Cooking With Raw Nuts: Tips & Tricks

Once completely banished from menus and healthy eating requirements all over, nuts and raw nuts alike have made their way back and are better than ever! The benefits received from nuts are not just the flavor but also include a long list of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Nutritional experts have discovered that nuts are filled with good fats and monounsaturated fatty acids, which are both known to lower bad cholesterol (LDL) in the human body. A combination of delicious taste, a great source of protein, fiber and the minimum salt levels all show that nuts are an excellent addition to any healthy diet. Nuts have naturally low sodium content and a high amount of potassium which makes them perfect for controlling blood pressure. However, when over-consumption happens with nuts, the additional salt and fat will be absorbed by the body, thus making all health benefits null.

The different varieties of nuts that are used for recipes provide a large range of minerals and vitamins such as potassium, copper and phosphorus, just to name a few. Each type of nut has its own unique set of health qualities and properties. Walnuts are rich in Omega 3 fats and contain magnesium, zinc and copper. Almonds are beneficial because they contain calcium, magnesium, zinc and phytochemicals which assist superbly in warding off heart disease and cancer. Another very flavorful nut that remains a fan favorite is the pistachio. The pistachio contains an abundance of Vitamin B, fiber and protein.  Even though raw nuts are a great source of vitamins and minerals and are relatively low in calories; eating too many of them on a daily basis can pack on the pounds.  Nuts are fantastic for the body when eaten every day, but the amount needs to stay in healthy moderation and should be adhered to regularly so as not to sabotage diet efforts in progress and health strides already achieved.

Many cooks and chefs are using the raw nuts and crushing them to roll pork chops and chicken among other lean meats in for a healthy alternative to using traditional gluten products to bread.  Others are adding the nuts to their salads making them a bit more irresistible and adventurous!  For many years now, nuts such as pecans and walnuts have regularly been added into breads and deserts.  Nuts settled in with the cookie industry long ago.  There are many entrees, deserts and other food that are very popular among nut lovers.  Some of them include pecan crusted chicken, walnut salad, macadamia nut cookies, pecan pie, banana nut bread, candied walnuts, baked chestnuts, glazed nuts and of course, a wide variety of peanut butters.  Spend a little bit of time exploring the recipes that are available that sound good to you and your family.  Open any cookbook, go online and call up your friends for their favorite nut recipes.  It is much easier to be able to incorporate nuts into delicious meals when a plethora of nut recipes are sitting right there in the recipe box.

Many chefs and nut lovers enjoy taking the raw nuts and slowly toasting the nuts for the richest and most delicious flavor possible.  Anyone who will be toasting their nuts needs to take care in not over toasting them, because if over toasted, the taste of the nut is turned bitter.  Almonds are commonly eaten raw or toasted but can be an excellent addition to desserts, savory sweets and chocolates.  Although, almonds aren’t only for sweet desserts, they can be incorporated into dinner and side dishes too. A popular recipe is for green beans with toasted almonds. After cooking the beans in boiling water and draining them, they are then tossed with butter and seasoning to be followed with an almond garnish.

There is no limit to the amount of dishes that a chef can create with raw nuts.  Nuts are extremely versatile, especially when matched with ingredients from a long list of other ingredients that goes well with nuts when cooked.  Nuts typically do not have an overpowering flavor, thus enabling them to be an integral part of thousands of popular recipes.  Sadly, most nuts that are sold in retail stores have had quite a lot of salt added in the processing packaging phases, which upsets the balance of health properties originally present.

To find raw nuts that meet optimum health standards, are unprocessed and are untainted, go to Jerry’s Nut House to browse one of the largest selections of nuts available anywhere.


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