How to use almonds

Here are 10 quick and easy ways to make the most of this healthy nut.

• Almond fruit crumble
  Make a simple topping for a crumble with sliced almonds, rolled oats, brown sugar and a little reduced-fat spread. Top apple, apricot or plums with this mix and bake until golden.
• Almond and basil pesto
  Replace pine nuts in a pesto recipe with almonds. Use a plain oil like rice bran instead of olive oil to let the almond flavour shine through.
• Nutty muesli
  Combine rolled oats, sliced almonds, dried cranberries and raisins to make a tasty muesli. Soak overnight in milk for Bircher muesli, or use as it is.
• Moist, tasty cakes
  Use ground almonds instead of butter in baking recipes for a moist texture with less saturated fat. Experiment with your favourite recipes – roughly two-thirds the weight of butter can be replaced with ground almonds and the rest with reduced-fat spread.
• Almond-crumbed fish
  Pulse almonds in a blender until coarse crumbs. Mix with breadcrumbs, salt and pepper, and use to coat fish. Bake until golden and crispy.
• Dessert alternative
  Lightly toasted almonds on a platter with a simple soft cheese like camembert, a pile of fresh ripe cherries and some plain crackers, makes a lovely alternative to a sweet dessert.
• Chilli-toasted almonds
  Make a tasty snack by heating a non-stick pan and toasting natural almonds with chilli flakes and sea salt until gently browned.
• Broccoli, chicken and almond stir-fry
  Gently fry chopped onion and garlic in sesame oil. Add chicken pieces, steamed broccoli and sliced almonds. Stir-fry until chicken is cooked. Add a splash of sweet soy sauce and stir some baby spinach through. Serve with rice.
• Almond and ginger coleslaw
  Add almonds to sliced green and red cabbage and thinly sliced ginger. Dress with light yoghurt and lemon juice.
• Green veges with almonds
  Stir-fry green beans, asparagus and fresh peas. Toss through toasted almonds and serve with barbecued meat.

Nutrition

Almonds are rich in vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant, which helps rid our bodies of damaging free radicals. An eighth cup (14-16 almonds) provides a quarter to a third of the daily level of vitamin E suggested for good health.  Almonds also provide around 15% of recommended dietary intake (RDI) for riboflavin (vitamin B2) which helps release energy from the foods we eat.