"almonds" news and stories

Happy National Chocolate with Almonds Day!

One might have thought that almonds had been lovingly deposited in chocolate since the dawn of the sweet treat, but it hasn't been until recent decades that chocolate has been increasingly spiked with additions. Hershey's didn't even begin producing their almond-filled Kisses until 20 years ago, in 1990. In the meantime, grocery market shelves are more and more heavily stocked with all sorts of exotic chocolate creations.

We favor the almonds, for adding a textural element to chocolate with their satisfying crunch, plus the additional depth provided by their nutty, buttery flavor. To make your own almond chocolate, gently melt your favorite type of chocolate in a double-boiler, then lay it out on a wax-papered tray to cool. Immediately drop in the desired bits of almonds and let cool until firm. Or if you're feeling particularly ambitious, you can follow the recipe from Elana's Pantry to make your own Almond Joy Chocolate Bark, pictured above.

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Whole grains? Check. Nuts? Check. Herbs? Check. Middle Eastern tabbouleh is not only one of the healthiest salads around, it hits just the right notes of tart and refreshing with lemon juice and mounds of parsley.

Typically made with bulgur and tomatoes, this variation, from Stone Soup, is created with brown rice and a whole cup of almonds, making it substantial enough to be a meal in itself. Cut back on the nuts and it's a colorful side salad to accompany fish or lamb.

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Blanched almonds are a staple in lots of recipes, and surprisingly easy to make at home.

Photo: Jennifer Iserloh.

Tamari almonds make their way into my banana-nut breakfast smoothie as they add a hint of saltiness against the sweetness of really ripe bananas. But as unexpectedly good as they may taste, I was in for another shocker: As I recently reviewed my grocery bill, I realized that those tamari almonds were almost $2 a bag!

Since I had a bottle of low-sodium tamari taking up space in the cupboard, I shopped for the plain, raw almonds with the skins on and tried my hand at homemade tamari almonds.

Bacon-and-date-wrapped hot dogs. Photo: Fork This

Hot dogs are as ubiquitous as Ray Bans this summer, with all-beef franks gracing grills at backyard BBQs and gourmet versions making cameos on restaurant menus. But a hot dog coddled in bacon is a rare treat.

These bacon-wrapped dogs were captured by our friend Fork This at a Hot Dog Cookoff before being placed in buns and topped with crushed almonds. Though we have mixed feelings about the crushed-almond topping, these look good enough to eat straight off the grill.

Aptly called Dog Date Afternoon, the heart-attack-inducing treats sadly didn't take home top (or any) honors, but it's pretty likely there were none left for their maker to take home, either.

[Via Fork This]