À La Carte: Be like a squirrel

5 recipes to eat more nuts + seeds 🐿️

When we talk about our collective goal to “eat more plants”, a food group that often gets neglected is nuts and seeds.

Case in point: these are some of the most nutrient-dense things we can eat. Apart from being great sources of protein and fiber, they’re one of the only whole-food sources of healthy fats (along with avocados).

Fat helps us feel full, keeps our bodies warm, and protects brain function. Fat helps our bodies absorb fat-soluble vitamins, and it makes food taste good because it’s a “flavor carrier”.

All nuts and seeds have some health benefits (including helping to lower “bad” cholesterol), so you can go ahead and stock up on everything from peanuts to almonds to cashews - and nut butters, of course - as well as sesame, sunflower, pumpkin, hemp, chia, and flax seeds.

If you need some simple ideas for how to include these in your life, you can:

• Eat nuts as a snack - think almonds, cashews, walnuts, and peanuts. (FYI: one handful is the recommended portion size.)

• Sprinkle sunflower, pumpkin, or hemp seeds on soups and salads

• Toss any nuts or seeds you have into your oats when making granola

• Top your oatmeal with any nuts, seeds, or nut butter you have

• Sprinkle sesame seeds on literally everything

I’m also a big fan of making these ingredients a staple of your cooking repertoire. The recipes below showcase the versatility of these magical little superfoods…

1. Kale Caesar Salad with Cashew Dressing

If you’ve been around TNB a while, you already know I love blending raw cashews into all types of creamy, saucy things. With help from capers, miso, mustard, and garlic, cashews make the best oil-free caesar dressing.

2. Lobio (Georgian Bean-Walnut Stew)

This sweet-sour stew is an easy and delicious way to jazz up a couple cans of kidney beans. Chopped walnuts add richness and little bits of crunch.

3. Roasted Cauliflower-Chickpea Bowls with Curried Tahini + Dates

Cooking with tahini (Middle Eastern sesame seed paste) is such an easy way to up your consumption of seeds. It makes the best creamy dressings, as in the case of this curried tahini sauce.

4. Kale-Beet Salad with Hazelnuts

Roasted hazelnuts add flavor, crunch, and contrast to this simple side dish. (Option to boil or roast the beets.)

5. Chocolate Peanut Butter Chia Pudding

This meal prep-able, no-cook breakfast tastes like dessert. With 13 grams of protein and 12 grams of fiber (thanks to chia seeds + peanut butter), it’ll keep you feeling full til lunch.

Planning to make one of these? Tell me how it goes in the comments section or tag me with your creation on Instagram.