New Family Favorites for Summer

Add a flavorful twist with honey and almonds

Summer Veggie Stuffed Portabellas
Steakhouse Cheese and Almond Spread
Mango Date Smoothies

(Family Features) This summer season, make it easier to get your good going with new delicious flavors and recipes. Whether you’re greeting the day with brunch or celebrating an afternoon outside with a tasty barbecue, there’s no better time for enjoying healthy and nutritious food with family and friends. As you work to prepare a spread of your favorite mouthwatering entrees and appetizers, look for new ways to incorporate healthy ingredients that deliver on both flavor and nutrition.

Honey, which is rising in popularity both as a natural sweetener and an ingredient in everyday foods and recipes, is a perfect flavor with indulgent taste. Pairing the sweet nectar of honey with a nutrient-rich nut, such as almonds, creates richly decadent recipes that are as healthy as they are tasty. Plus, products featuring honey’s subtle sweetness make them versatile and appealing whether you are craving something sweet or savory.

With a variety of honey flavored products available, such as Honey Roasted Chipotle Snack Almonds, Hint of Honey Vanilla Almond Breeze(r) Almondmilk and Honey Mustard Nut Thins, Blue Diamond’s new line of honey flavored products are versatile enough for a wide range of dishes.

For additional recipes that capture the sweetness of honey and rich nutty flavors of almond, visit www.bluediamond.com.

Bee-musing Facts about Honey and Almonds

• Honey bees pollinate one-third of the world’s food supply, including almonds.
• Since 1976, Blue Diamond, the world’s largest almond processing and marketing company, has helped fund research in more than 70 projects focused on enhancing the health of honey bees while improving crop production.
• Every spring, more than a million colonies of honey bees are placed in California almond orchards to pollinate the crops.

Summer Veggie Stuffed Portabellas

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons buttery spread or butter
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 2 cups curly green kale, torn in small pieces
• 1/2 cup tomato, chopped
• 1/2 cup bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup zucchini, chopped
• 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 30 Blue Diamond Honey Mustard Nut Thins, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 4-6 small portabella mushrooms (about 4-6 inches wide)
• 1/4 cup Blue Diamond Honey Roasted Chipotle Almonds, chopped

Preparation

1. Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 10 minutes. Add kale, tomato, bell pepper and zucchini; cook and stir for eight to 10 minutes more. Stir in cheese, Blue Diamond Honey Mustard Nut Thins and garlic salt.
2. Remove stems from mushrooms and scrape out dark gills with spoon. Fill with vegetable mixture and sprinkle with chopped Blue Diamond Honey Roasted Chipotle Almonds.
3. Grill over medium heat for about seven minutes or until mushrooms are soft.

Serves
4-6

Notes, Tips & Suggestions
Option: Add diced, grilled chicken and stuff into larger mushrooms to turn this side into a main dish.

Preparation Time:
20 minutes

Cook Time:
25 minutes

Steakhouse Cheese and Almond Spread

Ingredients

• 1 block (8 ounces) 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup Blue Diamond Hint of Honey Almond Breeze
• 1 teaspoon steak seasoning blend
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1/4 cup Blue Diamond Honey Roasted Chipotle Almonds, chopped
• Blue Diamond Honey Mustard Nut Thins
• Fresh cut vegetables

Preparation

1. Puree cream cheese, cheddar cheese, Blue Diamond Hint of Honey Almond Breeze, seasoning and garlic in food processor. Add green onions and pulse until finely chopped.
2. Transfer to small bowl and sprinkle with Blue Diamond Honey Roasted Chipotle Almonds. Serve with Blue Diamond Honey Mustard Nut Thins and vegetables.
3. Spread may be prepared one day ahead and stored tightly covered in refrigerator.

Serves
5

Notes, Tips & Suggestions
Option: Crumble crisp, cooked bacon over top just before serving.

Preparation Time:
10 minutes

Mango Date Smoothies

Ingredients

• 1 cup ripe mango, peeled, pitted and diced
• 3/4 cup Blue Diamond Hint of Honey Vanilla Almond Breeze
• 3/4 cup vanilla frozen Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup Blue Diamond Honey Roasted Vanilla or Honey Roasted Cinnamon Almonds, chopped
• 4 large Medjool dates, pitted
• 1 pinch allspice

Preparation

1. Place all ingredients in blender and process until smooth.

Serves
2

Preparation Time:
5 minutes

SOURCE:
Blue Diamond