19 May Almonds

Almonds

The almond that we think of as a nut is technically the seed of the fruit of the almond tree, a medium-size tree that bears fragrant pink and white flowers. Like its cousins, the peach, cherry and apricot trees, the almond tree bears fruits with stone-like seeds (or pits) within. The seed of the almond fruit is what we refer to as the almond nut. whfoods.com
They are a full of protein nearly 50% and also contain calcium, iron, magnesium and vitamin E as well as vitamin B2, biotin and manganese. Almonds are high in monounsaturated fats, the same type of health-promoting fats as are found in olive oil, which have been associated with reduced risk of heart disease, cholesterol and diabetes, the magnesium is used by the body to keep muscles working well and therefore the heart always benefits from ensuring enough magnesium is ingested.
Eaten raw is best and soaked (activated) then blended up they can be very versatile as a ‘cream’ in many deserts, as a binder in sweet/tart bases, making ‘cheese’ and added to smoothies. Roasted does add a little bit extra flavour and eaten as is, is probably the most popular way that I am aware of however they also taste great with a little spice and oil or added to casseroles to create a ‘meaty’ texture especially when used with mushrooms or legumes.
So easy to get however price varies significantly from super market, to market to wholesaler I suggest a little bit of a look around to get the best deal.
The following recipe is so easy and you can’t eat just one 

Recipe: Nut, Cinnamon & Brown Sugar Palmiers

Ingredients
• 2/3 cup Firmly packed brown sugar
• 2/3 cups Chopped walnuts; walnuts or hazelnuts or almonds
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp The Vegg; vegan egg powder
• 1 tsp Egg powder; vegan egg substitute
• 30 ml soy milk
• 3 sheets Frozen butter puff pastry; thawed
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 200 C or 180 C fan.
2. Line 2 baking try with baking paper.
3. Combine sugar, nus and cinnamon in a bowl.
4. Whisk the Vegg and soy milk in a bowl until well combined.
5. Place a piece of baking paper on your work surface.
6. Put a pastry sheet on top and brush with a little of the whisked Vegg mix.
7. Scatter evenly with a third of the sugar mixture.
8. Brush another pastry sheet with a little Vegg mix and then place Vegg side down, over first pastry sheet to cover sugar mixture.
9. Brush top of pastry with a little more Vegg, then scatter over half the remaining sugar mixture.
10. Repeat with remaining pastry sheet, Vegg and sugar mixture to make one more layer.
11. Use your fingers to press down on pastry.so layers stick together a little.
12. Starting with pastry edge nearest you roll pastry up tightly (like a swiss roll/ jelly roll) until it reaches half way across.
13. Roll opposite side of pastry up tightly so they meet in the middle.
14. Use a sharp knife to cut log into 12 even slices working with 1 slice at a time, place between 2 sheets of non-stick baking paper and roll with a rolling pin to spread and flatten to about 6 mm.
15. Transfer to prepared trays.
16. Bake palmiers for 20-25 minutes, swapping trays around halfway through, cooking until golden and crisp.