Category: Nut Usage Ideas

The Fourth of July is approaching, a time to celebrate the United States of America, including our traditional dishes. Why not celebrate our fine country all month long with an American classic dish each day. Better yet, add tree nuts for added nutrition, flavor and texture!

• Pancakes for Breakfast – While many countries have their own rendition of a pancake, the pancake stack doused with maple syrup, and layered with bananas, pecans or walnuts is undeniably American and a great way to start your day!
• Corn on the Cob – Traveling from Mexico up through the Southern US, and now widely celebrated all over the country, corn is ubiquitous to the US diet. For a fancier take on the classic corn on the cob, try spreading it with pine nut or hazelnut pesto.
• Coleslaw – Though it’s origin dates back to Ancient Rome and some say it is intrinsically Dutch, coleslaw, classically made with mayonnaise, mustard and vinegar, is a true American classic. It’s an easy dish to jazz up with fresh herbs, toasted sliced almonds or chopped macadamias, and you could even use yogurt instead of mayonnaise.
• Devilled Eggs – It wasn’t until the mid-1900s that Devilled eggs found their way to the US, (another one with Ancient Rome origins), but they are here to stay! Devilled eggs were originally made hot and spicey (that’s how they got their name), but now they are an open playground for cooks to create their own version – curried, topped with caviar or topped with finely diced nuts such as pistachios.
• Hamburgers – Whether traced to Hamburg or the US, the hamburger is about as common to the American diet as Coke. Basically, ground meat slapped on a roll, the burger has been reinvented many times over with various types of meat and fillings.  Ground lamb and yogurt sauce and pork and apple burgers are two examples. Or how about a vegetarian version featuring grains, vegetables and nuts?  We have one for you here!
• BBQ Ribs – Arguments will erupt around the US about the who made the first BBQ Ribs – was it in the deep South, Chicago, or Texas? However, there’s no denying that BBQ Ribs grace many tables on July 4^th. Imagine ribs with a spicy Romesco Sauce, a Pecan and Red Pepper Sauce or Pistachio Aioli, or give your ribs a crust of diced nuts for contrasting texture.
• Apple Pie – Just mere mention of the word brings up memories of grandma’s kitchen and the aromas of baking pies – pure comfort!  And nuts have such a great place in an apple, pear, apricot, peach or rhubarb pie. Start with the pastry. Here’s a twist on apple pie, made into a rustic Galette with a pastry made with ground nuts – great for the dairy free crowd. Or scatter apples with chopped nuts before baking for a lovely earthy addition.

Wishing you a healthy and happy July 4th and remember to take a bag of tree nuts on your hike, bike ride or swim to keep you going!

Every April the American Heart Association promotes Move More Month. The goal is to encourage everyone to enjoy more physical activity on a regular basis. And the timing couldn’t be more perfect with the arrival of spring. So, let’s lace up our walking shoes or hiking boots, don a swimsuit, or pull our bikes out of the garage and embrace the warmer weather.

Whether it’s a walk around your local botanical gardens, kayaking or rowing, catching some waves, or simply running with your kids around the back yard with a frisbee, we all need some fuel to keep us going. And there’s no more perfect snack than nuts for a sustained boost of energy. Tree nuts are a powerhouse of vitamins, minerals, plant protein and unsaturated fats, that not only supply energy and satiety, but contribute to an overall healthy diet.

Naturally, the most common option is to slip a bag of nuts in your backpack, but there are many other ways to enjoy nuts on the go. Here are just a few:

Nut-wiches – A simple sandwich spread with nut butter is delicious and so much more nutritious and sustaining than just plain bread. Easily packed in your backpack, car or bike bag, sandwiches bring you an all-around balance of carbohydrates, fats and protein. Try hazelnut butter with tomatoes and mozzarella, almond butter with cucumber, pecan butter with banana, walnut butter with celery and apple just to get you started.

Traveling for Work – Rather than sitting and waiting for your flight, take a roam around the airport—there’s plenty of sitting to be done on the flight. Skip the airplane salty snacks and pack your own seasoned nuts to elevate the journey. We have lots of ideas for both sweet and savory seasonings for nuts. Or make a pan of nut bars that can last your entire trip. Simply wrap each bar in individual servings. Here’s one using macadamias and pine nuts.

