• Home
  • happy jessie
  • first time here?
  • work with me
  • contact

The Happiness in Health

Jessie, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

  • Home
  • happy jessie
    • Meet Jessie
    • best of thih!
    • peter
    • travels
    • the judginator series
    • caption contests
  • healthy recipes
    • Recipage
    • vintage recipes
  • media
  • educate
    • Nutrition Info in a Hurry
    • get up ‘n’ go snacks
    • getting a good night’s sleep
    • simple tips for healthy living
  • cartoons
  • faq
  • becoming an rd
    • A Step-By-Step Beginner’s Guide
    • Day in the Life Series
    • RD FAQ
    • Where Do RDs Work?

Nutty Nutrition and Kitchen Challenges

01/28/13 | Guest Post, Recipes

3

This post is adapted from my guest post on Stone Soup, the blog of Food and Nutrition Magazine, which is a publication of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Header Picture

I often challenge myself to use an ingredient in a new and unexpected way. The results are usually delicious, such as pumpkin mac ‘n’ cheese or chocolate barbeque sauce. Of course, perhaps cucumber cookies weren’t such a good idea … but that’s okay. Making culinary mistakes marks a fearless cook who is open to learning in the kitchen. And these bursts of courage can extend beyond your mixing bowl. The braver you are with food, the easier it will be to tackle life’s challenges.

Take nuts, for example. Packed with protein and healthy fats, nuts are more than an afternoon snack – they’re also a satisfying addition to many dishes. They add fiber and plenty of vitamins and minerals. Replacing some of the meat or meat substitutes in your meals and snacks with nuts increases variety and bumps up your intake of nutrients like vitamin E, magnesium and copper.

One word of caution: Nuts are calorie-dense and high in fat. The fat is mostly mono- and polyunsaturated fat, so replacing foods high in cholesterol-raising saturated fat with an ounce or two of nuts a day will give you the nutrient benefits without the extra calories. Now, a second word of caution: As always, choose unsalted nuts to avoid a hearty helping of sodium with your healthy meal. Check out the chart below for a nutty nutrient breakdown. (All data comes from the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference.)

Nut Chart

Charts are a little dry, so let’s look at a few graphs. This first one compares the % calories from fat with the % calories from protein in each nut. The size of each bubble corresponds with the amount of fiber in each nut.

Graph with Fiber

This next graph is similar, except the size of each bubble corresponds with the amount of saturated fat in each nut. Pretty different from the previous graph, isn’t it? Eating a variety of nuts will ensure you get a balance of nutrients.

Graph with Sat Fat

Nuts can be added to many dishes, from macadamia nut pancakes to pistachio-crusted salmon. To stretch my culinary boundaries, I decided to use hazelnuts, a nut I rarely use. Hazelnuts have a slightly sweet dish that makes them ideal for desserts. What about a main course?

Whole Grain Pasta with Roasted Beets and Hazelnuts

  Prep Time: 10 minutes

  Cook Time: 45 minutes

  Keywords: roast entree vegetarian nuts

Ingredients (4 servings)

  • 1 pound beets, with greens (approximately four beets)
  • 2 tsp. olive oil
  • 1 pound whole grain pasta
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ Tbsp. olive oil
  • ½ cup hazelnuts, roughly chopped
  • Fresh-grated nutmeg
  • Shaved Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Wash beets and cut off tops and bottoms. Chop beet greens into 2-inch pieces and set aside—do not discard.

Drizzle each beet with a ½ teaspoon of olive oil and wrap in foil. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool. Once cool enough to handle, unwrap beets and use a butter knife to scrap off the skin. Chop into half-inch cubes and set aside.

Fifteen minutes before beets finish roasting, boil a large pot of water and cook pasta according to package directions. While pasta cooks, heat ½ tablespoon olive oil in medium skillet and sauté garlic for 30 seconds. Add beet greens and sauté for 2 minutes, or until wilted. Set aside.

Heat remaining ½ tablespoon olive oil in small skillet and add hazelnuts. Cook, stirring frequently, for 4 minutes or until hazelnuts are light brown and toasted. Remove from heat.

Divide cooked pasta among four plates and top with roasted beets, sautéed beet greens, and toasted hazelnuts. Grate nutmeg over the top and add shaved Parmesan cheese, if desired. Serve immediately.

Cook’s Note: Enjoy with grilled tofu or tempeh to boost your protein intake.

Powered by Recipage

Now THAT’S being brave in the kitchen. I’ll see you in my bungee-jump fencing class.

Q: What’s your favorite kind of nut?

Related Posts

Red Bean Hummus | Jessie @ The Happiness in Health
Red Bean Hummus with Sweet Paprika
Collard Greens | Jessie @ The Happiness in Health
Sweet Collard Greens with Smoky Bacon
Healthy Dessert Yogurt Parfaits @ The Happiness in Health
Top Ten THIH Thanksgiving Recipes

Adaptable Oat Bars, Lactation Edition
Chipotle Steak Salad | Jessie @ The Happiness in Health
Healthy Holiday: Chipotle Steak Salad
Healthy Yogurt Parfait @ The Happiness in Health
Healthy Dessert: Cranberry and Yogurt Parfaits

Comments | 10 comments

STAY UPDATED!

Get all the latest recipes, nutrition advice, cartoons and more straight to your inbox!

