superfood: walnuts! and some banana date walnut butter

Have you guys heard the news? Walnuts are a superfood!

I love reading nutrition news and articles- it’s probably my equivalent to a lot of people’s love of celebrity gossip. I’ll read it all, soak it all in and talk about it at the water cooler.

Or I would if I worked somewhere where there was a water cooler. More accurately I talk about it at the espresso bar.

But right, back to walnuts! I recently read this article at Renegade Health where walnuts were named the “King of the Nuts”. They rank above every other nut in terms antioxidants which were 2-15x more potent than vitamin E! That’s pretty stellar.

Not only that, but there are a ton of other benefits that come with eating this nut!

• they improve blood-vessel function and health in patients with type 2 diabetes, suggesting that walnuts could help reduce risk of cardiac disease and events!
• they keep the blood flowing- eating walnuts helps inflammation in arteries and therefore reduce risk of atherosclerosis (plaque build-up) and artery disease
• they make you a smarty-pants! Including walnuts in your diet can boost your reasoning skills
• strengthens them bones! They contain lots of ALA fatty acids which reduces bone turnover- this means that your form bone faster than it’s degraded

If that doesn’t make you want to eat for of there super-nuts (hehe) I don’t know what will.

Oh wait yes I do! It’s the following recipe. This next recipe is the perfect marriage of 3 amazing flavours that I swear must have been created to be enjoyed together: walnuts, bananas and dates.

I know some people find walnuts a bit bitter (I’ve never had this issue) but in this nut butter, all bitterness is beaten into submission by the gentle sweetness of the banana and the earthy sweetness of the dates. It’s the perfect nut butter to spread on toast, dip apple in, stir into oatmeal or just eat straight out of the jar. Believe me, you’ll want to!

Banana Date Walnut Butter (Vegan, Gluten-free, Sugar-free, Raw)

Makes about 2 cups.

• 3 cups walnuts
• 1 1/2 ripe bananas (a few brown spots)
• 3 medjool dates, soaked and pitted
• 1/2 tsp vanilla bean powder (or extract)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp salt.

First process the walnuts until they form a fine meal and are just starting to look “wet” (the oils are starting to be released). Add in the rest of the ingredients and process until smooth! Store in a jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, if it lasts ;)

That’s it for me today! I’ll be back here later today/tomorrow for What I Ate Wednesday and I might just share a recipe or two! It’s a little later than I usually post it but I wanted to share this first! Have a lovely day everyone!

I am submitting this post to Allergy-Free Wednesday and Wellness Weekends!