Going Nuts About Nuts?

Going Nuts About Nuts?

We all know that nuts, dry fruits and dried fruits are full of nutrition and make for a great snack between meals. But getting your children interested in some of these can be a task at times. Even we adults shy away from some of them when hunger strikes and grab a bag of chips instead. So here are some interesting ways in which you can incorporate these doses of health.

Fruits & Nuts Dressing

What is a salad dressing? It is essentially a sauce that you pour on your salads to make them tastier so that the process of eating raw can become enjoyable to your taste buds as well. Traditionally it would be as simple as pouring some vinegar or olive oil or simple salt, pepper and lemon juice. These days you can buy so many variations of salad dressings in your local grocery stores that sometimes the point of eating a salad can get lost by pouring a generous amount of unhealthy and fatty dressings. So on days when you don't feel like pouring lemon juice or just sprinkling salt and pepper on your salads, here is a recipe to add that extra zing of taste and nutrition and make your salads more interesting. 

Here is a yummy healthy twist on a salad dressing. 

Take 1/3 cup of chopped nuts such as walnuts, cashews or almonds in a bowl. 
Mix it with ½  a cup of chopped fresh fruits like berries or plums. 
Add a teaspoon of edible seeds of your choice.
Add ¼ nut milk and 1 tsp lemon juice or vinegar for taste. 
Puree all ingredients in a food processor to reach a smooth consistency. 

This dressing will be creamy and flavorful and can be used as a dip with veggie sticks. 

You can’t go wrong with it, it is yummy and keeps you full longer.

Nut Milk

Homemade nut milk tastes better, is healthy and can be made with your favourite nuts. 
One cup of nuts make around 2.5 cups nut milk. 

Take almonds, walnuts, cashews or hazelnuts and soak them in cold water for 10 hrs.
Combine nuts with 3 cups of water and blend it together until very smooth. Strain the mixture through a strainer or use it as is.
Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 3 days.  Shake or stir before use.

You can use homemade nut milk in cereal, in coffee, pancake batter, smoothies or salad dressings

Nut Butters

The best nut butters are those that are made with the simplest ingredients. Nut butters are filled with nutrition such as proteins, vitamins and minerals. 

Here is an easy recipe for making any kind of nut butter at home. 

Finely ground 2 cups of nuts or seeds of your choice in a blender till the clumps begin to release oil.
Drizzle in 1-2 tablespoons of coconut oil or sunflower oil.
Add 2 – 3 tsp of maple syrup or honey for extra sweetness.
Blend till you have a creamy buttery consistency.

You can use nut butter as a dip with apples, banana or pear or use it on your salads. You can also use it as a yummy spread on bread to make interesting sandwiches.

Enjoy going nuts with nuts now!