National Nut Day
National Nut Day is observed on October 22nd and I’m not talking about a nutty neighbor or relative you may have!
Nuts are a healthy and nutritious snack, a source of energy, filled with nutrients and even squirrels love nuts! I love eating nuts just out of the bag, roasted nuts, adding them to salads and many recipes. I’m sharing some of my favorite recipes using nuts.
Trail Mix
My favorite snack is my home made trail mix! I toss a mix of nuts (usually cashews, peanuts, almonds) along with raisins or dried cranberries and a handful of coconut. There is only one problem when I make a batch of this, I could eat the entire bowl at once! What I’ve done to help me control my non-stop nutty eating is to use a small container and put the cover on the rest!
Brazil Nuts
Since brazil nuts are rich in selenium which is vital for thyroid function and metabolism, it’s recommended to not have more than five nuts at a time. At get-togethers I put a dish of brazil nuts with a bowl of chocolate syrup for dunking. You only need a few but they are so good!
Hazelnut Biscotti Cookies
I was given a bag of hazelnuts and a bag of organic dark cocoa powder many years ago. I wasn’t sure what I would do with them until I found a recipe for hazelnut biscotti cookies! I had never made biscotti cookies but love them so I figured I’d give the recipe a try. I’m so glad I did, they were delicious!
Green Beans and Almonds
Almonds are another favorite nut I like to use in baking and cooking. My favorite recipe is to sautee fresh green beans in avocado oil and mix in some slivered almonds, bacon and cranberries. For those who don’t eat bacon, just omit that and still have a delicious dish.
Bird Feeder Made with Peanut Butter
I’ve got to share Lia’s bird feeder made with peanut butter. It’s not in nut form but peanut butter is made from nuts so it’s still part of National Nut Day. We made a bird feeder using toilet paper tubes but they got soggy so we came up with the idea of using a plastic cup! Pop put a wire cable through the top of the cup then Lia spread peanut butter on the outside of the cup and roll it in bird seed. It’s a fun project for both little and big kids and the birds love the treats.
We also do this with pinecones around Christmas and hang them on our outdoor bird Christmas tree.
Whether you are using nuts or peanut butter here are so many different recipes using nuts and also craft projects! Do you have a favorite nut or recipe using nuts?
I love nuts – and squirrels 🙂
Great job providing birds with these food pinecones, Lia, that’s so neat.
While in Switzerland peanut butter is not very popular, we do have a lot of baking recipes using ground hazelnuts or almonds.
One of my favorite nut recipes is Chestnut Muffins. I thought I had a blog post about them, but it turns out, I only saved a draft. I may want to do something about it soon!
Oh Tamara I hope you can post a blog on your Chestnut Muffins! I love all kinds of nuts but almonds and cashews are my favorite.
My favorite recipe using nuts is brownies, but I don’t make them because I would eat all of them!
Same here Kate! I don’t usually put nuts in brownies because some of the family can’t eat them. Then again if I added nuts to the brownies, they would be all mine. LOL
I didn’t know today was National Nut Day. Thanks for the heads up. Like you, I enjoy nuts and have to come up with ways to limit the amount I eat at one time. Some time ago, I started ending my meals with a handful of nuts… any kind I have. That works well. I’ve also made string beans and slivered almonds. Love them. A nutty Sunday to you and Lia!
I love nuts too Florence plus they are a healthy snack. Maybe that’s why I’m so nutty, I’ve eaten too many! LOL
I love brazil nuts, but never thought to pair them with chocolate, yum! That idea for green beans also seems tasty – do you have to par-boil the green beans first?
I’ve never par-boiled my green beans Joanna. I get the fresh/frozen baby green beans and they are small diameter. Sauteeing them in oil cooks them but they still have a bit of a crunch!
Martha, what nutty fun! In college days, I often used Brazil nuts for snacking, due to the high protein content. My mother lived in cold areas, and in the winter, she would make blocks of nuts and seeds in beef fat, to put out for the birds. They loved those! Now you can buy the blocks pre-made. Thanks for the recipes! Yum!
Oh yes I love Brazil nuts also Kebba but I read you can’t eat many at a time. I forgot when the reasoning was, maybe that will be a good blog topic!
Matt and I love peanuts. We each love to have a handful of them as a snack.
Nuts are a healthy snack Amanda!