Sunday, April 06, 2008
Recipes
By Laura Kurella
Sturgis Journal
I'm nuts about almonds, and no one was happier to hear that they are really good for your health.
It was truly music to my ears when I heard that several existing almond studies revealed that the body of studies (as a whole) show that almonds have an amazing ability to lower total and LDL or "bad" cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease.
The study consistently showed that people who eat roughly one handful of almonds (1 ounce) a day may significantly reduce their total cholesterol.
Another great piece of news is that all of the people in the study, both those who ate 1 ounce and those who ate more, managed to maintain their body weight the entire time. This may be due to us getting less fat from almonds than we think.
A study from King's College in London showed that when chewing almonds, some of the almond remains intact. The parts of the almond that remain intact are unable to release their fat. These findings suggest that almonds may be a lower calorie food than suspected since not all of the calories from their fat is able to be absorbed.
Some interesting research is showing that a serving of almonds has the same amount of antioxidants as a serving of broccoli. A 1-ounce serving of almonds contains the same amount of antioxidants found in a cup of brewed black or green tea. And, what's even more interesting is the main antioxidant compounds in almonds - catechin, epicatechin and kaempferol - are the ones that provide the highest degree of protection against cell death from oxidants, a mechanism that plays an important role in reducing the risk of chronic disease.
Findings have also showed that women who eat at least 1 ounce of nuts, peanuts or peanut butter each week have a 25 percent lower risk of developing gallstones, making a handful of nuts the easiest way to keep gallbladder disease away.
Researchers are looking to see if almonds can play a role in the prevention of colon cancer. The University of California-Davis found that in mice, almonds might reduce the number of precancerous lesions.
The relationship of almonds to cancer is under going even further research in China, but we need not wait to hear the results before we begin to start adding a little almond joy to our lives. Here are three recipes to help you add more almonds to your life.
Almonds are concentrated in protein. 1/4 cup contains 7.62 grams. That's more protein than the typical egg, which contains approximately 5.54 grams of protein.
Almond Crisps
1/2 cup finely shredded parmesan
1/4 cup sliced, raw almonds
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or coat it with baking spray. Stir together Parmesan and almonds in a small bowl. Form 8 small piles of cheese and almonds on the lined sheet pan, using your fingers. Flatten each pile to create an even thickness. Bake about 6-7 minutes, until browned on the edges. Remove and set aside to cool until crisp, about 10 minutes. Serve immediately, or store between paper towels in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Servings per recipe: 4. Nutritional Facts per serving: Calories 105; Fat 8g; Carbohydrates 2g; Fiber 1g; Sugar 054g; Protein 6.7g.
Toasted Almonds
1/3 cup butter
2 egg whites, at room temperature
Pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
3 cups whole, raw almonds
4 teaspoon cinnamon
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place butter on 15x10 jellyroll pan; place in oven to melt butter, about 7 minutes. Meanwhile, beat egg whites with salt until frothy; gradually add sugar, beating into stiff peaks. Gently fold in almonds and cinnamon. Pour almond mixture onto jellyroll pan; toss with butter. Bake about 40 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes, until almonds are crisp. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store cooled almonds in airtight container up to 2 weeks.
Servings per recipe: 12. Nutritional Facts per serving: Calories 320.5; Fat 23.3g; Carbohydrates 24g; Fiber 4.5g; Sugar 18.4g; Protein 8.3g.
Awesome Almond Chicken
1- 3 pound chicken, cut up
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3 tablespoons butter
2 green onions, sliced into rings
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 cup blanched toasted almonds
Preheat oven to broil with rack 8-10 inches from the heat. Place chicken pieces, skin side up, in a broiling pan. Sprinkle with paprika and garlic powder. Broil 7 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to an ovenproof dish. Preheat oven to 350 F. In a saucepan, melt butter, add onion and sauté for 15 minutes, or until translucent. Reduce heat to low, add brown sugar and soy, stirring until the sugar dissolves then spoon sauce over chicken. Cover dish and bake for 1 hour or until juices run clear. Sprinkle with warm, toasted almonds just before serving
Servings per recipe: 4. Per serving: Calories 749; Fat 39.7g; Carbohydrates 58g; Fiber 0.60g; Sugar 54.8g; Protein 40g