Maple Almond Cashew Butter

By Kristi

We almost always make our own nut butter. In part because I try to avoid peanuts and also because homemade nut butter is delicious. But we bought some healthy almond butter when we were on vacation this summer and fell in love with the maple flavor that we’d never tried before. So, I wanted to emulate that flavor at home.

We love to use this almond butter to make 2-ingredient grain-free cookies, banana almond butter coconut smoothies and of course, PB&J sandwiches.

Maple Almond Cashew Butter

Makes about 1 pint nut butter

Ingredients

1 cup almonds
1 cup cashews
2 tablespoons avocado oil
salt, to taste
1/4 cup maple syrup (optional)

Method

Add almonds, cashews and avocado oil to a food processor or high-speed blender.

Blend until smooth.

Add salt to taste.

Add maple syrup and pulse just enough to mix in the syrup.

Results

Wow! Delicious. And super simple. We love this version. Though our usual non-syrup version is great, too. I like the mix of almond and cashew for its flavor and texture. Cashews are a bit softer and are less grainy in the end-result nut butter. But the almonds are so good for you, too, so it’s nice to have a mix.

Almonds are high in vitamin E, an antioxidant. While all nut butters are high in protein (an ounce of nut butter is the protein equivalent to the same amount of meat) and fiber, almond butter is significantly higher than peanut butter in vitamin E, magnesium and iron.

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Maple Almond Cashew Butter

Author: Kristi Arnold @VeggieConverter.com

Ingredients

1 cup almonds
1 cup cashews
2 tablespoons avocado oil
salt, to taste
1/4 cup maple syrup (optional)

Method

Add almonds, cashews and avocado oil to a food processor or high-speed blender.
Blend until smooth.
Add salt to taste.
Add maple syrup and pulse just enough to mix in the syrup.

Coconut Orange Paleo Chicken

By Kristi

The girls and I made dinner for my parents and this chicken was a huge hit. The girls loved the chicken, but not the sauce. Mr. Meaty felt the same. (He’s not a coconut fan.) Everyone else liked it all together. It went deliciously with our Candy Cabbages (caramelized brussels sprouts).

If you like chicken (especially paleo chicken), try this recipe.

If not, try a vegetarian version with chickpea cutlets.

Paleo Coconut Orange Chicken

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 cup sliced almonds (optional)
6 boneless chicken breasts
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon cumin
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1 1/2 cups coconut cream
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon deli mustard

Method

Toast almonds in a pan and set aside.
Place chicken breasts between sheets of plastic wrap and beat with a meat mallet to flatten to about 1/4-inch thickness.

Sprinkle chicken on both sides with garlic, salt and cumin.

Melt half of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of chicken (or as much will fit in your pan) and cook two minutes per side, until golden. Repeat with remaining chicken and oil.

Reduce heat to medium, add remaining ingredients and stir well. Add chicken, sprinkle with almonds and cook for about 8 minutes or until sauce thickens. (We left several of the chicken breasts plain for the kids.)

This was great! It’s a definite repeat and it fits our new diet really well. Goose doesn’t get any dairy or nightshades and I don’t get anything that messes with my autoimmune disorder. Love it.

DO you love it, too? Then Pin it please.

Recipe adapted from eMeals, get 15% Off Use code Dinner15

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Mandarin Almond Hummus {Vegetarian, Whole Food}

By Kristi

I’m entering in the Dole California Cook-off Facebook contest and I think I’ve come up with a fantastic recipe, inspired by Mandarin Almond Chicken Bites and my own love of hummus. I swapped in chickpeas (mashed hummus-style) for the chicken and mixed in a delicious combination of yogurt, cranberries, almonds and an entire 15-ounce can of Dole Mandarin Oranges. Yes, oranges and cranberries in hummus. Crazy, but awesome, right?

Our kids absolutely ADORE mandarin oranges. They might be addicted, so I was super excited to get mandarin oranges into a healthy, protein-packed snack for the kids and I. I absolutely love how it turned out. Check out the recipe over on Foodie.com: Mandarin Almond Hummus.

The Results

Oh my goodness I love this dip! I could eat it with a spoon. It sounds a little weird at first, but I’m so glad I decided to tinker around and give this a try. Mr. Meaty, the self-proclaimed hummus-hater even thought it was “not bad”…that’s pretty huge for him. The kids thought it was pretty cool that the dip had fruit in it.

You can enter the Dole California Cook-off Facebook contest, too! Enter your original starter or appetizer recipe for a chance to compete in the finalists cook-out in Los Angeles. The winning recipe will win $10,000 and two runners up will win $1,000.

You can also enter the sweepstakes to be a Fan Judge at the Dole California Cook-off. In addition to the trip to Los Angeles to judge the contest, the winner of the sweepstakes receives a $500 cash prize.

Note: Compensation was provided by Dole via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Dole. See my full disclosure policy for more details.

This post shared at Gallery of Favorites, Fresh Bites Friday, Friday Favorites, Frugal Fridays and I’m Lovin’ It.

Vegetarian Japanese Hamburger Noodles Recipe

By Kristi

Day 3.

Ah Meatless (Vegan) Monday again. Here’s a great old standby for our family. My mom actually cut the original recipe out of a magazine sometime in the 1970s. She used to make it for my dad when they were first married before mom became the fabulous cook she is today. She claims she once couldn’t cook a thing. I have trouble believing this fact. Regardless, this was one she felt comfortable with even in her “plastic pepper” days (she once put still-packaged stuffed peppers in the oven).

Japanese Hamburger Noodles
Ingredients
1/4 C blanched slivered almonds
1 Tbsp. margarine/butter
3/4 pound/package ground “beef”
1 C water
1/4 tsp. salt (I use Spike seasoning blend)
1 C fine noodles (I use cooked spaghetti)
1 package (10 oz.) Japanese-style vegetables
1 Tbsp. soy sauce (I usually use Bragg’s soy sauce substitute)

Directions
Saute almonds in skill until lightly browned. Remove from pan and set aside. Brown ground beef well in butter remaining in skillet, leaving meat in chunks. Stir in water and salt and bring to a boil. Stir in noodles.Cover and simmer for 2 minutes. Add vegetables. Bring to a full boil over medium heat, separating vegetables with a form and stirring frequently. Cover and simmer for 3 minutes. Stir in soy sauce and springle with almonds.

Makes 4 servings.

The Results

So good. It’s so simple, but so incredibly delicious. The almonds are a fabulous touch. I had to cheat and use walnuts this time. I just “knew” I had almonds still, so I didn’t buy any. Well, if they’re here, they’re in hiding. But sometimes, even when I’m out of almonds or forget them, I have it with just the veggies and noodles and it’s STILL yummy. So it must be something with the soy sauce and noodles.This post linked at Make it with … Mondays, Just Another Meatless Monday, and My Meatless Mondays.