I am always amazed when I go to the store and check out all the food labels. It seems like they all say "may contain traces of tree nuts and peanuts." The grocery store can be a war zone for people with food allergies. Anything from cereal to frozen fish to granola bars to ice cream to the bread they make in the bakery. It drives me crazy.
It is difficult to determine if it is just legalize slapped on everything no matter what it is to protect companies from lawsuits or if there really are minute amount of allergens in absolutely everything packaged on the store shelves.
No matter what it is, it sucks. What is an allergic girl to do!?
For me, peanuts are the arch nemesis. One trace of those stinkin' bad boys can send me straight to the ER... or worse. So I take those stupid food labels very seriously. No room for error.
And while I could look at that situation as horrible and unfair, I don't. Instead, I get even.
Over the years, I have taught myself to make all of my favorite foods at home where peanuts can never touch them. And the beauty of it... I can usually make them taste better than ANYTHING I can buy at the store. I love that! It makes me feel so empowered and confident. And a little part of me wants to say "nah-nah-na-boo-boo" to all those food makers.
One of my favorite recipes to fall in this category of greatness is my Maple Almond Butter. I find that many almond butters can be too dry, sucking all the moisture out of my mouth, and too bland. But I have found a few tricks to change all that. Roasting the nuts, maple syrup, and sea salt are the key components to transforming this once boring almond butter.
It is difficult to determine if it is just legalize slapped on everything no matter what it is to protect companies from lawsuits or if there really are minute amount of allergens in absolutely everything packaged on the store shelves.
No matter what it is, it sucks. What is an allergic girl to do!?
For me, peanuts are the arch nemesis. One trace of those stinkin' bad boys can send me straight to the ER... or worse. So I take those stupid food labels very seriously. No room for error.
And while I could look at that situation as horrible and unfair, I don't. Instead, I get even.
Over the years, I have taught myself to make all of my favorite foods at home where peanuts can never touch them. And the beauty of it... I can usually make them taste better than ANYTHING I can buy at the store. I love that! It makes me feel so empowered and confident. And a little part of me wants to say "nah-nah-na-boo-boo" to all those food makers.
One of my favorite recipes to fall in this category of greatness is my Maple Almond Butter. I find that many almond butters can be too dry, sucking all the moisture out of my mouth, and too bland. But I have found a few tricks to change all that. Roasting the nuts, maple syrup, and sea salt are the key components to transforming this once boring almond butter.
Maple Almond Butter
1.5 cups of raw almonds
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1- 2 pinches of sea salt
1-2 teaspoons olive oil
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1- 2 pinches of sea salt
1-2 teaspoons olive oil
In a bowl, drizzle maple syrup over the almonds and toss so that all the nuts are evenly coated. Then spread the almonds on a rimmed cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Sprinkle with a pinch or two of salt. Roast them at 325 degrees for 20 minutes, tossing at least once during that time.
When the nuts are fully roasted, remove the pan from the oven and let cool for at least 10-15 minutes.
Pour the nuts into the food processor and pulse to begin breaking them up. Add a drizzle of your oil and run the processor. Every minute or so, remove the lid and scrape down the sides. Repeat this process until your nuts have broken down into butter. You may not need all the oil, it just depends on the moisture content of the almonds. I find that this entire process can take just a few minutes or 10-15 minutes. It just depends on the almonds.
Store your homemade almond butter in the fridge for up to a week (though mine never lasts that long).
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