Celebrate A Happy Heart This World Heart Day With These Deliciously Healthy Recipes By California Walnuts

A healthy heart is a happy heart, wouldn’t you agree? After all, it’s only when one is absolutely healthy that one is able to enjoy the finer things in life and truly be happy and at ease. This World Heart Day, let us all take a moment to appreciate and fully understand the importance of heart health and what we can each do to keep our hearts healthy.

Apart from exercising and going in for regular heart check-ups, what you can also do is whip up a few dishes made with ingredients that support heart health and are also tasty. This is where walnuts steps in. Walnuts are the only tree nut with an excellent source of the plant-based omega-3 ALA (2.5g/28g), an essential fatty acid that may play a role in heart health. They also provide you with protein (4g/28g) and have fiber (2g/28g), an important nutrient for heart health.

Eating walnuts as part of a healthy diet may decrease your risk of heart disease, the leading cause of death globally. They help maintain healthy cholesterol levels and decrease blood pressure, two of the major risk factors for heart disease. So, including a handful of walnuts in your diet, seems like an excellent idea. To help you out, we’ve put together a quick list of interesting recipes by Chef Sabyasachi Gorai that you can create using California walnuts to support and encourage the concept of heart health this World Heart Day.

Walnut-Coated Fillets with Corn Salsa

Ingredients

  • Vegetable oil spray
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless fish fillets, cut into 4 pieces
  • 250g no-salt-added whole-kernel corn
  • 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
  • 1/4 cup chopped red onion
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
  • 2 tablespoons fat-free, cholesterol-free mayonnaise
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/3 cup chopped California walnuts, dry-roasted

Preparations

    1. Preheat oven to 230 degrees C. Spray a shallow glass baking dish with vegetable oil.
    2. Rinse fillets and pat dry. Set aside.
    3. In a medium bowl, stir together corn, green pepper, red onion, lime juice, garlic, red pepper, and, if desired, salt. Stir in cilantro. Set aside.
    4. Place fillets in prepared dish, tucking under any thin edges. Lightly brush the top of each fillet with mayonnaise. Season with black pepper. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts.
    5. Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve with corn mixture.

Walnut Pear Yam Skillet

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 3 1/2 cups (3/4-inch cubes) peeled yam
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 3/4 cup California walnuts, coarsely chopped and toasted
  • 1 large firm but ripe red Anjou pear
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Preparations

  1. Heat oil in a very large nonstick skillet set over medium heat. Add yam and onion and cook for 15 minutes to lightly brown, stirring occasionally. Add water, basil and salt; cover and cook over low heat for 10 minutes more or until onion is very soft.
  2. Remove cover and stir in walnuts and pear; cook for 5 minutes more or until pear is heated through and soft. Stir in vinegar and season with pepper.
  3. Garnish with fresh basil, if desired.

Banana Bread Overnight Oats

Ingredients

  • 3 ripe bananas, sliced
  • 2 cups old-fashioned oats
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3/4 cup chopped walnuts, divided
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 3 cups skim milk

Preparations

  1. In a large container with a lid, add sliced bananas. Use a potato masher or a fork to mash the bananas until smooth.
  2. Add oats, cinnamon, salt, vanilla, half of the chopped walnuts, maple syrup and milk to the bananas. Combine thoroughly and refrigerate overnight.
  3. To serve, divide the oats into four serving dishes, such as mason jars or glass containers with lids. Top each serving with remaining chopped walnuts before serving. The overnight oats will last up to 5 days in the fridge, though the oats will soften more the longer they sit.