ways to use Almond Butter
What it is almond butter? Almond butter is simply almonds ground into a paste. Almond butter has a mild and nutty flavor, and it has many nutritional benefits. It is high in protein, fiber and good fat (mainly monounsaturated fat that can help reduce the risk of heart disease). Two tablespoons of almond butter provide about 50% of recommended daily vitamin E for adults. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that helps to keep our cells healthy. Not all store-bought almond butters are the same. Read the ingredient list, and choose the ones that contain no added sugar, salt or additional oil. You can also make your own almond butter at home. With a good food processor or blender, grind raw or roasted almonds until smooth and you will have a delicious homemade almond butter.
Almond butter is great for making sandwiches, sauces, baked goods and smoothies. I enjoy almond butter’s mild and nutty flavor, and it is a staple in our home. This month, I am excited to share my cocoa almond butter cookies, almond butter popcorn clusters and hoisin fish recipes with you. I used store-bought almond butter (with no added sugar, salt and additional oil) to save time, but you can definitely make your own almond butter to make these recipes
My cocoa almond butter cookies have a crispy and crumbly texture, like butter cookies but with no butter. I replaced the butter with almond butter and vegetable oil. Because almond butter has a lower fat content than the regular butter, I discovered that I needed an additional fat source such as vegetable oil to keep my cookies moist. I kept this recipe simple, but you can add other items such as chocolate chips, nuts or different seeds to the cookie dough.
One of my favorite snacks is popcorn. I love to air pop my popcorn and make different flavors with the plain popcorn. This almond butter popcorn cluster recipe only has six ingredients and takes less than 30 minutes to make. I increase the crunchiness of the clusters by adding some corn-flake style of cereal to this recipe. At the same time, I use a cereal with a minimal amount of added sugar as well - Grape Nut Flakes. It has the least amount of added sugar (3 grams added sugar per one cup cereal). I am sure there are other low added sugar cereals out there, but this is what I could find from my grocery store. Do experiment with your own favorite cereals or chopped pretzels for crunchiness as well. You do not need to add cereal to this recipe if you prefer a softer and chewier texture. It is best to make the recipe according to the amount of popcorn that you want to eat on the same day. The popcorn will get soggy if you leave it overnight, just like other homemade popcorn.
My family and I love eating fish. This almond butter hoisin fish only takes twelve minutes to bake after being marinated for twenty minutes. This recipe is easy, quick and healthy. The fish comes out flaky and flavorful. I used cod but any white fish will work. You can also add spicy sauces such as sriracha if you enjoy spicy flavor. To be time efficient, while the fish is being marinated, prepare your side dishes. Side dishes that would go well with this recipe are rice with stir fried vegetables, or pasta with salad. You can use this recipe to make fish tacos too.
I hope these recipes will spark your own creativity. Let me know how you use almond butter.
Happy Eating!
