Category: Snacks

Recipes, Snacks

How to Make Tiger Nut Resistant Starch Balls

wholehomeliving365

As an Amazon Associate, we may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. We promise to only recommend products we use and love.

These little tiger nut balls provide everything you need in a protein ball: healthy fats, lean protein, and a delightful flavor that keeps you coming back for more. But before we dive into the recipe, let’s first talk about the elephant in the room: tiger nuts and resistant starch. If you’ve never had a tiger nut flour or you’re new to the idea of resistant starch, then read on!

Let’s dive in!

The Health Benefits of Tiger Nuts

Despite its name, tiger nuts are not nuts. Tiger nuts are actually tubers! Also known as chufa, yellow nutsedge, or earth almonds, these tubers originate from Egypt and are about the size of a chickpea. Ancient Egyptians used them for both culinary and medicinal purposes.

Tiger nuts are:

When these tubers are ground into flour, it’s super easy to add to recipes.

What Is Resistant Starch?

Tiger nut flour is good source of resistant starch, but what does that mean? Resistant starch is a carbohydrate that resists digestion (hence the name) in your small intestine and ferments in your large intestine. It’s also a prebiotic. Prebiotics are essentially food for the “good” bacteria in your gut. Supporting your gut health is essential for your overall wellness, which makes resistant starch a good addition to your diet.

Choose Organic Ingredients

A resistant starch ball is only as good as the ingredients that make up the balls. Always use the best quality ingredients you can afford. My recommendations:

Tiger Nut Resistant Starch Balls

A tiny ball that delivers a salty and sweet punch!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Course Dessert, Snack

Equipment

  • 1 Blender or Food processor (I used the Twister Jar with my Blendtec)

Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup Tigernut flour
  • ½ cup Organic unsweetened coconut flakes
  • ¼ cup Coconut oil Organic and cold-pressed
  • ¼ cup Collagen peptides
  • 8 Medjool dates Organic and pitted
  • ¼ tsp Cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp Icelandic flake salt

Instructions
 

  • Place all ingredients into your food processor or blender.
  • Pulse until the mixture forms a smooth dough. (This will firm up as the coconut oil and the dates continue to blend.)
  • Shape the dough into balls.
  • Enjoy!
  • Store any leftovers in a glass jar in the fridge for up to one week.

Notes

No kitchen gnomes were harmed in the making of this recipe. 
Keyword healthy snack, protein ball, resistant starch balls

Did You Make These Balls?

Let us know!

Recipes, Snacks

How Make Homemade Nut Butter

wholehomeliving365

As an Amazon Associate, we may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. We promise to only recommend products we use and love.

I am a creature of habit, and lately, my new habit has been to eat a Honeycrisp apple with nut butter for dessert. I’m at the point where I crave my apple and nut butter each night! I change it up: almond butter, walnut butter (a rich and creamy delight!), and good ol’ peanut butter.

Unfortunately, finding an organic peanut butter (that doesn’t break the bank) isn’t so easy. Conventional peanut butter is loaded with sugar [read 11 Reasons Why Sugar Is Bad for You] and palm oil (which can lead to deforestation). While organic options exist, they can be quite pricey… which isn’t good when your family goes through nut butter so quickly!

Our solution: make your own nut butter!

I will admit that our first few attempts at homemade nut butter were less than desirable, but I wasn’t using the right tools. I was using my beloved Blendtec, but I had to scrape the sides every 20 seconds! It worked… it was just a lot of extra pausing, stirring, etc.

Enter: the Blendtec Twister Jar.

The Twister Jar is designed to blend your thickest recipes, such as nut butters, hummus, baby food, dips, thick shakes, and even salad dressings without having to stop and scrape the sides of the jar multiple times. It’s also super-fast. You can make walnut butter, peanut butter, or almond butter in less than 60 seconds.

5 Reasons to Make Your Own Nut Butter

There are many reasons to say sayonara to storebought nut butter and say hello to creamy, fresh nut butter.

  1. You’re 100% in control of the ingredients. You can choose to purchase 100% organic nuts, and you can choose to add (or not) any oil or salt. I often omit the salt and go for fully raw 1-ingredient nut butters. But you can do whatever you want! That’s the beauty of making your own nut butter.
  2. You can make this nut-free to accommodate for any allergies in your house. Swap out any nuts for sunflower seeds.
  3. Homemade nut butter is exponentially cheaper in the long run.
  4. It’s always fresh. Again, that’s the beauty of small batches!
  5. It’s rich in protein and healthy fats.

