquitous to the American menu year-round, but as summer draws near, they take center stage. If you’re looking for unique and healthy ways to add more flavor and nutrition to your salads, tree nuts such as walnuts, almonds, pecans, pistachios, hazelnuts and cashews can transform any ordinary salad with satisfying crunch.

Why add tree nuts to salads?

There are so many ways to incorporate tree nuts into your salads. Whether you’re making a summer salad, a hearty lunch salad or a side dish, tree nuts are a versatile and nutritious topping, adding vital nutrients such as:

• protein
• fiber
• vitamins
• minerals
• healthy fats.

And, tree nuts can help make salads more filling.

Here are some ideas using tree nuts for salads that stretch the imagination. We’d love to hear your ideas, too!

Let’s start with salads simply adorned with tree nuts:

Asian-inspired Salads – These days, Asian lettuces are much easier to find. Try a salad of mizuna, Tatsoi, mustard greens, Thai Basil and Napa Cabbage tossed with lime, soy sauce and a dash of sesame oil, and sprinkled with toasted cashew nuts.

Tropical Salads – These can be a dessert or main meal. For a savory version, try mango, pineapple, papaya, cucumber and red onion, with a vinegary mint dressing and glazed macadamia nuts. For dessert, mix any of your favorite tropical fruits, toss with lemon and some chopped mint and scatter with nuts such as flaked almonds, toasted hazelnuts, pecans or walnuts. A scoop of ice cream wouldn’t go astray either!

Warm Salads – Adding a warm dressing to salads made with bitter greens brings out a wonderful flavor in the leaves. Mix bitter greens such as escarole, radicchio or curly endive in a bowl and make a dressing with olive oil and vinegar. Warm chopped mixed tree nuts in a small pan. When they are getting golden and aromatic, remove from heat and add the dressing – it will absorb the flavor of the nuts. Toss with the salad while still warm, then scatter with crumbled goat cheese. This is delicious topped with a poached egg as well. Here’s a recipe to get you started using endive.

The Classics – There’s something delightfully summery about a Waldorf Salad, with apple, grapes and nuts, or this twist on the classic Caesar with pistachios, hazelnuts and almonds (but you could use any nut). A Caprese Salad with layers of fresh tomato, mozzarella and basil is wonderful with any tree nuts – here’s a recipe for a Caprese Toast with walnuts.

And how about some tree nut-rich dressings:

Pesto – Did you know that pesto can be made with any nut and many herbs, not just basil? Mint, parsley, tarragon and arugula are just a few herbs that can make a delicious dressing. Toss with a mixed salad just before serving and top with chunks of fresh burrata or shaved parmesan. Or you could just blend some tree nuts with oil, lemon and parmesan to toss with a butter lettuce salad for something simple and bursting with flavor.

Parmesan and Nut Cracker Topping – Shred parmesan cheese and add some finely chopped tree nuts. Place mounds on a heated nonstick pan over low heat and cook until fully melted and golden brown. Transfer to a rack and allow them to harden then scatter over an arugula and beet salad! Or just serve on the side to enjoy with your greens.

From tropical fruit salads to classic Waldorf salads and homemade pesto dressings, tree nuts offer endless ways to add flavor, texture and nutrition to your favorite dishes. Experiment with different varieties to discover your favorite combinations and enjoy a healthier, more satisfying salad year-round.

Bon Appetit!

The Nutty Chef

Two wonderful late afternoon traditions began in England in the 1800’s – high tea and afternoon tea. Though these days high tea is seen as a luxurious special event, it was actually the working classes that initiated high tea as a substantial hot meal served between 3pm and 6pm after a hard day of work and usually eaten on high tables in the kitchen.

Afternoon tea was established for the wealthier classes of the time who had begun eating dinners late at night and needed a snack, usually cake or bread and butter, between lunch and dinner.

Nowadays, the tables have turned, and high tea features a multitude of delicacies including scones, finger sandwiches, cake and, of course, tea. So, this Mother’s Day, why not treat your mother to a special afternoon celebration. Here are some classic high tea recipes that will make her feel pampered:

Fruit and Nut Scones – Jazz up your scone recipe with some tree nuts and dried or fresh fruit – try walnuts and banana, pecans and cranberries, hazelnuts and currants, or go savory with pistachio nuts and grated carrot.

Finger Point Sandwiches – Make a creamy nut butter, such as cashew or pine nut, and spread with Crème Fraiche on sliced white bread with the crusts removed– fill with cucumber or smoked salmon and dill.

Mini Quiches – Try making a tree nut pastry such as walnut pastry with veggies, or macadamia pastry with goat cheese.

Shortbread – Scottish shortbread can be made with tree nuts – almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts and macadamias are great – you use less butter and they are just as luxurious. Here’s a base recipe you can make with any nut.

Citrus Cakes – These are often seen on high tea menus – they are simple to make, not too filling and bursting with the fruits of the season, and richness of tree nuts. Here’s one with Orange and another with Lemon and Olive oil.

Mini Pancakes – Called blini or pikelets in Australia, mini pancakes are delicious with the crunch of nuts and served topped with jam and cream. Try this one with pecans.

Chocolates – These could be given to Mom in the morning as a gift or served with your high tea. Try truffles with almonds, a delightful nut brittle, or a decadent fudge.

Most importantly, make sure the day is full of hugs, laughs and love, as your mothers, grandmothers, step-mothers, mothers-in-law and all mothers in your life are true treasures. Find more tree nut recipe inspiration and nut health resources.