Om roasted almond & banana soft serve – by Emma Stirling APD

Now you know we love our nuts at Scoop Nutrition. But when Australian Almonds told me they wanted to be a Scoop Supporter, we did a double big woot woot. You see, I’ve been testing a new recipe that is an absolutely blissful fit. It’s inspired by my new #scoopvintage, the New York Times Natural Foods Cookbook c1971. And you are just going to absolutely love what I discovered inside.

But first let me chat to you about one of my favourite topics, farm to fork important facts.  Did you know? Aussie almond farmers are the quiet achievers with almonds being the highest value Australian horticultural export crop. In fact, we produce the second largest almond crop in the world. Almonds are a tree nut harvested in March, but it’s the stunning, fragrant white blossom that attracts the crowds (and honey bees) to orchards every August.  You can see locations of our very special Australian almond orchards on this map.  If you ever get to meet an Aussie almond farmer, I hope you say a super huge thank you.

Everything old, will be reinvented again

So back to my Scoop Vintage find.  So many smiles from this book. Every second recipe has a “teaspoon of kelp” and descriptive names like “Green Revolution Breakfast”.  But surprise, surprise there are protein bliss balls and freekeh salad that just happen to be hot in 2014 too.  As I’ve discovered in my 20+ year  career everything old in nutrition, will be new again.

So because we love the serenity we get from packing a super nutritious and satisfying almond snack, topping our quinoa porridge with almonds and raspberries  and tucking into an apricot, almond and pomegranate pilaf, this recipe title starts with an “om”.  It’s in honour of the macrobiotic pioneers from the 70’s, who were sprouting and “clean” eating long before Pete Evans discovered how to activate his nuts.

Om Roasted Almond & Banana Soft Serve

We lightly roasted our almonds for around 20min in the oven at 180 degrees celsius to release their natural oils and flavours.  And then sprinkled them in sea salt for a lovely contrast to the drizzle of sweet Grampian’s Honey. (Obviously for a daily snack we don’t get so salty with it). Then layered it all through our Yonanas maker for smooth, creamy soft serve every time, but you can use a powerful blender too. And topped it off with more toasted almonds, lightly crushed in the mortar and pestle and a little more honey.

It really is as easy as child’s play and makes a perfect after school snack for kids, who no longer get a dose of nutritious nuts or nut butters in school.  Respecting school nut policies is important, but it’s just as important to serve up nuts to your (non-allergenic) kids at home.  We don’t want the next generation to miss out on growing up with a taste for this highly nutritious food.

This soft serve is also an excellent source of nutritious carbs and protein, for a post workout recovery snack. But I’ve also served it up dinner party style with many….ohs….ahs…oms…and noms too.  Jump over to www.amazingalmonds.com.au for more info, recipes and to order your very own, super cute snack tin.

UPDATE: Australian Almonds have added in a fabulous giveaway hamper to the value of $100 with almonds (of course) and a bottle of Sunraysia wine!  For your chance to win tell us in 40 words or less how you enjoy almonds? You can also enter on instagram using the hashtags #ausalmonds #scoopnutrition.  Entries open to Australian residents until 5pm Monday 22 September, 2014.   Full terms and conditions here.

Australian Almonds is a Scoop Supporter in September thanks to Nuffnang.  Scoop supporters are companies that think, eat and drink just like us. Their support enables us to grow and continue to bring you more.  We will always be transparent with these relationships as outlined in our fine-print.  Proceeds from our supporters are used exclusively for site upgrades and to fund our mentoring program – Scoop Subs.