Are you spending a lot of time in the great outdoors this summer? We love hiking, biking and goofing off at the park, especially when it’s warm outside! We always make sure to bring a snack with us to keep our energy up while we’re out. Our favorite energizing treat is homemade snack mix, featuring some of our favorite nibbles.

Start by measuring two cups of your favorite nuts into a gallon-sized zip-top bag. You can use any variety of nuts for this recipe. We most enjoy mixed nuts, pistachios, almonds and cashews. Add two cups of pretzels to the mix. All of our fabulous varieties of pretzels are superb in this snack mix. Try using chocolate pretzels to add a bit of sweetness!

Add 1 cup of a delicious and nutritious dried fruit, such as goji. Add 1/2 cup of flavored chips, such as peanut butter chips or white chocolate chips. Throw in 1 cup of sunflower seeds or roasted pumpkin seeds.

Seal the bag and shake it until the snack mix is fully combined, and you’re ready to go! Measure out the mix in small baggies or containers for single servings, or take the whole batch on the road to feed a crowd. We do recommend that you keep this snack mix in a cooler packed with ice so that the chips don’t melt. To keep the mix from getting soggy, make sure to seal the bag completely and wrap it in a towel before putting it in the cooler.

What are some of your favorite snack mix ingredients?

Want to whip up a quick, simple dinner that won’t heat up your kitchen? We highly recommend pasta with a nutty, spicy sauce featuring sun dried tomatoes and walnuts. This fresh meal is perfect when paired with a loaf of french bread and a crisp green salad.

To start, measure 1/2 cup of sun dried tomatoes, 2-3 tbsp. of olive oil, a handful of finely chopped fresh basil leaves, 1/4 cup of shelled walnuts, 1/4 tsp. of red pepper flakes and two cloves of garlic into the bowl of your food processor. Process the ingredients until they’re finely chopped, then add 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese and a pinch of salt and pepper. Pulse the food processor until the ingredients are combined, and scrape the sun dried tomatoes sauce into a bowl.

Boil 12 oz. of your favorite pasta. (Gluten-free pasta works great with this recipe!) Toss the drained noodles gently in the sauce, and top each serving of pasta with grated Parmesan and a little chopped basil.

If pasta isn’t your passion, this sauce is also great when it’s spread on a slice of fresh, crusty bread. The walnuts give the sauce a slightly nutty flavor, and the sweet sun dried tomatoes are a wonderfully savory addition to any sandwich or appetizer.

What are some of your favorite recipes featuring sun dried tomatoes?

Developed by our Health Nut and Registered Dietitian, Molly Morgan, this delicious chia seed pudding has a similar texture to tapioca pudding thanks to the hydrophilic properties of chia seeds, which means that the chia seeds absorb large amounts of water.

4 servings

Ingredients
½ cup chia seeds
1 tablespoon agave syrup
2 cups low fat milk or unsweetened almond milk
Cinnamon and sugar, to taste
Optional ingredients: dried blueberries, sliced almonds, diced dried strawberries, walnut pieces

Directions:

1. In a quart-jar, combine ½ cup of chia seeds, agave syrup and milk. Stir to combine.
2. Cover and refrigerate for 4-6 hours or overnight.
3. Serve topped with a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar OR top with dried fruit and sliced nuts

Today is National Blueberry Muffin Day. Hooray! We love to munch on fresh, warm blueberry muffins. They’re perfect with coffee for a sweet, satisfying breakfast, and they even make a delicious snack or dessert with a cold glass of milk.

We love to bake blueberry muffins with our delicious dried blueberries. Our dried blueberries are plump, moist and packed with fresh blueberry flavor. A handful of walnuts makes these muffins simply perfect.

To start, measure 1/3 cup of dried blueberries into a bowl. Add just enough hot water to cover the berries, and let the dried blueberries soak for at least 10 minutes.

In a medium bowl, measure out 1 cup of all-purpose flour, 1 cup of Ultragrain white whole wheat flour, 1 tsp. of freshly grated orange peel, 1 tsp. salt and 2 tsp. baking powder. Stir the dry ingredients lightly to combine. In a separate bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of sugar, 1 egg, 1 cup of regular milk or unsweetened almond milk, 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce and 1/4 cup of vegetable oil. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring lightly until the ingredients are nearly combined. Drain the dried blueberries and add them to the muffin batter, along with 1/4 cup of walnuts.

Line a muffin tin with paper muffin cups and evenly divide the batter among the 12 cups. Bake the blueberry muffins at 375F for 12-15 minutes, or until lightly browned on top. Allow the muffins to cool on a wire rack before serving.

This recipe is quite flexible, making it a great match for those who are following a special diet. Try making them with a combination of coconut flour, almond flour and gluten-free all-purpose flour for a real treat! You can also add different types of nuts, such as pistachios or pecans, or leave them out altogether and double the amount of dried blueberries. It’s up to you!

