Homemade Roasted Almond Butter

For the past couple of weeks I have been spending way too much time with my dentist... Oh, don't misunderstand me.  I really like my dentist. He seems to be a very nice man.  But I had a loose filling one one of  my upper left molars which, when removed, revealed a cavity, and also a crack in one of my upper right molars...  all of which led to needing 2 crowns.  The prep work was killer and now I feel like a princess with the price I had to pay for these lovely crowns!

But the real downside here is that I can no longer eat whole almonds.  I love, love, love almonds... raw almonds mostly, but I also enjoy them roasted, plain or salted, and even hickory smoked... you present them to me, and I will eat them.  Happily.  But no longer... apparently that is likely what cracked my tooth and I was informed by the dental assistant that none of us with large fillings should really eat hard nuts of any kind or size.  Come to think of it I had a cracked tooth a few years back and it was likely from the same thing. Drat.

So, what to do with this huge stash of raw almonds I now have in my pantry thanks to a great sale at Costco last month?  Why, make almond butter, of course!  And it was actually easier than I thought it would be.  Way easier!

I decided to make small batches of almond butter and store it in a glass container in the refrigerator. So I started with 2 cups of nuts, and roasted them in the oven and put them into my food processor while still very warm from the oven... turned it on and waited to see what would happen.  At first I thought my food processor was not adequate. I could see that the nuts were ground into almond meal, but then all of a sudden it happened... creamy, almond butter!  I had to taste it right away of course.

And it is delicious. And it is thick and creamy. I am hooked!

Now I know you can add flavors if you like... cocoa, cinnamon, maple syrup, coconut... you name it.  And I just may try that. But to store it, I am leaving it plain, and then can add other goodies to it once I get over the novelty of having it at all.  I actually quit buying almond butter a couple of years ago when the price went past the point of what I call affordable. 

So here it is... plain old almond butter.  And I love it!  Hope you will too.

Homemade Roasted Almond Butter
makes about 1-1/2 cups

Ingredients:

• 2 cups raw almonds

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Place the almonds on the baking sheet and spread them out so they are in a single layer.
4. Roast the almonds in the oven for 10 minutes.
5. While the almonds are roasting, set up your food processor with the S shaped cutting blade.
6. Remove the almonds from the oven and put them into the food processor immediately. You want them to be hot when they are being processed.
7. Puree on HIGH for a couple of minutes at a time, stopping to scrape and push the ground nuts down into the center.
8. It will take about 10 minutes for the almonds to become a creamy butter texture.
9. Remove to storage jar and store in fridge for up to a couple of weeks.

Per 1 Tbs serving.

Weight Watchers Smart Points =3.

Calories 95;

Fat 8g;

Saturated Fat .75g;

Carbohydrate 3g;

Sugar 1g;

Protein 3.5g

These values are meant to be used as a guideline.

Printable Recipe

Puree the roasted, still hot almonds in the food processor till a creamy butter appears!

How about you?  Are you an almond butter fan?

Have you made your own nut butters?

Fruity Egg Cake

This recipe was given to me by my dear friend Sharon who lives in Nova Scotia, on the other end of Canada.  She has been doing the Whole30 Paleo Challenge for several days now and came up with this mixture in order to get in a bit of ‘sweet’ one afternoon.

I thought it looked very good and so I made it up and had it for breakfast recently.  It doesn’t look like much, volume-wise, but the fat in the coconut and almond butter, and the protein in the egg whites and almond butter really kept me satisfied for several hours… even through a sweaty and hard 20 minute strength workout.

I have put together little egg white cakes before, but never thought to add these kinds of sweet and chewy bits to them.  Such a great idea!

I will be definitely be making it again… and I think the possibilties for little changes are endless… raisins, shaved almonds, cashew butter, vanilla... and on and on.

Fruity Egg Cake
Makes 1 serving

• 2 egg whites
• 10g dried unsweetened coconut shreds
• 10g dried dates, chopped
• 10g dried cranberries, chopped
• 2 tsp almond butter

1. Whisk egg whites till frothy.
2. Fold in coconut, dates, and cranberries.
3. Put in small microwave-safe dish with sides that has been lightly coated with non-stick spray.
4. Drizzle almond butter over the mixture and pull through with a knife to swirl and spread somewhat.
5. Microwave on HIGH in 30 second increments, for 1-1/2 minutes.
6. Remove to plate and serve.

Per serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 6.
Calories 211; Protein 10g; Carbohydrate 19g; Fat 12g; Fibre 4g.

Printable Recipe

Apple Cinnamon Omelet - A Twist on a Classic

As much as I love eggs and omelets and frittatas, I do get a bit bored with them. Sometimes my tastebuds just don't want tomatoes, and onions, and peppers, and spinach.

But I do like to have eggs for breakfast because I know they will keep me satisfied throughout a busy morning, till lunchtime rolls around... even if I run or workout or spend the morning shopping or doing housecleaning.

