Escapees May-June 2023

are they fabulous in white chocolate chip cookies. Peanuts are considered a culinary nut, they are the seeds of a legume, are grown underground and have pretty yellow fl owers. In the south, boiled peanuts are a well-loved snack. It takes approximately 540 peanuts to make a 12-ounce jar of peanut butter and, just so you know, peanut butter is known as the “nutty neutralizer,” the perfect foil for spicy foods. Say Yes To Seeds Brazil nuts are a type of seed that grow wild on tall trees in the Amazon Rainforest, clustered inside coconut-looking pods. Creamy, slightly smokey and mildly nutty, they are the richest known food source of selenium, a potent antioxidant. As delicious as they are, in this case there can be too much of a good thing. It’s recommended that adults eat no more than fi ve Brazil nuts per day.

Nuts I Know and Love While I’m tempted to talk about my travel buddy, my husband Ray, I’ll keep this culinary. More than 20 edible types of nuts and seeds are enjoyed across the country. Let’s look at some of my favorites. Cashews are beloved for their rich, buttery taste. They’re slightly sweet and, when roasted, satisfyingly crunchy. They have a neutral fl avor, making raw cashews perfect for a creamy vegan cashew sauce. I especially like the roasted salt and pepper cashews. Almonds are a super healthy, mild-tast ing nut with a sweet fl avor (though some varieties are bitter). They come raw or roasted, with skin or without, whole, slivered or as batons, ground into fl our, or made into an extract. In addition to snack ing or adding to baked goods or salads, almonds make great dairy-free “milk.” Walnuts are a major California crop. Their fl avor is mild, earthy and subtly sweet. Considered a nutritional superstar, fi nd them whole or shelled, usually raw. Walnut oil is a special treat, deeply- fl avored and a pleasure to enjoy. Look for cold pressed, not expeller pressed, walnut oil. Because it has a low smoke point and a high price point, it’s best used as a fi nishing oil or in a salad dressing, but you can also add a few drops to brownies or banana bread. Hazelnuts (aka fi lberts) have a creamy, nutty fl avor and are the main ingredient in every chocolate-lovers favorite spread: Nutella. They can be enjoyed raw but are typically eaten roasted and toasty. While the brown paper-like skin is edible, some times it can be bitter. Remove it by rubbing the warm, roasted nuts in a tea towel. Pecans: a beloved southern nut (also abundantly grown in New Mexico), has a rich, buttery fl avor with a sweet taste. Raw pecans are perfect for pies, while sweet and savory roasted pecans are delicious sprinkled over salads or served on cheese plates. A fun fact: the pecan tree is Texas’ state tree. Macadamia nuts are rich, delicious and pricey. Originating in Australia, we associate them with Hawaii. As delicious as they are, one ounce (approximately 10–12 nuts) packs a whopping 200 calories. But boy,

“…pay attention to how many you eat in a single sitting. While full of nutrients, including healthy fats, fi ber, and protein, nuts are calorie-dense.”

Sun fl ower seeds develop across the heads of sun fl owers. It’s not unusual to harvest up to 2,000 seeds from a single sun fl ower head depending on the variety. Youcan fi nd these tiny tasty treats in-shell or as kernels (shelled). Nutritious little sun fl ower seeds are looked to as an aller gy-free substitute for nuts (though checking with your doctor fi rst is always a good idea). They can be enjoyed raw or roasted, cracked from their salted hulls or shelled, baked in bread, or made into spreadable butter. Pine nuts, aka pignoli are seeds that come from pine cones. It can take 15 to 25 years before a pine tree begins producing seeds. It takes triple that amount of time before they hit their production stride. Pine nuts are a main ingredient in pesto. These seeds are expensive, so I often substitute them with walnuts.

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May/June 2023 ESCAPEES Magazine