What are some of your favorite blueberry muffin recipes?

16 servings (32 energy bites)

Developed by our Health Nut and Registered Dietitian, Molly Morgan, this quick snack is perfect for breakfast, an afternoon energy boost, or even after a workout to refuel tired muscles!

Ingredients:
2 cups quinoa puffs
1 cup creamy or crunchy natural peanut butter
3 tablespoons honey
1 medium apple, skin removed and shredded
1 cup quinoa puffs (for coating)

 Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl combine peanut butter, honey and shredded apple. Stir to combine.
2. Add 2 cups of puffed quinoa.
3. Roll into small (1-inch) round balls.
4. In a separate dish roll the round ball in the additional 1 cup puffed quinoa.

Serving size: 2 energy bites

We love to have granola bars on hand for quick snacks, especially during the summer months. We especially enjoy soft, chewy no-bake granola bars. Our no-bake granola bars are packed with the goodness of quick rolled oats, puffed rice and quinoa puffs.

To start, mix 2 cups of quick rolled oats, 1/2 cup of puffed rice and 1/2 cup of quinoa puffs in a large bowl. Add up to 1/2 cup of sunflower seeds, peanuts, raisins or shredded coconut, if desired. Set the bowl aside.

Measure 1/4 cup of unsalted butter or vegetable oil, 1/4 cup of honey and 1/3 cup of packed light brown sugar into a saucepan. Heat the mixture over medium heat until it begins to bubble. Allow the mixture to simmer for two minutes, then remove it from the stove and add 1/2 tsp. of vanilla extract and 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon.

Pour the hot sugar mixture over the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl. Stir the ingredients with a wooden spoon until they’re evenly coated. Press the granola bar mixture into a lightly greased, small jelly roll pan or baking dish. Press 1/4 cup of organic dark chocolate chips into the top of the granola bars. Let the granola bars cool in the fridge for at least 20 minutes, then turn them out onto a cutting board and cut them into individual bars. Wrap each bar in plastic wrap and store them in a cool, dry place for up to three to four days. (But they definitely never last that long at our house!)

Feel free to experiment with adding different types of nuts, seeds and dried fruit to your granola bars!

Have you ever made homemade granola bars? What are some of your favorite add-ins?

We love baking with chickpea flour, and we think you will, too! Chickpea flour, which is one of our many gluten-free flours, is a fantastic substitute for wheat flour. It produces rich, tender baked goods that are loaded with protein and fiber. We love using chickpea flour to make pancakes, waffles, falafel and even fritters. However, one of our favorite recipes is chickpea flour cookies.  You can serve up these cookies with a sprinkling of organic evaporated cane juice or load the dough with your favorite flavored baking chips. They’re wonderful with a glass of cold milk or a cup of hot coffee!

To start, cream 1 stick of softened unsalted butter in a mixing bowl with 2 cups of brown sugar, 2 eggs and 1/2 tsp. vanilla. Add 2 cups of chickpea flour, 1/2 tsp. baking powder and 1/2 tsp. salt and stir until the ingredients are just combined. If desired, add up to 1 cup of your favorite flavored baking chips, 1 tsp. ground cinnamon or up to 1 cup of chopped walnuts. Form the dough into tablespoon-sized balls and drop them onto a greased baking sheet. (The dough will be quite sticky, and will spread out a bit during baking.) Sprinkle the tops of the dough balls with a pinch of organic evaporated cane juice, if desired.

Bake the cookies at 350 for about 15 minutes, or until they’re golden brown. These cookies are delicate, so be careful when removing them from the baking sheet and be sure to let them cool on the sheet for about five minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. This recipe makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Have you ever cooked or baked with chickpea flour? What are some of your favorite recipes?

Our Health Nut and Registered Dietitian, Molly Morgan, answers our customers’ most pressing health and nutrition questions!

If you’d like Molly to answer one of your questions in a future blog post, please email your question to health@nuts.com.  If we feature your question in The Nutty Scoop, we will also send you a pound of your favorite Nuts.com product!

It seems like there’s an ongoing debate about whether or not nuts are healthy.  What is the truth about nuts?  Would you recommend an individual that wants or needs to lose weight include nuts in their diet? – Andrea

Yes!  Nuts are definitely healthy and I do recommend that people who are on a weight loss plan still include nuts in their diet because nuts are nutrient rich.  One ounce of nuts has about 160 calories, but those calories deliver healthy, unsaturated fats.

Nuts also provide iron, vitamin E, calcium and other important nutrients, as well. These other important nutrients are “behind the scenes,” which means you might not find them listed on a nutrition facts label even though they are contained in the food. For example, about 20% of your daily need for magnesium (77 mg) is found in one ounce of cashews, and one ounce of sunflower seeds provides about 100 mg of magnesium. The good news about magnesium is that it can help to keep your blood pressure in check and promotes healthy bones.

