Hot Ingredient: Hazelnuts

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Hazelnuts are an excellent cooking ingredient because of their heart-healthy benefits and their delicious and unique nutty taste. While many recipes call for other nuts such as pecans, walnuts and almonds, hazelnuts aren't often something you'll find on your ingredient list, although this seems to be changing with their rising popularity.

         Triple Hazelnut Cheesecake

Hazelnuts are a very tasty addition to many desserts, especially chocolate. If you ever tasted a Ferrero Rocher or even Nutella , then you've experienced the unique flavor combination of a sweet, rich chocolate with salty hazelnuts. The Triple Hazelnut Cheesecake recipe from MyRecipes.com captures this pairing in light-on-the-calories concoction that has received an outstanding taste rating by reviewers. The combination of chopped hazelnuts, Frangelico and Nutella give this dessert a triple-packed punch of hazelnuts to make this recipe a  healthy, sweet treat.

Hazelnuts are also great served in fruit and veggie dishes. Try the Cranberry Hazelnut Coffee Cake as a yummy breakfast dish or Whipped Sweet Potatoes with Hazelnut topping as a side dish with dinner. If you're looking to take a walk on the wild side, try out Hazelnut Hummus with baked pita chips for a healthy snack.

                          Hazelnut Hummus

As a versatile ingredient that can added to a number of dishes, hazelnuts are a great source of protein, vitamins and folate, which has been proven to reduce risks for cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer's and depression. As the most heart-healthy nut, hazelnuts will be a great addition to any dish you make!