National Almond Day was Sunday, February 16th. Besides the beloved Almond Joy chocolate bar,there are lots of other products almonds offer us – not only are almonds wonderful and nutritious, they are also made into great products like almond milk, almond butter, and almond flour.
Almonds are native to the Middle East and are considered a stone fruit like peaches and cherries. Almonds are rich in vitamin E and B and are a good source of dietary fiber. Lots of desserts are made with almonds like marzipan, torrone/nougat, cookies, cakes, and pastries. Almonds are a great snack alone or stuffed into olives or dried figs with fresh goat cheese and a drizzle of honey.
Fresh Figs Stuffed with Almonds:
• 6 fresh figs
• ¼ cup blue/soft goat cheese
• 6 almonds
Below are two great products made from almonds along with some serving suggestions:
Almond Butter
If you haven’t tried this yet, go buy some…delicious and has less fat and calories than peanut butter. Almonds pair up well with jams, bananas, apples, pears, berries, whole grain breads, and sprouted breads like Food For Life’s Ezekiel’s bread.
Suggestions:
Trail Mix Dip
• ½ cup almond butter
• ½ cup plain yogurt
• ¼ cup raisins
• ¼ cup chopped dried apricots
• ¼ cup chopped nuts
Serve with pita chips, bagel chips, or toast.
Strawberry Almond Sandwich
• 2 Tablespoons almond butter
• 1 Tablespoon strawberry jam
• ½ sliced banana
• 2 sliced strawberries
• 2 slices of any multi-grain bread
Pear and Almond Butter Toast
• 2 Tablespoons almond butter
• 2 slices toasted bread
• 1 sliced pear
Almond Milk
This has replaced our cow’s milk at home; served ice cold is sooo addicting. You can substitute almond milk in any recipe calling for milk, and you can bake with it too. Almond milk comes in other flavors like chocolate, yum!
Raspberry/Banana Almond Milk Smoothie
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 pint raspberries
• 1 cup ice
• 1 medium banana
• 1 Tablespoon honey
In addition, you can use almonds to make pesto or grind up for a crunchy crust for fish and chicken; add to salads and risottos too!