Family Hikes – On weekends, why not start the day by taking the family on a hike and having a scenic breakfast. You can make some muffins the night before to make the perfect portable brunch. Try these with Pecans and Banana. Or, for the more adventurous gourmets out there, these Hazelnut German sticky buns make a wonderful picnic morning treat.

Picnic Feast – Gather with friends and family outdoors for a game of touch football or badminton, instead of watching TV. There are lots of ways to incorporate tree nuts into a picnic fit for a king. Here are some salad ideas:

• This Peach and Arugula Salad with Pistachios makes a fresh addition to any picnic and the Apple Celery and Grape salad is a twist on the Waldorf, and kids will love it!

• For an Asian inspired salad, these Cashew Prawn Lettuce Cups are a great hand-held treat. Make the noodle salad, then pack the lettuce separately and assemble on the spot.

• For a meal in a salad, throw in some grains, such as this Red Quinoa and Kale Salad or an Almond Farro and Black Bean Salad. They’ll be sure to keep you going all day!

• If you’re in the mood for a barbecue, these Vegetable Rice and Nut burgers are a great plant-based option. But if it’s a real meat patty you’d like, jazz it up a notch by adding some chopped tree nuts and fresh herbs to the mix, then topping with Pesto or Romesco Sauce. 

• For fish lovers, this salmon dish makes a great barbecue. Just remember to bring a small pan for the sauce.

Grilled Salmon with Peach Almond Brown Butter

Preparation time – 10 minutes, Cooking time – 10 minutes

Serves 4

• 4 salmon fillets
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• Olive oil, for cooking

Peach Almond Brown Butter

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 peaches, diced
• 2 ounces roasted almonds, roughly chopped
• Zest of 1 orange
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar, optional

1. Brush grill or heavy-based pan with olive oil. Season salmon and cook, skin side down for 2 minutes, then turn and cook as desired.
2. While salmon is cooking, heat butter in a small skillet and cook until bubbles subside and the butter starts to color. Add the peaches, almonds, orange zest, and rosemary and toss in the butter until all are warm. Add the vinegar if using (it adds a little zip to the butter).
3. Serve the salmon with sauce spooned over the top, and a vegetable such as barbecued asparagus.

However you choose to move more, don’t forget to bring tree nuts with you!

The Nutty Chef!

The Spring Equinox arrives on March 17^th—time to get excited about planting all those fresh fruits and vegetables and/or seeing them in our local markets! Nuts are a wonderful way to enhance spring produce, in texture, flavor, nutrition and staying power!

Here are some creative ways to enrich the first “fruits of spring” with your favorite tree nuts:

• Lettuce such as arugula, kale, mustard greens and spinach are ready to pop up in your garden or farmer’s markets in early spring. And there’s nothing more welcoming for nuts than a green salad. Try a simple dressing of olive oil and lemon and a scattering of toasted sliced almonds and walnuts. Or, for something a bit more special, mix grated parmesan with finely diced tree nuts, and place teaspoonful-sized mounds in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Allow them to melt and turn golden brown, then flip and cook a minute more before placing onto a wire rack to cool and scatter over salads.

• Asparagus is one of the first vegetables to break ground in March, its shoots seem to rise out of nowhere. Lightly steamed or roasted until tender to the bite, and served with crumbled goat cheese and roasted chopped hazelnuts or pine nuts is divine. Just make sure if you steam or boil the asparagus that you cook it 1-2 minutes or until just tender, and then refresh it in an iced water bath for a few minutes to stop it from cooking further and getting overcooked. Try white asparagus with melted butter, capers, parsley, lemon and pecans or macadamias.

• Fava Beans may take a bit of work to steam and then remove their skin, but they are so worth the effort. A warm fava bean and English pea salad with mint, diced nuts, lemon zest and olive oil is a great side dish with grilled salmon or chicken. It also makes a great dip or sauce when pureed with your favorite tree nuts, olive oil and fresh herbs. Pure Spring!

