May 30 2008

Almonds as a source of protein and recipes with almonds

Published by Foong at 12:40 am under Food Trivia, Healthy food, Recipes, Snacks, Sweet Stuff |

I love to munch on nuts (the real ones!) a lot and one of my favourites are almonds. People used to think that almonds are fattening and not very healthy but it was actually a myth.

almonds Almonds as a source of protein and recipes with almonds

Almonds, raw or roasted plain (without salt), are great as snacks or addition to salads. It is also a healthy snack for those counting calories / on a diet.

Here are the benefits of almonds:

  • If you eat 3 ounces of almonds daily, it can lower your cholesterol by 14%
  • this is because the fat in almonds are 90% mono-unsaturated fat (which could lower cholesterol)
  • therefore, almonds do not have any cholesterol
  • it containes protein, fiber, calcium, magnesium, potassium, vitamin E , phytochemicals and antioxidants.
  • it contains folic acid which could lower levels of homocystein and reduce buildup of fatty plaque in the arteries.
  • Studies show links of consumption of almonds and lower risk of cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and other chronic illnesses.
  • it is also a great source of fibre, vitamin E, zinc, selenium, copper, potassium, phosphorus, biotin, riboflavin, niacin and iron.

Here are two recipes with almonds (although not as healthy as when it is eaten raw!):

Crunchy Honeyed Almonds

Instructions

2 cups almonds, blanched

4 tbsp salted butter

2 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp honey

Instructions

1. Heat up non-stick pan and then pour in the sugar and butter.

2. Add in the almonds and stir over low heat for about 15 minutes or until the sugar turned brown.

3. Add the honey and coat the almonds evenly.

4. Stir for a while more and remove from heat.

5. Let the mixture cool and then break it into pieces to serve as delicious sweet snacks!

Chocolate Covered Peanut butter Almonds

Ingredients

1 cup whole almonds

250g cooking chocolate / dark chocolate, chopped

4 tbsp natural sugar-free peanut butter

Instructions

1. Roll each almond onto the peanut butter and roll into a ball.

2. Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and stand it over a boiling pan of water over medium heat.

3. Stir the chocolate till completely melted.

4. Remove the chocolate from heat.

5. Using a spoon, roll the almonds around the chocolate. Make sure it is coated with the chocolate.

6. Place on aluminium foil and let the chocolate to set. You can also refrigerate it for it to set.

Enjoy! However, it is always best to just eat almonds raw (yes, it can be eaten raw!) or toasted without salt or any other flavouring to enjoy the full health benefits of this nut.

If you like this post, check out these too!
  • Extra Rich Peanut Butter Chocolate Brownies...
  • Honey, oh sweet honey...
  • Save costs, make your own refreshing healthy drink...
  • Very Low Fat Brownies...
  • Very easy strawberry desserts and the benefits of strawberries...

    Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

    2 responses so far

    2 Responses to “Almonds as a source of protein and recipes with almonds”

    1. tmon 30 May 2008 at 9:56 am

      OK.. but now, where can you get almonds for cheaper? I can only find those in small packets, for RM13-RM20 0.0 …

      Want to share & buy wholesale? Maybe much cheaper

    2. Foongon 30 May 2008 at 10:10 am

      tm: the trick is in buying raw almonds, you know the ones they use for baking. If that is also expensive, try Jaya Jusco. Here in Penang they sell raw almonds at reasonable prices. A medium-sized packet at around RM10. I also get from organic shop in Nagore Road, it is RM10 for a packet also.