« My Five Most Influential Cookbooks
Slammin’ Superbowl Salsa with Black Beans and Corn »

Comments

  1. Sarah says

    January 28, 2013 at 5:14 am

    I eat almonds the most but I really enjoy hazelnuts as well. In fact I added some hazelnuts to my smoothie yesterday it was delicious’

    Reply
    • Jessie says

      January 28, 2013 at 8:55 am

      Hazelnuts in smoothies is a great idea!

      Reply
  2. Joanne says

    January 28, 2013 at 8:18 am

    I eat almonds every day as a midday snack! And love ’em. I also love adding nuts to my savory meals but don’t tend to do much with hazelnuts. This pasta sounds like a great way to incorporate them into my life!

    Reply
  3. Lucy says

    January 28, 2013 at 3:16 pm

    There is no kind of nut that I don’t love! Nowadays I try to incorporate them into other things, like salads, so that I don’t end up eating way too many. I used to buy raw almonds and soak them in water to make them more delicious and easy to digest, but now I usually buy roasted ones (due to laziness). Pasta with hazelnuts sounds delicious!

    Reply
  4. Simply Life says

    January 28, 2013 at 10:07 pm

    I love experimenting with new ingredients (when it works out well 🙂 !!

    Reply
  5. Andrea@WellnessNotes says

    January 29, 2013 at 8:20 am

    I usually eat almonds and walnuts, but I love cashews. I haven’t had hazelnuts in a long time. I’ll have to buy some. I love the addition of hazelnuts to your pasta dish!

    Reply
  6. Lawyer Loves Lunch says

    January 29, 2013 at 1:45 pm

    Oooh, I woulda never thought to use hazelnuts in a pasta dish which is weird since I use pine nuts in pesto all the time. Time to bring in the hazelnuts because this dish looks good! 🙂

    Reply
  7. Monet says

    January 29, 2013 at 6:37 pm

    I love pistachios…and I love that you used nuts in a main dish. I’m making a pistachio almond pesto this weekend. I can’t wait to give it a try! Thank you for sharing another delightful post. What a bright and happy way to end my Tuesday! I hope you are having a blessed week.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Spiced Carrot Cake Fondue {Recipe Redux} says:
    April 22, 2013 at 9:41 am

    […] make a lot of mistakes in the kitchen. For example, see this post, this post, this post and this album on THIH’s Facebook page, which has not been updated in a […]

    Reply
  2. Bison-Stuffed Tomatoes with Garlic & Scallions {Recipe Redux} says:
    December 22, 2014 at 9:45 pm

    […] Recipe Redux. Once a month, I set aside time to enjoy an hour or two in the kitchen to tackle those kitchen challenges that bring out the creativity I […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Jessie The Happiness in Health
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

STAY UPDATED!

Get all the latest recipes, nutrition advice, cartoons and more straight to your inbox!

Popular Cartoons

Back to School Cool

25 Comments

The Five Stages of Becoming a Dietitian

21 Comments

The Adventures of Super RD, Volume 1

15 Comments

Popular Update Your Plate

Update Your Plate, Part 9: The Veggie Stagnation Edition

14 Comments

Update Your Plate, Part 7: The Combo Plate Edition

13 Comments

Update Your Plate, Part 1: The Salmon Salad Edition

12 Comments

Copyright

Feel free to share recipes, posts, and pins; however, note that all text and pictures on this website are the property of The Happiness in Health. Do not edit pictures without my permission. If an image is used, please link back to my original post. Thanks!

STAY UPDATED!

Get all the latest recipes, nutrition advice, cartoons and more straight to your inbox!

Search THIH

Join me on Instagram

jessiederwin

jessiederwin
Day 3 of working from home while caring for both t Day 3 of working from home while caring for both toddlers. Not much work getting done but at least the kids are having fun! It’s stressful, but I’m grateful for the privilege of being able to work from home when so many others currently juggle childcare, lost income, and higher risk of #coronavirus exposure. #covid_19 #socialdistancing #toddlermayhem
Behind-the-scenes at the photo shoot for the new a Behind-the-scenes at the photo shoot for the new app we’re developing—stay tuned! Photo taken by the amazing @eldergvarela #foodphotography #appdevelopment #lightbox
Found this from my 36 hrs in #Iceland in September Found this from my 36 hrs in #Iceland in September #northernlights #auroraborealis #goodtiming #itwascold
Not sure what’s going on in this pic, but I seem Not sure what’s going on in this pic, but I seem really into it #tbt #nofilter #seriouslytho
I think I’ve been working our robot vacuum too h I think I’ve been working our robot vacuum too hard #comebackweloveyou
Strawberries are back in season! #alachuacountyfar Strawberries are back in season! #alachuacountyfarmersmarket #strawberryseason #florida
Stocking up on water and brownie mix #essentials # Stocking up on water and brownie mix #essentials #hurricanedorian #hurricane #2under4 #timetostockuponwine
Come sit and we’ll have a chat. #brainardlake #h Come sit and we’ll have a chat. #brainardlake #hikingwiththefam #colorado #thatviewtho
Incredible tasting dinner for two grownups and two Incredible tasting dinner for two grownups and two toddlers! Merci beaucoup @jferrer.europea 👏👏👏 #montreal #montrealfood #toddlereats
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Connect with Me

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Categories

Archives

Disclaimer

The information contained on this website is for informational purposes only and does not render medical or professional advice. The information on this web page should not be used for diagnosing or treating any medical condition. Please seek professional care from a licensed health care provider. The owner will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information. These terms and conditions of use are subject to change at anytime and without notice.

Copyright © 2021 · The Happiness in Health · Tasteful theme by Restored 316 · Disclosure

Copyright © 2021 · Tasteful Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in