Healthy Walnut Recipes

This creamy roasted cauliflower dip has the texture of hummus but swaps chickpeas for roasted cauliflower and walnuts for tahini. A head of roasted garlic--which is cooked at the same time as the cauliflower--gives it great flavor.

Fake out your meat-loving family and friends with this fast plant-based taco dinner recipe. Ground toasted nuts and chopped sautéed celeriac yield a texture similar to ground beef, then classic taco seasoning does the rest. If you want a little heat, sprinkle these healthy vegetarian tacos with some minced jalapeño.

Give your oatmeal an energy kick with this coffee-drink-flavored overnight oats recipe. Chocolate, walnuts, maple and cacao nibs make give this healthy breakfast luxurious flavor.

Basil is the backbone of this vibrant no-cook basil-walnut pesto sauce. Toss in some leftover roast chicken or pork with these zucchini noodles for a heartier meal.

Vary this quick-to-assemble vegetarian appetizer recipe with the season. Try sliced nectarines in place of the strawberries in the summer and halved grapes in the fall. Chopped pecans, pistachios and macadamia nuts are all delicious in place of the walnuts as well.

Tender-crisp green beans tossed with creamy blue cheese and topped with toasted walnuts pair well with grilled steak or chicken.

Orange segments, toasted walnuts and tangy goat cheese brighten up this simple salad. Try this salad for a take-along lunch. To keep the salad greens from getting soggy, pack the greens, salad toppings and dressing in separate containers and toss them together just before eating.

Wheat berries have amazing texture—they practically pop in your mouth like caviar—and each 1/2-cup serving of cooked wheat berries has more than 4 grams of fiber. Since they take up to an hour to get tender, make them in a large batch and freeze whatever you don't use right away in individual servings. (You can do the same thing with any whole grain!) That way, you can easily stir them into soup, season them with citrus and herbs for a pilaf or make them the base of a satisfying grain salad.

The light and refreshing vinaigrette in this side salad offsets the tangy funk of Gorgonzola and sweetness from the raisins and pears. Even better, this salad celebrates fall and has beautiful colors. Feel free to get creative with this salad: Add chicken to make it meal-worthy, choose a different nut or swap Bosc pears for your favorite variety. Be sure to wait to dress this salad until ready to serve or the greens will wilt.

Circassian cooking is from the North Caucasus, which was at different times part of the Ottoman and Persian empires. This chicken stew recipe is made with a creamy walnut sauce and was originally served as a main dish, but became a mezze somewhere along the way. Serve at room temp along with some bread for dipping.

In this riff on Asian dan dan noodles, spinach and red bell peppers are tossed with a sesame-chile-soy sauce and topped with walnuts. If you want to bump up the protein, add tofu, seitan or even chopped egg.

These moist and delicious cupcakes take on a hint of the tropics thanks to pineapple and coconut. Traditional cream cheese frosting is usually made with regular cream cheese and butter. This version is lightened up by substituting a combination of reduced-fat cream cheese and low-fat Greek yogurt.

Chopped cucumbers and walnuts add a welcome crunch to this tasty sandwich.

Chocolate, nuts, and caramel are certainly hard to resist so it's easy to see why turtle brownies are always a favorite. This recipe has black beans in the batter for added fiber. We won't tell if you won't--and we promise nobody will ever know!

In this kale salad recipe, we massage dressing into the kale leaves until they're tender and coated with flavor. Topped with bold Mediterranean flavors--olives, walnuts and preserved lemons--this healthy salad is as delicious as it is nutritious. Look for preserved lemons at specialty-foods shops or online at surlatable.com. Or, to make your own, see the recipe on eatingwell.com.

Traditional grape salad recipes are loaded with sugar and fat, but we made this creamy grape dessert salad recipe healthier by using reduced-fat cream cheese instead of full-fat cream cheese and using half the sugar called for in classic recipes. Bring this healthy grape salad recipe to a potluck and watch it disappear in moments.

This crunchy Italian cookie recipe isn't traditionally very sweet, so just a touch of honey adds flavor along with mild sweetness. Dipping them in chocolate makes them extra special.

A savory blend of walnuts and mushrooms stands in for meat in these tasty vegan Tex-Mex tacos. Creamy avocado sauce and crunchy cabbage provide just the right combination of flavors and textures. These tacos get a nice kick from chili powder, but feel free to reduce the amount if you prefer a less spicy taco. Add a side of beans to round out the meal. The filling and avocado cream would also be great in a rice bowl, on nachos or in a burrito.

Take a break from traditional lasagna and try this fun lasagna roll-up recipe. Instead of traditional layering with tomato sauce in a baking dish, each noodle is filled with a scrumptious winter squash and spinach sauce and rolled up into individual servings. You'll love the unexpected taste of toasted walnuts in each bite!

Remaking this classic high-calorie, high-fat pasta sauce was a great success. By adding fresh breadcrumbs to the pesto, we were able to use much less oil. The pesto still coats the pasta nicely and its herbal flavor remains intense and vibrant. Parsley is more than just a garnish--it's a rich source of carotenoids and vitamin C.

This broiled broccolini recipe is the answer when you're looking for a quick vegetable side dish. Broccolini is a bit sweeter and more tender than broccoli, and tastes delicious when broiled quickly and topped with chopped walnuts.

This healthy muffin recipe contains flaxseeds and canola oil, which are both high in heart-healthy, omega-3 fatty acids.

This banana quick bread is full of chocolate chips and toasted heart-healthy walnuts so you get a taste of nuts and chocolate in each bite. This version reduces the fat substantially and uses nonfat buttermilk to make the results extremely moist and tender.

A handful of walnuts and a potassium-rich banana go a long way as a snack. It's the perfect mix of carbohydrates and heart-healthy fats to keep you energized.