Nut butters series - - - part 1, All the nut (and maybe ones without nuts) butters

I'm sure at this point most people can walk down their local supermarket aisle and find a variety of nut butters.

Nut butters are spreads with one main ingrediet, nuts. And in some very particular cases, soy, that is if you are allergic to nuts, but still want to enjoy a very nice spread that tastes like nuts.

And just at this point I feel like I've said the word nut enough, so coment below how many times I've mentioned it throughout my post.

Now Back to serious content

The most popular (as far as I'm concerned) is peanut butter.

And why wouldn't it be?

Peanuts are one of the cheapest...egh....nuts?

Peanuts ( Arachis Hypogaea) are actually legumes, they grow in the soil and they are native to the tropics and subtropics. Their pods are developed underground and they belong to the pea family .

If you think about it is very straight foward PEA--NUT.

The second most popular, less cheap is Almond butter.

Almonds ( Prunus Dulcus) are SEEDS from a tree native to Iran. Most Almonds are unshelled and blanched before being sold most of the time for appearance, texture, flavour and storage purpouses.

Some almond butters, though, are made without blanched almonds and they taste just as good.

Most almond flours ( which are just processed almonds into a fine powder) are made with blanched almonds. It is easy to bake with and it has a nice color, instead of the sad bown-grey color non- blanched almond flour would give you

The third most popular is Cashew butter,

this one is expensive, but if you happen to like cashews you know these nuts are expensive themselves.

Yet, it's all worth it, I promise .

The cashew tree ( Anacardium occidentale) is a tropical evergreen that produces cashew SEEDS ( yes, again) and the cashew apple. It is native to Central America and northern South America. The cashew apple can be made into a sweet, a fruit drink and a liquor.

Another one, less common, but absolutely delicious is pistachio butter.

Normally you would not find this one in your average supermarket, like peanut butter and almond butter. Lucky for us, there's Amazon and you can get it delivered to your front door.

Pistachios (pistachia vera) are a member of the cashew family, originating form central Asia and The Middle East. These are seeds too.

As of 2017, Iran accounted for over half its production worldwide.

Hazelnut butter is another nut butter you probably will have to order online.

And no, the natural Hazenut butter, DOES NOT TASTE LIKE NUTELLA

YET...

It is very nice and can be incorporated into tons of recipes.

Did I also mention hazenuts are keto?

Their macronutrient composition falls perfectly for those on the keto diet.

Hazelnuts, the nuts of the hazel (yes, literally) also called Corylus avellana are seeds form a diverse family and most hazelnuts in the world are destined to be paired with chocolate, ie. in the case of Nutella.

Sunflower seed butter

You can pretty much find suflower seeds anywhere as a snack, but good luck finding its butter.

There are 3 types of commonly used sunflower seeds, linoleic, high oleic and sunflower oil seeds, each variety with its own content of monounsaturated, saturated and polyunsaturated fats.

Coconut butter ( yes butter, not oil)

Coconut oil has been increasing its popularity recently, it's great for desserts, cooking and especially baking.

In my opinion coconut butter is better tha coconut oil, it's creamy, it's smooth and it's spreadable at low temperatures, unlike coconut oil.

The coconut tree (Cocos nucifera) is a member of the palm tree family ( Arecaceae) and the only living species of genus cocos. The term coconut actually refers to the whole plant. The coconut seed or fruit is NOT A NUT.

Macadamia nut butter.

Macadamia is a genus of 4 species of trees native to Australia and part of the plant famly Proteaceae.

Macadamia nuts also happen to be keto due to their high fat content.

And although I am not keto, I happen to enjoy them toasted and salted or even in praline (yum)

Walnut butter

A walnut is the nut of any tree of the genus Juglans, especially the Persian or English walnut, Juglans regia. It is not a botanical nut, but it's said to be great for improved brain function

Pumkin seed butter

Also known as pepita, is the seed of the pumkin and certain grops of squash.

You can scoop the seeds out of the pumkin, clean them and bake them with a touch of oil and salt, it is a great snack and pumkin soup topping.

Brazil nut butter

The Brazil Nut is a South American tree from the family Lecythidaceae. It is one of the largest and long-lived trees in the Amazon rainforest.

Pecan nut butter

Pecans are a staple in North American cuisine, especially when It's Thanksgiving.

But they are great nuts to eat caramelized or even salted.

It's a species of Hickorynative to northern Mexico and Southern United States in the region of Mississippi River, the tree is mostly cultivated in Gerogia nowadays.

Tahini

Or Tahina is a condiment made from toasted sesame, it's used in cuisines of the Eastern Mediterranean, South Caucasus, Middle East and parts of North Africa.

To me is technically a nut butter, and tastes good in Humus, so it made it to the list

Sesame is a flowering plant in the genus sesamum, also benne, with numerous realtives in Africa as well as India and it's widely cultivated in Tropical regions for it's seed.

There black and white sesame seeds

And now for the nut- free nut butters

Cookie butter

Is a spread made originally from speculoos cookies, but you can pretty much customize your cookie butter with whatever cookie you like.

Yes, it's not a nut butter, but it's a very delicious alternative.

Speculoos cookies are o

Soy nut butter

It's made from fresh roasted whole soybeans. It's very similar to peanut butter in taste and texture and although has less saturated fats than peanut butter it contains the same amount of protein per serving, plus both are cholesterol free since they are plant based.

The soy bean, or soybean is a species of legumes native to East Asia.

Traditional unfermented and fermented foods derived form this beans include soy milk, tofu, tofu skin, soy sauce, fermented bean paste and tempeh.

Oat butter

Say what?!!

Yes, Oat butter is a thing. Gluten free, vegan, nut free... you name it.

The Oat is a cereal grown for its seed, known by the same name. Oats are a breakfast staple in many countries, it's quick and easy to make and it's a slow digesting carbohydrate, which will keep you full and satieated for a long period of time.

This one, as far as I know, is not on the market. You will have to get your hands dirty and try it for yourself.

I'm Leaving the recipe just in case...

1 cup instant oats (make sure they adhere to your dietary requirements)

3 tablespoons vegan melted butter ( or whatever butter like substitute, even real butter)

2 tablespoons honey ( sugar free syrup well)

A pinch of salt

You can also make a chocolate version by adding 2 tablespoons of cocoa or cacao powder.

Feel free to adjust the sweetness to your liking.

Cook the oats with 1 cup of water in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes, stir ans check for consistency ( which should be mushy, add more water and cook for 15 to 30 seconds longer if needed), let cool and dump (yes, literally) all the ingredients into a food processor, a blender or immersion blender work as well, and pulse until it the ingrediets have homogenized. Chill for at least 2 hours and serve!

And that's it!