How to Prepare Gluten and Sugar Free Desserts Using Pine Nuts

 

Click HERE to Get These Super Healthy Sweet Treats & Dessert Recipes

Versatile Health Providing Pine Nuts

The crunchy but buttery textured, sweet pine nut is often overlooked in many people’s diets.

Pine nuts are actually seeds that are collected from pine trees cultivated mainly in Europe and the US. Eaten for centuries, they were enjoyed by Roman soldiers and Spanish explorers alike who enjoyed snacking on them and they were ground into flour by American Indians.

USES

For the most part, pine nuts can be used wherever traditional tree nuts or peanuts are used. Often found in stir fry’s, they make the cross-over easily between savory and sweet dishes and are an excellent change from the “everyday nut.” Perfect sprinkled over both fruit and vegetable salads.

They are popular in different sauces, especially pesto sauce and you’ll find them in granolas, cookies, chocolates and crunchy health bar creations as well as breads, cakes, biscuits, cookies, confectionery and ice cream items. You can purchase them at any local supermarket or health food store.

This little nut is not in the same botanical category as tree nuts so many people that have nut allergies can tolerate pine nuts. However, there are people that react to both, so always be cautious and sensible.

Most popular in countries where they are harvested, they are widely used in the US, Spain, Morocco and Italy and are called by a variety of names including pinon, pine kernel, pignoli, pignolia and Indian nut.

Enjoyed raw or roasted, pine nuts feature a tough dark-brown outer coat or shell and have a sweet nutty flavor and crunchy texture. However, flavor isn’t the only reason people enjoy pine nuts. They offer amazing health benefits too.

AMAZING HEALTH BENEFITS

Offering similar healthy nutrients as other nuts including monounsaturated fats they provide a wealth of anti-aging antioxidants that combat free radicals (and help to control how fast you age) including vitamins A, B, C, and D. You’ll also get a nice boost of energy from the protein, magnesium and iron they offer. Offering similar healthy nutrients as other nuts including monounsaturated fats.

They are a great source of healthy fats that help keep cholesterol and blood sugar levels down, protein (the building block of nearly every part of the body) and like almonds, pine nuts are an excellent source of vitamin E. They are healthy source of B-complex vitamins as well as minerals such as manganese, potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, selenium and zinc.

An added bonus is the fiber they provide. Just one serving of nuts provides around 20% of the recommended daily amount of fiber and they are great at suppressing feelings of hunger thanks to the hormone cholecystokinin.

Because pine nuts are also gluten-free, they are a popular ingredient in gluten-free recipes that are gaining popularity.

PROPER STORAGE

Pine nuts must be shelled first and eaten shortly after due to their high oil content (prone to rancidity). Unshelled nuts have a longer shelf life and can be stored safely for many months while shelled kernels deteriorate quickly once exposed to warm, humid air. Be sure to store them in airtight jars inside the refrigerator.

Want to prepare gluten and sugar free desserts using pine nuts? Watch this video – Homemade pine nut cookies – gluten free

You can find delicious raw dessert and treat recipes that feature healthy pine nuts in  “Blended Bites” as well as a great variety of desserts and treat recipes that are not only gluten and sugar free but incorporate veggies into them as well. 

Author Bio:

Carolyn Hansen is the author of The Blended Bites Healthy Snack and Dessert Recipe Collection. This is a one-stop resource for delicious, healthy, guilt-free snacks that you can eat every day. And even better, EVERY ONE of these recipes are RAW healthy snack foods that taste as good as their fattening counterparts.

You can NOW satisfy your snack urge without any negative impact on your weight loss and fitness goals, and without sweating over a hot stove. These easy-to-prepare snacks contain no sugar, no flour or butter and are paleo friendly.

So, if you want to get your hands on recipes for desserts and snacks that you will not need to feel guilty about eating the next time you have a craving for something delicious, be sure to check out Carolyn Hansen’s books at Blended Bites, where she will show you how to take control of your blender and churn out mouth-watering desserts and snacks that will have the kids in your neighborhood lined up around the block for a sample.

The Top 8 Easily Grown Herbs You Can Use to Prepare Healthy Ready to Eat Snacks

 

Click HERE to Get These Super Healthy Sweet Treats & Dessert Recipes

Dessert Herbs that Grow Easily in Any Home Garden

Some of the best nutrients that nature provides us comes packaged up in small containers. Herbs are some of those things.

Offering a fresh from Mother Earth taste to your recipes, herbs are some of the healthiest foods you can eat. Adding character, spice, appeal and health benefits to every dish they are invited to, many of them make the transition from savory to sweet dishes easily with their delicate flavors and aromas.

