4 almond and walnut recipes that will help you stay healthy

Chefs Vicky Ratnani and Sabyasachi Gorai suggest quick and easy recipes that let you make the best use of almonds and walnuts.

Almonds and walnuts are good for heath, and can help in maintaining sugar levels and lowering risk of heart failure. They also make for excellent snack options. Celebrity chef Vicky Ratnani suggests some recipes that use almonds, and celebrity chef Sabyasachi Gorai suggests walnut recipes:

* Makhnee Masala Almonds

Serves 3

Ingredients:

60g almonds
Salt to taste
5ml olive oil
1 ½ tsp Makhnee gravy masala (dry)

Method:

Toss the almonds with spices and olive oil, and sea salt. Toast it in a pan or for 7 minutes in a moderate heat oven.

* Rasam Spiked Almonds

Ingredients:

60g Almonds
1tsp sea salt
5ml olive oil
1tbsp coriander seeds
2 dry red chilies
1 tbsp Toor (arhar) dal
1tbsp Bengal gram(channa dal)
1tbsp black peppercorns
1 tbsp cumin seeds (jeera)

Method:

Toast the almonds with sea salt and olive oil. Set aside. In the same pan, dry roast the red chilli, channa dal and toor dal on a medium flame until the dals are golden in colour. Transfer to a plate to cool. Roast the coriander seeds and pepper until fragrant. Add the jeera at the end, and roast it till it starts popping. Let the ingredients cool. Powder them in a mixer and it to the almonds. Store it in an airtight container.

Walnuts and mangoes make for a good combination. (Shutterstock)
* Tropical mango, walnut and turmeric smoothie bowl

Ingredients:

Flesh from half a mango (reserving a few slices to garnish)
1 small piece of fresh turmeric
Half a banana
200 ml coconut milk
Squeeze of lime juice (plus a little zest to garnish)
8 walnut halves
A handful of raspberries and blueberries
1 passion fruit
1 tbsp of coconut flakes

Method: Place the mango, turmeric, banana and coconut milk into a blender and blitz until smooth. Add lime juice to taste and blend until combined. Pour the smoothie into a bowl and garnish with the reserved mango, berries, walnuts, passion fruit, lime zest and coconut flakes.

* Walnut Mango Bowl

Ingredients:

300 g of the flesh of a mango
800 g of natural, sugar-free yogurt
40 ml of milk
4 ice cubes
1/4 teaspoon of cardamom
60g walnuts

Method: Grind the mango with half of the walnuts, yogurt, milk, ice cubes and ground cardamom. If the mixture is too thick, add water or milk until the desired consistency is achieved. Pour mango lassi into four bowls and decorate with the rest of the walnuts — some of them grated, grated cocoa, sheets of mango and ground cardamom.