I’ve recently begun Project Clear Out My Cupboards in anticipation of moving out of my apartment in a few months. Three months might sound like it’s a little far in advance to be worrying about using up stuff in my kitchen, but I can assure you that I have really well-stocked cupboards that will take some time to empty. One example: I have at least five bags of rice – some opened, some unopened, all different varieties. The thing is, I don’t even really like rice. I like it in sushi and occasionally in other contexts, but I generally don’t eat much of it. Chipotle burritos? I ask for no rice. All other Mexican restaurants? I just eat the beans. Thai restaurants? I order the dishes with noodles. Chinese restaurants? I skip them entirely. So why did I think it was a good idea to buy a bag of rice on at least five occasions? I wish I could tell you.
Unfortunately, my overstocked kitchen does not end with rice. Some other things I will be using up in the next couple of months: various dried beans, vast quantities of dried peppers, an assortment of grains and pastas, dried fruits, and nuts. After I discovered how easy it is to make nut butter, I thought I would start my kitchen clean out by thinning out my stash o’ nuts. I had some macadamia nuts that I believe I purchased to put in granola, but the granola never happened, and aside from occasional snacking, nothing happened with the macadamias either. I also had a cup or so of roasted almonds that I didn’t include in my last batch of almond butter plus a tiny bag of chopped, roasted almonds that were around from making blood orange caramels. Since I didn’t have enough of either kind of nut to make a substantial amount of either almond or macadamia butter, I just processed them together. For an added kick I sprinkled in enough cinnamon so that you could tell that it was there, but not so much that it was distracting.
Do you have nuts to use up? Make some nut butter! Also, if you have ideas for how to use up wild rice, jasmine rice, long grain brown rice, or brown rice couscous, please send them my way.
Cinnamon Macadamia Almond Butter
(Approximate amounts)
2 cups macadamia nuts
1 cup roasted almonds
1/8 – 1/4 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of sea salt
Nuts!
Combine all of the nuts in the bowl of a food processor. Grind away.
Once everything is pretty well ground, season with cinnamon and salt.
Process until smooth. Add more salt or cinnamon as needed.
Butter.
I’d recommend refrigerating this just to be on the safe side.
I was hungry until I saw your thumbs. Good thing I wear gloves while eating…