According to Brian Hetrich, a gardening expert and naturopathic doctor at the Hippocrates Healthy Institute “half the nutritional value of plants are lost within thirty minutes of harvesting.” This means that no matter how healthy and appealing they look at the market, they have already lost a great deal of nutrients that nature freely provided.

Not so with a fresh herb home garden…

The great thing about most herbs is that they can easily be grown right at home…in a garden or planter. (although they can grow easily in planters, herbs love to spread out too so don’t be afraid to give them room in your garden). This allows us to pick them right as we’re ready to use them taking advantage of all their nutrients and health benefits.

Planting indoors is easy:

• Planting tray of some sort

• Organic potting mix

• Seeds or starter plants easily obtained at any nursery or garden center for a nominal price.

Here’s 8 of the top and most popular kitchen herbs that are easily grown in any garden:

Rosemary: Pretty and aromatic, the scent of this herb has been shown to improve memory. It has also been shown to fight cancer cells with its carnosic acid compounds. Frequent watering in full sun. Simply touching it will releasing its unique scent.

Thyme: As long as it gets plenty of sunshine, this herb grows well in indoor gardens because its stays relatively small in size. Long known for its antiseptic properties and its success as a remedy for respiratory problems, it is calorie free so you can add it freely to any soup, salad or side dish.

Parsley: Common yes. Often overlooked and shoved aside, yes. Parsley is nutrient rich with more than ½ the daily recommended intake of vitamin K contained in just one tablespoon. It also offers vitamins A and C. Not much sunshine is required for them to thrive but make sure to keep the soil from getting too dry. It’s hard to renew wilted parsley.’

Cilantro: This popular staple of both Asian and Mexican cuisines is a great source of fiber and supplies a hefty dose of iron. It helps clear heavy metals from our body by attaching itself to them and drawing them out of the tissues. The seeds of cilantro are the spice known as coriander.

Cilantro is a little more challenging to grow in a home garden because it requires deep soil in order to thrive. You can sow the seeds outdoors in the spring and summer and will continue to regrow from seed that drop from harvested plants throughout the growing season. Grown in full sun or light shade.

Basil: This popular herb offers a warm and spicy flavor to any dish. It offers a wealth of vitamins including A, K and C as well as magnesium, potassium, iron and calcium.

Grown in a sunny location the seeds can be sown directly into the garden in late spring or started from seed indoors in early spring and transplanted into your garden later on. Basil’s rich minty aroma is a nice addition to any peach dish.  Make sure you keep pinching off the flower heads so that the plant will keep throwing out new leaves all season.

Dill: This flavorful aromatic herb offers a healthy dose of antioxidants such as beta-carotene. Requiring full sun, this easy to grow herb needs a garden or large post to grow in and soil that is deep but not too dense.

Lavender: Lavender is often used as a seasoning for baking. Its distilled oils have been useful and versatile as herbal remedies. Grown by seed indoors and then transplanted outdoors in full sun in early spring, lavender does not tolerate excessive moisture or humidity.

Peppermint: This aromatic and tasty herb has talents beyond the kitchen. It is an excellent deterrent for many pests such as rodents, ants and spiders so plant it around your home and garden.

Peppermint leaves are a refreshing healthy addition to many beverages and desserts. Grown indoors than transplanted outside they can also be grown directly outdoors. Full sun or partial shade is best.

Most veggies and many herbs can be used with great success in desserts and treats and can be key to getting the required daily requirements of nutrients that your body needs.

Want to prepare healthy ready to eat snacks using herbs? Watch this video – Healthy Chocolate Mint Protein Muffins Recipe (Low Calorie) | Sweet Guilt Free Dessert & Snack

It’s time to step out of your comfort zone, expand beyond your traditional recipes and upgrade them to a more nutritional level – “Blended Bites will help you do just that.

Author Bio:

Carolyn Hansen is the author of The Blended Bites Healthy Snack and Dessert Recipe Collection. This is a one-stop resource for delicious, healthy, guilt-free snacks that you can eat every day. And even better, EVERY ONE of these recipes are RAW healthy snack foods that taste as good as their fattening counterparts.

You can NOW satisfy your snack urge without any negative impact on your weight loss and fitness goals, and without sweating over a hot stove. These easy-to-prepare snacks contain no sugar, no flour or butter and are paleo friendly.

So, if you want to get your hands on recipes for desserts and snacks that you will not need to feel guilty about eating the next time you have a craving for something delicious, be sure to check out Carolyn Hansen’s books at Blended Bites, where she will show you how to take control of your blender and churn out mouth-watering desserts and snacks that will have the kids in your neighborhood lined up around the block for a sample.