Hazelnut Cashew Butter

We finished up a batch of sunflower seed butter yesterday so I decided it was time for another experiment. This time, I used hazelnuts and cashews.

Hazelnuts and cashews are nuts that everyone loves, so how could I go wrong making a butter out of them? But first, let’s look at the health benefits:

Hazelnuts: Like all nuts, hazelnuts contain lots of healthy fats. They are especially high in oleic acid, which is the same fat found in olive oil. Oleic acid is great for lowering LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, raising HDL (“good”) cholesterol, supporting a healthy heart, and creating healthy hair and nails. Hazelnuts also contain powerful phytochemicals that can support brain health, improve circulation, and help relieve allergy symptoms. They are high in protein (9 grams per half cup) and fiber (5 ½ grams per half cup), so are great for topping salads or yogurt to make a complete meal. Finally, hazelnuts are a strong source of vitamin E, folate, potassium, magnesium and calcium.

Cashews: Cashews are lower in fat than most other nuts and, like hazelnuts, are very high in oleic acid so are good for heart health. They are rich in copper, which helps with proper absorption of other nutrients such as iron. Copper is also important for proper bone development, along with the calcium and magnesium found in cashews. Cashews have high levels of tryptophan, which is a natural mood enhancer. They are one of my favorite nuts and I eat them in so many different ways: in stir fry with veggies and brown rice; on top of yogurt; roasted with different spices; on salads; and now, as a nut butter!

I started with about 1 cup hazelnuts and 2 cups cashews. Any ratio works, this is just what I ended up with. I buy my nuts in bulk so it’s always kind of a guess as to quantity.

Mix the nuts in your food processor, blender or Vita Mix until the butter is very smooth and creamy. Enjoy!

I made this last night after class and Ed came home just in time to taste-test it. We both loved it – and the color is nice and light, like hummus (vs. the pumpkin seed or sunflower seed butters, which are just as tasty but are grayish-greenish, which can be a tad unappetizing...). I think kids would love this too – it’s perfect for sandwiches or for dipping veggies or apples.

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!