A few inspirational recipes to help you stay creative in the kitchen

Buying nuts in bulk can be extremely convenient. Being able to grab a handful on your way out the door or keeping a stash in your gym bag allows you to snack on healthy food every day without having to plan weeks ahead.

Storing a big bag of nuts in the pantry allows you to quickly create tasty meals that will impress all your food critic friends. Pecan nuts especially have a unique taste that can be used in everything from salads to desserts, which makes it very handy as a staple in your home. But even the tastiest nuts, like pecans, can taste bland after a while and sometimes we get tired of eating the same thing over and over. If you have a lot of leftover pecans and you're not sure what to do with it, here are a few inspirational recipes to help you stay creative in the kitchen.

Pecan Snack Bars

Nuts are healthy snack foods, but the taste can become repetitive in its raw form. Try making some easy no-bake food bars from raw nuts like these No-Bake Paleo Chocolate Pecan Bars from Beaming Baker. These bars use only five ingredients and are perfect for restrictive diets as it is vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free and only uses natural sugar from dates. Make these in bulk and keep them in the fridge for a super convenient, healthy and delicious treat.

Banana and Pecan Muffins

Muffins are popular breakfast foods for a good reason – they store well, they travel well, and they taste really good (when you have a good recipe). You can make these easy Banana and Pecan Muffins from Woolworths with ingredients that you have at home for an energy filled breakfast on the run. The pecans and banana create a powerful combination that's loaded with healthy carbs, healthy fats and nutrients – perfect for a pre or post-workout snack.

Garden Salad with a Pecan Twist

Pecan nuts are versatile as they go well with a variety of tastes. If you are tired of your same old garden salad, try making this Garden Salad with Candied Pecans from Robertsons next time. You can still use all your favourite salad ingredients – just add the candied pecans for a new twist. You can experiment with different spice combinations depending on your accompanying dishes. Try variations of cinnamon, cumin and nutmeg and let us know if you think you've found the perfect combination.

Pecan nut pie (the perfect leftover pecan nuts recipe)

Pecan nut pie can be a hit or a miss so it's important to get a recipe that hits your sweet spot. Justin Bonello created this easy pecan nut pie recipe for his book Cooked in the Karoo which you can now try at home. Not only has he made it easy to follow, but it's local as well! Try this recipe with coffee and cream on a Sunday for an indulgent end to your week.

Low Carb Pecan Brownies

For those of you that are avoiding carbs bit still love your pecan nuts fix, try this Low Carb Pecan Nut Brownies recipe from Food24. This recipe uses almond flour and coconut flour in combination with pecan nuts so you can enjoy the delicious rich taste of nuts and chocolate without feeling the guilt of unwanted carbs. Even if you don't mind carbs – this recipe is healthy enough to be a snack on its own. If you love having homemade snacks in the fridge during the week, make a batch of these and rotate with Pecan Snack Bars the following week. Switching the recipes will ensure that you don't get tired of eating the same thing over and over.

There are so many different recipes that you can try with one single bag of nuts; it's just about finding some inspiration. Hopefully, these recipes have given you a few new ideas of how to integrate nuts into your daily diet. For more inspiration and ideas – keep following our blog as we keep exploring new ways to use nuts!

Links

http://beamingbaker.com/no-bake-paleo-chocolate-pecan-bars-vegan-paleo-gluten-free-dairy-free/
http://www.woolworths.co.za/store/recipe/_/A-cmp100727
https://www.robertsons.co.za/recipes/garden-salad-with-candied-pecans
https://www.yuppiechef.com/spatula/justin-bonello-pecan-pie/
http://www.food24.com/Recipes-and-Menus/Baking/low-carb-pecan-nut-brownies-20160726