brazil nuts

raw wet granola or muesli?

by Heguiberto on October 13, 2009

I get confused with the names: granola or muesli. All I can say is that this is delicious for breakfast. Not to mention that it’s ultra granola healthy! It is very simple to make and you are going to love it! All you have to do is muesli* the ingredients below:

Raw Wet Granola or Muesli

wet granola ingredients

wet granola ingredients

Here it is:

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup of soy milk
½ cup mixed raw nuts (cashew, Brazil, almonds)
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup raisins
1 Braeburn or Granny Smith apple, peeled and grated
1 tbsp grated coconut
Sprinkle of cinnamon or more to taste
Pinch salt

How to:
Place nuts in a zip lock bag and roll an empty bottle over it to crush the nuts a bit. Transfer to a stainless steel container. Add the rest of the ingredients to the container. Give it a good stir. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Eat within two days. Add soy milk for serving.

wet granola served at sunrise

wet granola served at sunrise

*muesli means mixture in German

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homemade cashew and Brazil nut butter

by Heguiberto on July 5, 2009

cashew and Brazil nuts ready to blend

cashew and Brazil nuts ready to blend

I get tired of regular peanut butter sometimes. Fortunately, Trader Joe’s sells many different types of nut butters other than peanut. Their variety is so large that you can go weeks without repeating the same butter: almond, cashew, macadamia, soy, sunflower seed, peanut and then back to the first. One difficulty with TJ’s is that sometimes they will just stop carrying certain items. It’s sad because once you get hooked on something in particular it’s difficult to find a replacement for it. This recently happened with their cashew butter.

It was always tasty and they offered it at a reasonable price. I used it on baked goods, on carrot and celery sticks; and as a thickening agent for soups instead of using dairy. It lends soup a creamy, silky texture that’s very good. But mostly I use cashew butter at breakfast time to spread on bread. For health reasons, I have not used “real butter” in a long time. Unfortunately, it’s been weeks since I’ve last seen TJ’s cashew butter on the shelves at my local market. I have found something similar at other places but the steep hike in price puts me off trying it. So as an alternative, I decided to make my own. It turned out delicious! I could just sit and eat it directly from the container with a spoon all day.

Homemade Cashew and Brazil Nut Butter

8 oz raw cashew nuts
½ dozen raw Brazil nuts
5 tbsp Walnut oil
1 tbsp agave and maple syrup blend
pinch salt

Place all ingredients in a food processor.  Process until smooth.  For a runnier texture you’ll need to add more oil. This recipe will give you enough nut butter for about a week of breakfasts for two.

Why is cashew Brazil nut butter better than dairy butter or margarine?

There’s no cholesterol in the nut butter and it has healthy fats. Walnut oil contains high levels of omega 3, 6 and 9 oils. Brazil nuts are packed with protein, vitamin E, contain selenium (a powerful antioxidant) and are believed to aid on cancer prevention. Cashews also come packed with protein and high levels of copper, which is also a great antioxidant.

cashew Brazil nut butter ready to eat

cashew Brazil nut butter ready to eat

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banana bread with brazil nuts, cashews and pepitas

by Heguiberto on July 3, 2009

ultra ripe Chiquita bananas, ready for mashing!

ultra ripe Chiquita bananas, ready for mashing!

Steven liked my banana picture displayed here in this post. He says it reminds him of Andy Warhol’s famous banana painting that’s featured on the album cover by Velvet Underground. I like Warhol’s pop art in general including the aforementioned banana. I haven’t been to the Warhol museum in Pittsburgh yet, which I’ve heard is beautiful. It’s on my “to do list” though. I have seen a few of his pieces at the New York MOMA and at the Tate Modern in London. We’re a little deprived here on the West Coast. LOL ;) Anyway Steven, I’m flattered by your comment as I like Warhol and the Velvet Underground.

I took a picture of those bananas because I wanted to blog about them later. Aside from admiring bananas in paintings, on album covers and while shopping at Banana Republic, generally I’m not a big fan of this very popular fruit. Maybe I have mixed feelings about them here in America? They’re much more interesting and tasty in Brazil, my country of origin. There they’re not advertised with brand names like you find in the U.S. There’s no Chiquita, Dole, Bonita or Del Monte labels stuck all over them “down South;” and Carmen Miranda never promoted them at home.

finished banana nut bread

finished banana nut bread

Another exciting difference is that in Brazil bananas come in numerous varieties! Along with that come different flavors, different sizes and shapes as well as different colors from the typical banana yellow color that folks recognize here. For instance you can get bananas that taste like apples, bananas with intense sweet and sour flavors and so on… but here a Dole banana is fairly similar to one from Bonita. Blame it on standardization, lobbyists and cartels that control production, transportation, price and markets. Some people even accuse big internationals like Dole and Bonita for slowing the development of Central America too keep banana prices down. That could be just an exaggeration. Well, let’s not get too political now.

Back to my over ripened banana… I cannot sing like the Velvet Underground or silk screen like Warhol; but I know what I’m doing in the kitchen. The ultra ripe bananas turned into a delicious cake. (In America you call them “quick breads” though I don’t get it at all. Some things just don’t translate well.) I think that this is a form of art too, edible art! You can eat it for breakfast or as a warm dessert, served with a dollop of vanilla or coconut ice cream.

Banana Bread with Brazil Nuts, Cashews and Pepitas


pepitas, cashews and Brazil nuts

pepitas, cashews and Brazil nuts

1 1/2 cups flour
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
6 tbsp canola oil plus extra to grease baking dish
2/3 cup sugar
2 egg whites
1 egg yolk
2 large ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup mix of raw cashew nuts, brazil nuts and pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

How to:

Preheat oven to 350F

Place nuts in a plastic bag and roughly break them with a rolling pin or similar.

Grease a glass dish (about 8 inch diameter) with canola oil

Combine flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder in large bowl

Beat egg whites, egg yolk, sugar and canola oil for a few minutes in a separate bowl

Whisk together wet and dry ingredients for a minute or two. The consistency will be thick, like cookie dough. Fold in mashed bananas. Mix nuts in the dough using a spatula. Transfer to baking dish and bake for 35-40 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a tooth pick in the center. When it comes out clear your cake is ready, otherwise bake a little longer.

fresh from the oven banana nut bread with melting butter. Yum!

fresh from the oven banana nut bread with melting butter. Yum!

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