Celine Steen - Vegans Go Nuts Celebrate Protein-Packed Nuts and Seeds with More than 100 Delicious Plant-Based Recipes

Whats the difference between a nut and a seed anyway? Technically, true nuts are fruits, but it gets a little tricky. All true nuts are also seeds, but not all seeds are nuts. And not all seeds come from fruits; some come from vegetables and others from flowers. Let us explain.

Botanically speaking, a true nut is a hard-shelled pod that contains both the fruit and seed of the plant. In this case, the fruit does not open to release the seed. Examples of true nuts include chestnuts, hazelnuts, and acorns.

A seed, on the other hand, is simply the embryonic plant surrounded by a food source and encased in a shell. Some seeds, such as sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds, need the shell removed from the seed before eating. Others, such as poppy or sesame, do not require shell removal prior to consumption.

To add to the confusion, there is also a type of fruit known as a stone fruit or drupe. Drupes are composed of a fleshy exterior surrounding a shell that, in turn, contains a seed. Some common drupes are peaches, plums, olives, and cherries. Deep inside these fruits are seeds that we refer to as the pit. While we often throw away the pits, other drupes, such as walnuts, almonds, and pecans, are more valued for their tasty seeds than the fruit that surrounds it. Theyre therefore mistakenly referred to as nuts, when really they are seeds.

To avoid all of this confusion, the term culinary nuts refers to all nuts and seeds that are used for cooking or eating. For further clarification, we added the type (nut, seed, or drupe) next to the description of each in the list that follows.

As a general rule, culinary nuts are great sources of protein, fiber, vitamin E, B-complex vitamins, heart-healthy fats, and essential minerals such as copper and manganese. You need fat as part of your diet, and eating nuts helps ensure that your fat intake comes from healthy unsaturated fat rather than the harmful saturated fats found in meats, dairy, and other animal products.

Most nuts and seeds are pretty common and widely available. If your local grocer has a good bulk section, you will be served well. Its also easy to find online resources for quality bulk nuts and seeds. And, while youve most likely heard of and used most of whats on the list to follow, we did include a few exotic varieties and thought we would share a little bit about each type of nut and seed we will be using in the book.

You need fat as part of your diet, and eating nuts helps ensure that your fat intake comes from healthy unsaturated fat rather than the harmful saturated fats found in meats, dairy, and other animal products.

Almonds: drupe. A real favorite among vegans and snackers around the world, almonds provide heart-healthy protein, B vitamins, calcium, potassium, iron, fiber, mono- and polyunsaturated fats. Almonds are used in both sweet and savory dishes from almond milk to almond butter, marzipan, and vegan cheese. You can find them roasted, salted, smoked, sliced, slivered, blanched, pressed into oil, or ground into flour. Theres not a whole lot this nut cant do! We use raw, whole almonds the most. We also use blanched slivered or sliced almonds in this book, and smoked almonds are a favorite for snacking. In the United States most almonds are pasteurized to help prevent salmonella contamination. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) permits companies to label these almonds as raw provided that their composition does not fundamentally change when they are pasteurized.