Additionally, the fats found in nuts will satisfy your appetite and help to keep you full.  Nuts contain a blend of mono and polyunsaturated fats. The ratio of mono to polyunsaturated varies among varieties of nuts although, in general, a majority of the fat in all nuts is unsaturated fat. And, due to the unsaturated fats found in nuts, including them in your daily diet helps to reduced bad (LDL) cholesterol levels.

A quick tip to stretch the serving size of nuts is to make nutty popcorn: combine 1 cup of plain popped corn (only 40 calories) with 1 ounce of your favorite nuts, and snack away!

Reference:

Joan Sabaté, MD, et el. Nut Consumption and Blood Lipid Levels: A Pooled Analysis of 25 Intervention Trials. Arch Intern Med. 2010;170(9):821-827

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We recently purchased your organic spirulina.  Does it need refrigeration, how long does it stay fresh, and do you have some healthy ideas for how to use it?  - Lorraine

Research shows that spirulina has been linked to inhibiting damage to cells along with acting as an anti-inflammatory agent in the body. Other reported health benefits include improvements to digestion, strengthening of the immune system, and relief from symptoms of attention deficit disorder.

As with most foods, heat and light can breakdown the nutrients in spirulina. Your best bet is to storespirulina in the Nuts.com bag in your refrigerator and reseal it well after each use.  Or transfer the spirulina to an airtight container and store it in your refrigerator.  If the quantity you purchased is too large to fit in your refrigerator, store it in a cool, dry place. You should be able to keep spirulina for about one year, although you’ll find that it disappears quickly with daily use!

Try to mix a teaspoon of spirulina with water or fruit juice daily.  Or try mixing in one or two teaspoons with guacamole, pesto, salsas or salads.  The beautiful green color of this blue green algae blends nicely with these types of foods.

References:

Hassan AM, et a. Modulation of DNA damage and alteration of gene expression during aflatoxicosis via dietary supplementation of Spirulina (Arthrospira) and Whey protein concentrate. MA Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2012 May;79:294-300. Epub 2012 Feb 9.

Dartsch PC.

Phytother Res. Antioxidant potential of selected Spirulina platensis preparations. Dartsch Scientific GmbH, Institut für zellbiologische Testsysteme, 2008 May;22(5):627-33.

We carry a huge selection of gluten-free flour, which is fantastic news for our customers who follow a gluten-free diet. Gluten-free flour makes gluten-free baking and cooking so much easier, and once you get the hang of it, it’s as easy to work with as wheat-based flour.

Some of our most popular varieties of gluten-free flour include almond flour and coconut flour. However, we also love potato flour. Potato flour, which is made from dehydrated whole potatoes, is most often used as a thickener in soups, gravies and stews. However, it also works quite nicely in batter-based baked goods, such as waffles and pancakes. In fact, we love our gluten-free pancake recipe so much that we even make it for people who aren’t on a gluten-free diet! These pancakes are light and fluffy, with just a hint of sweetness. They’re perfect with maple syrup, honey, jam or even nut butter.

To start, mix 4 large eggs and 1 cup of plain yogurt in a large mixing bowl. Add 1 cup of organic brown rice flour, 1/4 cup of potato flour, and 1/4 cup of tapioca flour. Stir in 2 tbsp. of oil or unsweetened applesauce; 2 tsp. of baking powder; 1 tsp. baking soda; 2 tsp. of honey; 1 tsp. of salt; and 2 tsp. of vanilla extract or ground cinnamon.

Grease a large nonstick skillet or griddle and heat it over medium heat for several minutes. Pour the batter several tablespoonfuls at a time onto the hot surface of the pan or griddle. Flip the pancakes when bubbles begin to form. Allow the flipped pancakes to cook for an additional three minutes, then remove them to a plate and cover them to keep them warm. Repeat the process until you’ve used up all of the batter (the recipe should make eight to 10 pancakes).

Have you experimented with potato flour? What are some of your favorite recipes? We’d love to hear all about them!

Makes 24 muffins

A delicious, healthy, and easy recipe from our Health Nut, Molly Morgan!

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups almond flour
 ½ cup dark brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 cups low fat or almond milk
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg (or 2 egg whites)
¾ cups dried strawberries
1/4 cup almond flour (for preparing strawberries)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Combine dry ingredients in mixing bowl (whole wheat flour, almond flour, brown sugar, salt and baking powder).
3. Make a well in the middle.
4. Add liquid ingredients (milk, oil, vanilla) and egg. Combine until mixed well.
5. Place dried strawberries on a cutting board and lightly sprinkle with almond flour (this makes them easier to chop). Then stir in dried strawberries to the mixture.
6. Fill muffin tins 1/2 full with mixture (about 1/3 of a cup) or fill one large loaf pan.
7. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out cleanly.

Nutrition Facts