I grew up in the San Joaquin Valley, home of Diamond Walnuts. As a matter of fact, nuts of all kinds grew there, in addition to any fruit or vegetable you can imagine. It was a wonderful place to grow up. We used to work in the walnut orchards owned by Diamond, as a volunteer project for our church youth program. The trees went on endlessly, as far as the eye could see. Who would have thought that 30 years later, the very existence of the almond and walnut orchards would be on the verge of collapse?
I've been so sad to hear about the conditions recently in northern California and the affect they have had on the nut crops, especially almonds. First it was the extreme drought conditions in 2014 that brought on the necessity for almond farmers to destroy thousands and thousands of acres of almond trees. Now in 2017, it's the opposite. Record rainfall is killing or has already killed the state's almonds. A record 27 inches of rain fell this last winter, the most ever recorded! And it's ironic that water is responsible for killing the trees, because almonds consume huge amounts of water and have even been accused of depriving other resources of adequate water!
Being as it may, the health benefits of eating those water-greedy nuts is huge! I would urge anyone not to make their dietary plans so constrictive that they can't fit in a handful of some kind of nut into their daily food plan! By the way, peanuts are not nuts. They are legumes. Consider the benefits of eating a handful of nuts!
1) Great source of healthy fat! Of course we know that some fats shouldn't be consumed and other fats should be consumed in moderate amounts. Nut fats are helpful for weight loss, heart health and for brain health!
2) 20% less likely to die for any reason! That is huge! Studies found that a person who ate a small handful of nuts 7 times a week or more, were less likely to kick the bucket!
3) People who eat nuts have better cardiovascular health, lower risk for diabetes, lower mortality rate which then raises your longevity!
Sometimes you want something a little more exciting than just a handful of nuts. There are a lot of ways to dress up those nutritionally-loaded nuggets.
Maple Cinnamon Pecans 2 cups raw pecans 1/3 cup maple syrup (or to taste) 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 Tbsp. cinnamon Cinnamon Sugar for sprinkling
Combine pecans, maple syrup, salt, and cinnamon. Heat over medium heat in a skillet for 6 - 8 minutes until thickened. Spread onto wax paper to cool. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, if desired, and store in an airtight container.
Combine all ingredients and cook in a medium sauce pan, stirring regularly until toasted and fragrant. Spread and cool on wax paper. Store in airtight container.
Either recipe is gluten free, vegan, and paleo! I'm such a fan of all the nuts and this is one obsession that I don't feel a shred of guilt for! So enjoy some nuts, and here's to your health!
My fascination with barley continues. I have another recipe and this time it's a salad! I tried it and like it very much. If I were to choose my favorite recipe of the 3 I have shared so far, I would definitely choose this one. It is the easiest, has less mess and tastes fantastic! I realize that barley is considered one of the gluten grains and if you are gluten sensitive at all, you may be thinking you want to try and avoid barley and all its glorious nutritional goodness.
First of all, I am one of those gluten sensitive people. Yep, had myself tested and the Doc says I have some definite gluten sensitivity. He couldn't really tell where on the spectrum I was. From what I can tell, it's a sluggishness in my whole metabolism after eating white flour and wheat products. Gluten Sensitivity is quite a range, to say the least. There is the full-blown Celiac Disease, where any kind of gluten can wreak havoc on your system, damaging tissue and organs, all the way to just the slightest irritation in the system when too much gluten is consumed. Because of its immense nutritional value it becomes a question of whether or not the benefits of eating barley outweigh the risks. For me, I say yes! "Wheat is unquestionably a more common source of food reactions than any
of the other "gluten grains," including barley. If you are
implementing a wheat-free diet, you will want to experiment at some
point with re-introduction of this food. You may be able to take
advantage of its diverse nutritional benefits without experiencing an
adverse reaction. Individuals with wheat-related conditions like celiac
sprue or gluten-sensitive enteropathies should consult with their
healthcare practitioner before experimenting with any of the "gluten
grains," including barley." -whfoods.org Barley is such a good source of dietary fiber
and selenium! What does that mean for you? It means, for one thing, that chances are good you can avoid colon cancer because the fiber going through your colon can sweep out the cancer-causing cells in the colon, plus selenium is shown to reduce the risk of colon cancer significantly! That is huge for me because one of our best family friends died an early death because of colon cancer. He was running marathons one day and dead a few months later. He also had two older children who died even sooner than he did from colon cancer and brain cancer. I think I'll keep eating barley! Here's the recipe! I served it at a family get-together and it was gone in no time! Everyone loved it!
Corn and Barley Salad Ingredients: 1 cup hulled barley Approx, 3 cups chicken broth (I used 2 bouillon cubes in the water) 2 tbsp olive or avacado oil 15 oz. frozen corn 1/2 red onion, diced 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. pepper 1/4 tsp. garlic powder 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved 2 Tbsp. chopped chives or green onion 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint
In a medium saucepan bring the barley and chicken broth to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat until done, about 40 - 50 minutes. In a large skillet, heat oil and saute both the frozen corn and onion along with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder until transparent, about 8 minutes. Mix 1 1/2 cups of the barley with the corn mixture together in a medium salad bowl. Toss in the tomatoes, the mint and the chives/green onion. Serve warm or cold. It is wonderful!
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