Fruit Tart

This recipe is one of my absolute favorites. It’s easy; it’s made from 100% healthy, whole foods; it’s delicious; and it’s pretty enough to serve to guests. I’ve been waiting until spring to post it, because it’s perfect for spring and summer BBQs. But another reason I love this recipe is because it doesn’t have to be a dessert. You can just as easily serve this for breakfast on top of some yogurt or oatmeal.

I adapted the recipe from one I found on the World’s Healthiest Foods website (here). I just added a few things – almonds, other berries, and some fresh lemon juice. And, I reduced the honey because I think the berries make it sweet enough. I’ve passed this recipe along to some family and friends and it always gets great reviews. You can make it with any type of fruit – I’ve done all berries but I also made one last summer with peaches and blueberries.

The nutritional value is pretty obvious: berries, nuts, dates. And we learned Tuesday that frozen berries can be just as nutritious as fresh, so if you don’t want to spend a fortune on fresh organic berries, frozen will work really well. Usually I use a mix of fresh and frozen, but today I used all frozen. I chose cherries, blackberries, blueberries and strawberries.

Oh, and we usually serve this with ice cream. I’m hoping I have time today to pick some up! (Don’t worry Ed, I’ll make time).

Recipe

2 ½ cups walnuts (I used about 1 ¾ cups walnuts, ¾ cup almonds)

1 ½ cups dates (don’t forget to buy pitted dates or remove them yourself, which only takes a few minutes and saves money)

5 cups fresh or frozen berries (or any fruit)

2 tbsp raw honey

1 ½ tbsp arrowroot

2 tbsp water, or juice from frozen berries

1-2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Combine nuts and pitted dates in food processor until well ground, but not smooth (about 45 seconds for me). Press into a pie pan and refrigerate.

Thaw the frozen fruit. Place 2 cups of fruit, water, and arrowroot into food processor or blender and puree. (If you’re using some frozen and some fresh fruit, use the frozen for this part).

Place puree into a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for 4 minutes. When puree thickens, remove from heat. Mix into a bowl with the other fruit, raw honey, and fresh lemon juice. Pour mixture into tart shell, cover, and refrigerate for 2-3 hours (or more) before eating.

I made this when I got up this morning, but had pulled the recipe out last night and set it on the counter. Apparently Ed saw it and decided to add something… see below.

(In case my iphone photo isn’t clear enough, it says “1 happy husband” – ha! It's his favorite dessert and he always will casually ask when I'm going to make it again!)

Enjoy!

Nuts for the Holidays

I use Twitter. Some people think it’s worthless but it’s not. I try to only “tweet” (or “twit” as my brother-in-law calls it) things that are useful to others. But the best part is following other tweeters. For example, I follow a few of my favorite restaurants in Denver so I know the scoop on happy hour deals and seasonal menu changes. Another example: I got all the latest updates on the Tiger & Elin saga (very important gossip) all weekend long because I could follow the tweets about it. Do you tweet? If so, let me know! I am always looking for good people to follow. You can follow me (@annpierce) here.

I also follow some great people who blog about food and recipes, and this is often where I get my inspiration for the things I cook at home. Today I found a recipe for Maple & Spice Glazed Nuts. And even though I just told guest blogger Jessica that I am addicted to dipping almonds in raw honey and I should really cut back, I went ahead and made these anyway because they looked too easy and too wonderful to pass up. I added a couple of my own ingredients and in 20 minutes I had delicious nuts and a house that smelled like Christmastime.

The recipe is at Jamie Living blog, found here. Jamie has great recipes and usually a good story to go along with it! I’ve copied the recipe below and added my own personal touches.

Recipe

2 cups nuts (I used pecans, walnuts, almonds and cashews)

2 tbsp 100% maple syrup

1 tbsp raw honey

1 tsp lemon zest (Jamie lists this as optional, however I am listing it as mandatory! The lemon flavor makes these nuts unique and not too sugary tasting)

1 tsp sea salt

½ tsp cayenne pepper (I love the spiciness, but feel free to reduce)

½ tsp cinnamon

Mix all ingredients and bake on a cookie sheet at 300 degrees for 15 minutes.

And as a refresher, here are the all the healthy things you’ll find in this recipe:

Pecans: full of antioxidents, help lower cholesterol, high in vitamins A, E & B1, calcium, potassium, zinc, magnesium and protein.

Cashews: lower in fat than other nuts (contain the same healthy fats found in olive oil), high in copper and magnesium, known to help prevent gallstones.

Almonds: rich in protein, iron, calcium and vitamin B2, help relieve coughing and asthma symptoms, can help lower cholesterol and protect against diabetes, rich in manganese and copper.

Walnuts: can reduce inflammation and alleviate pain associated with arthritis, high in omega-3 fatty acids (good for bones), help with coughing and chest pain, good for cardiovascular health.

Remember, a serving size of nuts is the equivalent of about one small handful.

The spiced nuts are a great holiday snack that contain so many more nutrients and health benefits than your typical sugary treats, and they just as good!