• Radishes are well known to be served shaved over salads, but did you know they are also great cut into quarters and sautéed or roasted with other vegetables? For salads, layer thinly sliced cucumber, radish and red onion and drizzle with red wine vinegar and olive oil. Puree any tree nut with basil, mint, parmesan and olive oil and drizzle over the top! Walnuts and radishes are great sautéed until golden and served over a steak or rack of lamb. Or for something lush and unique, puree radish with yogurt and cashews or macadamias for a delightful summer soup.

• Morels are foragers’ springtime treat and so gorgeous with any kind of nut, especially hazelnuts, walnuts and pine nuts. Wash well, chop and sauté over high heat with nuts to serve as a side dish or toss through pasta, topped with some fresh ricotta, lemon zest and finely sliced basil.

• Rhubarb, like asparagus, suddenly shoots up when the weather warms and is so much more versatile than many realize. Of course there are the classic desserts like this Crisp, by Love & Lemons, with walnuts, but think of roasted rhubarb with a dot of brown sugar to serve over pork, it’s sweet-sour red juices drizzling over the meat. Easy but so very special. If you’re hankering for a recipe for an exquisite rhubarb, asparagus and nut pasta, try this Italian recipe by Laura Bonicelli.

• Strawberries are at their best in early spring – look for bright red berries without white around the stalk. Sometimes the smaller ones have the best flavor. For breakfast, serve over our Breakfast Grain Bowl or a bowl of muesli and yogurt. Or for dessert, our Fruit Tiramisu, which has elements of a British trifle, is succulent and fresh.

Spring is the perfect season for a healthier lifestyle with easy, more colorful and plant-based meals, so set your imagination free and make your kitchen your playground!

Bon Appétit!

February is National Snack Food Month, so we thought we’d take the opportunity to highlight the many virtues of snacking. Often maligned, snacks are an important part of a healthy eating plan. Research shows that most people consume 25% of their calories every day in the form of snacks. Of course, it’s important to choose snacks that are nutritious, such as nuts, fruit, vegetables, whole grain bread, cheese, and yogurt, to name a few. Not only do healthy snacks keep you satiated throughout the day and prevent going overboard at meals, snacks, such as tree nuts, are a great way to add vital nutrients to your diet.

Here are some ideas for nutty snacks!

1. Simply a handful of nuts – whether it’s your favorite nut or mixed nuts, taking a bag of tree nuts to work or play is probably one of the easiest and healthiest snacks.
2. Nut butter – on a cracker, in a celery stalk or under a slice of avocado, home-made nut butter will be sure to keep you going until dinner!
3. Nut muffins can be whipped up in minutes and stored in the freezer to heat up as needed.   You can add dried or fresh fruit, spices, and make them savory or sweet.  Try these Pecan Banana Muffins, and feel free to switch out with your favorite tree nut and fruit!
4. Nut-based cookies – the Italians have Amaretti, the Mexicans have their Wedding cookies, the Turkish use almonds, walnuts and hazelnuts for traditional cookies. You can easily make your own with nut meal or by grinding your own nuts. Here’s a Macadamia Shortbread, which can be made with any tree nut (i.e., walnuts and cardamom or pistachio and orange zest).
5. Nut bars and bites – just put nuts, dried fruit and enough honey to bind together in a blender, and press into a lined-square pan or roll into balls and dust with coconut or seeds. Refrigerate and enjoy over the next few weeks! Here’s a recipe for some delicious Almond Bites that will keep you going on a hike or bike ride!
6. Nut dips and crackers – just like hummus with chick peas, or guacamole, you can add nuts to any vegetable puree in a blender for dipping carrot, celery and zucchini sticks! Add fresh herbs, chili powder or Tabasco to spice it up!  This Pine Nut and Avocado Pesto combines the best of both worlds!
7. Smoothies – there’s nothing simpler than mixing fruit, greens, or vegetables with tree nuts in a blender with some water, milk or nut-milk alternative.  Here’s one for cocktail time with Pistachios to end the day in style!

Want more ideas? We have an entire section on nutty snacks here! 

Enjoy!