Expedition: Eat! : Nut Butters

Any nut can be a butter so why do peanuts get top billing? Those little so and so's think they're so great! Well, I'm here to give some love to the underdogs.

Peanuts may have the most protein but have very little omega 3s - walnuts are the leaders of the pack with the most omega 3s of any nut. Almonds win in the monounsaturated fat category. Take that peanuts!

Contrary to the unfood industry's claim that "Fat Free" is somehow better for us, (gummie candies are billed as a fat free food in my local vending machine) fats are necessary for health. And unsaturated fats specifically have excellent health benefits.

As with anything - watch the portion size. As tasty and good for you as this recipe is, it's about 116 calories a tablespoon.

Nutrition info per tablespoon:
Total fat: 10g
Carbs: 6.2g
Protein: 3.2
Fiber: 1g

Recipe:
1 1/2 cups walnuts (or almonds)
Honey to taste (optional)
Kosher salt to taste (optional)

Roasted Walnut Oil (if you're a fussbudget like

me, olive oil if you're normal)

Spread the walnuts out on a baking sheet and place in oven preheated to 375. Toast until they are beige and you can smell them. Let them cool and put them in a food processor.

Turn on the processor and let it grind them up until they are very small pieces that stick together.
Then drizzle in the oil slowly with the processor running until it looks like peanut butter. Only better, cause it's walnuts instead.

Sprinkle in a little kosher salt and drizzle in a little honey and process to combine. Taste and add more salt or honey if you like and process again to combine. Keep doing this until it tastes the way you like it. Don't add a lot of seasoning at once - more can always be added but once it's in there's no going back.

Store in the fridge in a plastic container with a tight fitting lid. I reuse the short round containers from the olive bar at the local supermarket. Like all natural nut butters, the oil will slowly separate in the fridge and need to be stirred back in for use.

I like homemade walnut butter paired with Crofter's Superfruit spread for a grown up nut butter and jelly sandwich. But my favorite way to eat it...