Homemade Peanut Butter

The creamiest peanut butter is just 20 second away!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Course Sauces and Dips

Equipment

  • Blendtec Blender
  • Blendtec Blender Jar

Ingredients
  

  • 1.5 cups 100% organic, roasted, unsalted peanuts (can substitute roasted or raw almonds/walnuts)
  • ½ tsp kosher salt (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Add peanuts and optional salt to Twister Jar. 
  • Turn lid counterclockwise while blending.
  • Stop after about 30 seconds.
  • Store in a glass jar in the fridge.

Notes

I don’t always add the salt, but that’s up to you. 
You can also drizzle honey into the peanut butter if you like honey roasted peanut butter.
To swap out any other nut, simply replace the nuts in a 1:1 ratio. I have been enjoying homemade walnut butter lately since those are loaded with healthy fats and omega 3 fatty acids.
We love WeGoNuts. You can find the walnuts here.
Keyword nut butter, peanut butter

Do You Make Your Own Nut Butter?

Share below if you make your own nut butter! What’s your favorite recipe or add-ins?

baked pretzel rods
Recipes, Snacks

Homemade Crispy Pretzel Sticks

wholehomeliving365

As an Amazon Associate, we may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. We promise to only recommend products we use and love.

There’s nothing quite as satisfying as a homemade crispy pretzel stick dunked into hummus or mustard. These are oh-so-delicious!

baked pretzel rods

Homemade Crispy Pretzel Rods

Pretzels are a go-to snack, but nothing beats these homemade pretzels with French mustard!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Resting/Proofing 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 20 minutes
Course Snack
Cuisine French, German
Servings 72 pretzel sticks

Equipment

  • 1 Kitchen scale
  • 1 KitchenAid Stand Mixer
  • 1 Baking Trays

Ingredients
  

  • 3.5 cups warm water (~ 100 degrees F)
  • 2 tbsp 100% organic cane sugar
  • 4 tsp kosher salt
  • 4.5 tsp active dry yeast
  • 44 ounces 100% organic, unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 2 whole egg yolks (beaten with 2 tablespoons of filtered water)
  • Coconut oil (or avocado oil) for pan
  • Coarse salt (for topping the pretzels)
  • Optional toppings (poppy seeds, Everything Bagel Seasoning, dried herbs, etc.)

Optional Dips

  • Hummus
  • French Maille Mustard (Old Style) (See notes at bottom for where to locate this mustard)
  • Homemade cheese sauce

Instructions
 

Prepare the Dough

  • Combine the warm water, sugar, and kosher salt (don't use your coarse salt yet… that's for toppings!) in the bowl of a stand mixer. Gently sprinkle the yeast on top of the water/sugar/salt mixture. Allow it to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam.
  • Add the all-purpose flour to the wet mixture. Using the dough hook attachment on your stand mixer, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. (Tip: If you don't have a stand mixer, you can do this step by hand.)

Proof It!

  • Remove the pretzel dough from the bowl, clean the bowl, and then oil it well with coconut or avocado oil. (We used avocado on this batch.) Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

Prep for Baking

  • Preheat your oven to 350° Farenheit.
  • Line 4 half sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the avocado oil. Set aside.
  • Place enough water into a large roasting pan to come ⅓ of the way up the sides of the pan and bring to a boil over high heat.

Shape the Pretzels

  • In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 1-ounce portions, approximately 72 pieces. Use your kitchen scale for accuracy.
  • Roll out each piece of dough into a 15-inch long stick and place on you sheet pans, about ¼-inch apart. Once you've shaped them, cover your shaped pretzel pieces with a slightly damp tea towel to help prevent drying out.

Boil

  • Gently place 8 pretzels at a time into the water for 30 seconds. (You can do fewer at a time if you need to.)
  • Tip: We used our ironing board as a "station" for the boiling step.
  • Remove the pretzels back to the sheet pan, brush with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Optionally, you can add other seasoning, such as dried rosemary or Everything Bagel seasoning.

Bake

  • Bake until golden brown in color and hard, approximately 55 to 60 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 20 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

  • Eat fresh. You can eat them plain or dunk them in French mustard or homemade cheese sauce. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Notes

If you don’t want to make so many pretzels at once, you can halve this recipe… but we like to make use of our time, so we often make big batches since most of our snacks are homemade. 
Maille Mustard (Old Style) is the perfect pairing for this pretzel rods. For the French mustard, you can purchase it here. 
Other equipment referenced in the recipe:
We independently research, test, review, and recommend the best products. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a small commission at no cost to you. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Keyword healthy snack, homemade, mustard, Pretzel