10 Ways with Nut Butter

As I write this post, I'm sitting in a little coffee shop in Soho munching on rice crackers topped with nut butter. Not just any nut butter. I combined almond butter, peanut butter, cashew butter, pistachio nut butter, stevia (Sugar-free sweetener), and ground cinnamon for an awesome concoction. It's delicious and I've been using it on toast, crackers, fruit, and mixed into yogurt.

Here are 10 other fun ways to jazz up your nut butter meals n' snacks. Say goodbye to that boring PB&J and wake up your kid's taste buds with these fun protein-packed ideas! (If your children have a nut allergy, swap in some sunflower seed butter).

1. Does your favorite cake or cupcake recipe call for chocolate ganache or frosting? Skip the extra step and frost cakes with chocolate almond butter instead.

2. Whip up a sweet dip with almond butter and cream cheese; use it with fresh-cut fruit and jicama sticks.

3. Swap peanut butter for almond butter as your go-to dip for carrots, celery sticks, and apple slices.

4. How about some chewy, gooey chocolate almond butter balls? Combine chocolate almond butter, honey, cocoa powder, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl; stir in shredded coconut, dates, and sunflower seeds, roll into 1 1/2-inch balls, and coat in sesame seeds.

5. Try using almond butter instead of the usual peanut butter to make homemade chocolate almond butter cups.

6. Add a dollop of honey almond butter to your rice crispy treats; add a spoonful to the marshmallow batter for a creamy and protein-packed treat.

7. Whisk together almond butter, rice vinegar, hot sauce, and gluten-free soy sauce for a sweet dipping sauce to serve with fresh spring rolls.

8. Use almond butter in place of the tahini in traditional hummus recipes. Garnish with a sprinkle of smoked paprika.

9. Try a hearty gluten-free sandwich filled with almond butter, sprouts, and thinly sliced red onion.

10. Add almond butter to butternut squash, pumpkin, or sweet potato soup to kick up the protein content and add a sweet flavor to each spoonful.

Amie Valpone, HHC, AADP is the Editor-in-Chief of www.TheHealthyApple.com. She is a Manhattan-based Personal Chef, Culinary Nutritionist, Professional Recipe Developer, Food Photographer, and Writer specializing in simple gluten-free and dairy-free Clean recipes for the home cook. Amie recently healed herself from six years of chronic pain, exhausting every doctor in the country and Mayo Clinic. She shares her story of how Clean Eating saved her life and inspires you to 'Clean' up your food, too. Amie's work appears on Martha Stewart, Fox News Health, WebMD, The Huffington Post, The Food Network, Clean Eating Magazine, and many others.