I have had my eye on this recipe for a while now. My own homemade almond butter. Now, you might be thinking two things... 1) What is almond butter, or 2) Wow, sounds complicated! Almond butter is very similar to peanut butter but made of almonds (obviously). One of the first changes you should make when starting a clean eating lifestyle is getting rid of all of the hydrogenated oils (Trans Fats) in your diet. Trans fats are man made and completely unnatural to the body. However, they are found in many foods, since trans fats increase the shelf life of processed foods. (Source: The Eat Clean Diet, Tosca Reno). Ok, so my point about that whole spiel is that peanut butter is a tricky one. Everyone goes on and on about how great peanut butter is and how high it is in protein. SO.. people tend to gravitate towards it thinking they are being healthy. BUT! in the everyday peanut butter brand, it is high in hydrogenated oils which sort of makes it a non food. For the past few years, I have been fortunate enough to know this and ONLY buy the "All Natural Peanut butter (organic) and Almond butter". This makes a world of difference. This product is literally just peanuts and almonds. My first visit into Whole Foods, i was amazed at the fact that they had a system set up so when you pull the lever, you literally watch the whole natural peanuts/almonds get grounded and squeezed out the other end into your container within minutes. Just like an ice cream machine. It just goes to show how "natural" the process should be. So! If I can say anything today that makes a difference - READ YOUR LABELS! If something has a ton of ingredients that you can't even pronounce, put it down. (especially if you see the word hydrogenated or trans) In the long run, that just means bad news for your health. Soooooo even though I have been buying the all natural almond butter, I have always been fascinated with someday wanting to try making it myself. I always had this idea in my head, that it was going to be so difficult, but this weekend I proved myself wrong. The original recipe came from The Edible Perspective. I even went all out and tried a bit of a flavored almond butter. And wow!!!!! How delicious! [Roasted Maple Cinnamon] Almond Butter - 1 cup All natural almonds - 1.5 Tbsp pure Maple syrup - 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup (separate) - 1/4 tsp sea salt - 1/2 tsp cinnamon - 1/2 Tbsp oil (any light oil such as grapeseed oil, rice bran oil, extra virgin olive oil, etc - Remember - healthy fats are good!) Preheat your oven to 325. Line your pan with parchment paper, put the almonds in the pan and pour the 1.5 Tbsp of maple syrup on top of the almonds. Roast the almonds for 15 minutes - stirring 2 or 3 times so they don't burn. Let cool for 10 minutes. Then put the roasted almonds in the food processor. Just let them go until they get smooth and creamy. About 15 minutes. This is where I panicked a bit. I kept thinking they would never get to the "almond butter" consistency but if you just stay patient and let them go, it will happen! Promise :) Near the end, add the salt, cinnamon and 1 Tbsp maple syrup to the mix and continue to process for a bit longer. Then you can also stream in the oil near the very end. BE PATIENT! This recipe is totally worth the noise of the processor for 15 minutes and you can enjoy this on multi grain toast the next morning or your favorite oatmeal. Best part about it all is how cute it looks in the little jar I bought from the Dollarama. It fit perfectly! Enjoy! *TIP OF THE DAY ~ If you buy the jars of all natural peanut/almond butter, you will notice a tiny layer of oil that settles on the top. The best way to incorporated that into the rest of the jar, is storing it upside down!! Crazy I know but it totally works and gives it an even nicer creamy consistency. Just make sure you have the lid on nice and tight! lol *ACTIVITY ~ I woke up early this morning and did some skipping and sumo squats. It was the perfect morning workout and I even got some ab work done before I started to realize how sore I was from the run the day before. ;) Just think! Monday is over now and the weekend is one step closer! Lots of love
2 Comments
Amanda
2/1/2011 08:35:15 pm
Hey! Where is the Whole Foods Market you are at in the picture? Any suggestions on places to go in SJ or surrounding areas?
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Metaxia
2/1/2011 09:48:27 pm
Yah I am at a Whole Foods in that picture but it was in Oakville, Ontario. :( I was in heaven though!! Sean just let me be because he knew he couldn't keep up! lol You have to get creative around here. I shop only in the organic section at Superstore and sometimes Sobeys. They usually have my everyday stuff. Cochrane's out in KV has some great organic items and veggie's and that is where i get my organic chia seeds too. I also buy my free range eggs either from Farmer's Bundles or another source I have. And then I also just recently found a contact for organic hemp hearts, which are amazing! If you are interested just let me know. Always keep your eyes peeled.. oh and bulk barn is also a good source for some good organic ingredients also! Hope this helps!!
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