Peanut Butter vs. Almond Butter. But First…

I think it is time to thank the amazing person who designed this blog. Her name is Ellie, and she is the most patient person EVER! She answered every one of my questions immediately – I mean seriously, she’d send a tweet saying something like “Thanks everyone for being so patient; I am swamped and so behind; trying to catch up but I have the flu and MAN am I sick” etc. etc. etc. and then I’d have this sudden question or fix that needed to be made to my blog, and she’d do it within 3.2 seconds! She’s talented and creative and affordable, and if you or someone you know wants to start a blog, I highly recommend Ellie. Plus, she lives in California. No wonder she’s so creative and inspired and relaxed all the time!

So anyway, check out her work here and follow her on Twitter if you’re interested: @rainydaydesign.

Thanks Ellie… you’re the best!

And now on to the pb v. ab analysis:

Peanut butter has been a staple in the American diet since the early 1900s. It’s inexpensive to produce and is used in everything delicious! Peanuts are legumes that are naturally sweet and a good source of protein, iron and niacin (vitamin B3, which can help raise HDL cholesterol – typically a good thing). Once ingested, peanut butter helps lubricate intestines and can be settling for the stomach. In addition, it can increase the milk supply in nursing mothers. A pb&j sandwich is something EVERY kid remembers eating (except for my husband who was allergic and had to eat cream cheese and jelly sandwiches…).

Then almond butter entered the ring. Almond butter is a more recent development but can now be found in most grocery stores. Almonds are also naturally sweet, and are rich in protein, iron, calcium and vitamin B2. They have nearly half the saturated fat of peanuts. Almonds are sometimes used to treat people with lung conditions because of their ability to transform phlegm, alleviate coughing and help reduce symptoms of asthma. Almonds also help alkalize (reduce acid in) the blood, which is important (remember, disease can only grow in acidic environments).

When I first met Ed, I couldn’t believe he’d never had the pleasure of eating a pb&j sandwich. I mean, talk about missing out on an important part of childhood! He loves all other nuts though, so I made him an almond butter and jelly sandwich one day and he was hooked. Now we eat exclusively almond butter in our house. Well, with the exception of this past summer, when my peanut butter-addicted little sis was living with us and insisted we have peanut butter, and I was reminded of how delicious it really is – thanks Madsie!

SO which one is better? Which should you be feeding your kids?

I think both are good for young kids. The fats, vitamins and minerals in the two types of nuts complement each other well, so a mixture is beneficial. You can even make your own at home with ½ peanuts, ½ almonds (the best of both worlds!). Some kids have peanut allergies so you have to be cautious when introducing nut butters to them at a young age (it is recommended you wait until they are 8 or 9 months at least, and some doctors say 3 years, depending on a child’s tendency toward allergies). Peanuts can cause skin outbreaks and also slow the metabolic rate of the liver. People who are overweight, yeast-infected (thrush, candida, et.), or diagnosed with cancer should avoid peanut butter.

Almond butter is a bit more expensive, but if you make it at home you can save so much money (read about it here!). Whichever type you prefer, try to buy organic as they are less likely to have mold on them. Keeping nuts in the refrigerator helps them stay fresh.

I hope this helps – really, you can’t go wrong because both are packed with nutrients and most kids love a good nut butter & jelly/honey/banana sandwich!

Homemade Nut Butter

Have you tried it? Here’s what you need:

1. nuts

2. food processor

Yep, that’s it!

Note: My sister Madeline has tried this in a blender with some success. She has this amazing ability to make do with what she has available, and since she’s seriously addicted to peanut butter she’d try anything to be able to make her own fresh PB at home, short of buying an expensive food processor (not really in a college student’s budget)! I think she said it worked but took a really long time.

Making your own almond or peanut butter can save money and can be much healthier. I did a comparison between buying raw whole almonds/peanuts and using them to make your own nut butter, and buying premade nut butters. I bought the nuts in bulk at Whole Foods. Prices will vary depending on where you shop.

Here are the results:

For almond butter made from raw almonds, you save $0.42 per ounce, or about $6.72 per 16-ounce jar, by buying your own nuts and making it at home. For almond butter made from organic raw almonds, you save $0.35 per ounce, or about $5.60 per 16-ounce jar, by making your own. Nutrition facts were very similar for the two.

For peanut butter, buying premade appears to be cheaper or very similar in price. I spent an extra $0.04 per ounce, or about $0.64 per 16-ounce jar by making my own.

BUT…

The store-bought jar of peanut butter had slightly more calories, fat and saturated fat; slightly less protein and fiber; and (get ready) 950% more sodium! The extra sodium and fats come from the added ingredients in store-bought peanut butter.

Saving money and enhancing nutrition is great. But the best part of making your own nut butter at home is you can add things like cinnamon, nutmeg or honey; or you can add other nuts, like walnuts or cashews. When you add cinnamon, the nut butter smells like freshly baked cinnamon rolls... yum.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Pour nuts into food processor using the appropriate blade (varies).

2. Turn food processor on.

3. Keep processing until desired consistency, typically 12-15 minutes (depends on power of your food processor).

4. Add flavors (honey, cinnamon, etc.) about 10 minutes into the process.

5. Make sure you grind the nuts long enough. You don’t want it to look dry. It should be very creamy and smooth!

I also did a taste test on Ed to see which of 3 almond butters (homemade, MaraNatha’s or Justin’s) tastes best to him.

Result?

Homemade!

Tomorrow I will do a nutritional comparison: peanut butter vs. almond butter.