Recently I decided to try something different with our omelets, and thought I would sweeten them up a bit with some apples, cinnamon and almond butter... it was a successful experiment and I will be doing more of this I am sure.

You could easily halve the ingredients and make this for one, or make up the whole thing and refrigerate half of it for another meal. I think it would make a good lunch too, with a fruit and nut salad, perhaps.

The Captain thought that the filling was a bit dry and so would like it with jam!  And of course that would add a bit more sweetness (and calories) as well.  We will work on that for him.

Apple Cinnamon Omelet
Makes 2 servings

• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup egg white
• 1 apple, cored, pared and diced
• 1/2 to 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 Tbs almond butter

1. Mix the eggs and egg whites together in a small bowl.
2. Pour the mixture into a heated skillet that has been coated with non-stick spray over MEDIUM heat.
3. Cover and cook till the eggs are set and look dry on the top, about 5 or 6 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, stir the apple and cinnamon together in a microwave safe dish and mike on HIGH for 2 minutes, to soften the apple pieces.
5. When the eggs are cooked, loosen the edge all around with a spatula.
6. Dot the almond butter and spread it over 1/2 of the omelet.
7. Spoon the cooked apple pieces over the almond butter.
8. Fold the omelet in half.
9. Cut it into 2 pieces and set each piece on a serving plate.
10. Sprinkle with more cinnamon before serving.

Per serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 6.
Calories 250; Protein 17g; Carbohydrate 14g; Fat 14g; Fibre 3g.

Diced apples mixed with cinnamon in a microwave safe dish.

 

Cooked till soft.

 

After omelet has set, spread almond butter over 1/2 of it.  The Captain thinks jam would be good here, too.

 

 

Cover the almond butter with the cooked dices apples and cinnamon mixture.

 

Cut into 2 portions and plate, sprinkling a bit more cinnamon over the top.

A lovely flavor and a nice change of pace.



Printable Recipe

 

What do you think? Would you like fruit in your omelet? 

 

What other fruits might work in this way?  I am going to try some bananas next.

 

Nuts about Nut Butters!

Some of my very favorite sweets are made with nut butters.... peanut butter, almond butter, and yes, I admit it -  Nutella.

Nut butters are very nutritious and can be enjoyed, in moderation, as part of a healthy food plan.  Most nut butter count 1P+ per tsp on the Weight Watchers Points Plus Program.

This recipe was inspired by one I first saw on Sweet Treats and More several weeks ago.  We had friends to lunch this past weekend and I wanted to make something special for them, and they happen to love almond butter.   So I used it instead of the peanut butter called for in the original recipe.  And, I lightened it up a bit by using 1/4 cup of applesauce mixed with 1/4 cup melted butter, instead of 1/2 cup melted butter.... a few less fat calories and P+ this way.

Of course you can use peanut butter or another nut butter if you prefer. 

Almond Butter Cookie Bars
Makes 24 servings 

• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup almond butter
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup quick oats
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips

1. Stir together applesauce, melted butter, and sugars until thoroughly combined.
2. Add egg and mix well.
3. Stir in almond butter and vanilla and mix till smooth.
4. Add flours, baking powder, and salt; stir to combine.
5. Stir in oats and mix well.
6. Press mixture into a 9×13 pan that has been coated with a non-stick spray.
7. Bake at 350° F for 10 minutes.
8. Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over the top.
9. Return to oven till golden brown and baked through, about 8-10 more minutes.
10. Cool completely before cutting into 24 squares.

Per serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 3.
Calories 111; Protein 2g; Carbohydrate 16g; Fat 2g; Fibre 1g.

All wet ingredients stirred together.

Add both flours, baking powder, and salt and stir till smooth.

Press into prepared baking dish.

Bake until golden.

Cooled, cut, and ready to enjoy. Pour yourself a glass of milk!

Printable Recipe

Here is one of my favorite after-run recovery smoothies.  I like to sip on them while I am stretching.  It can be made with any milk product you like.

Nutella Smoothie

Makes 1 serving 

• 1 cup milk of choice
• 1/2 ripe banana
• splash of vanilla
• dash of Splenda
• 1 tsp Nutella

1.  Put all ingredients in blender jar and puree till smooth.

Per serving.

Weight Watchers P+ = 3 or 4. *

*

Note:

The nutritional information is going to vary with the type of milk used. Fat free dairy milk is a good choice and so is unsweetened Almond Breeze.  Rice milks or soy milks are higher in points plus values, generally.

I also love this smoothie made with almond butter or peanut butter.

Nut butters are very versatile and can be used in a variety of ways... in sweets, smoothies, sauces, and dips. 



Some Featured Recipes on this site using nut butters:

Warm Peanut and Sesame Noodles

Fruity Nut Butter Oatmeal

Dark Chocolatey Oat Mounds

Chocolaty Peanut Butter Oatmeal Dream 
 

Berry-ful Bliss



Almond Butter Pancakes



Grain-free Granola