Healthy Walnut Recipes

These easy muffins are full of antioxidant-packed raspberries and strawberries. Walnuts provide a welcome crunch and are a great source of monounsaturated fat, which research shows lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol.

This oatmeal recipe is great when you have guests and want to serve them a special breakfast. Everything cooks in the slow-cooker overnight--all you need to do in the morning is throw together the roasted apple and walnut topping, and serve!

This simple snack with protein and healthy fat will get you through the afternoon slump.

Homemade raspberry dressing? You bet. Prep it a day ahead and this easy salmon salad will come together in no time.

Roasted garlic adds rich flavor to the dressing, and red bell pepper adds color in this healthy bean salad recipe. Serve at your next potluck or as a savory side to grilled chicken, steak or salmon.

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.

You may not typically serve your cucumbers bruised, but intentionally smashing them releases their flavorful juices. Taking the time to soak the walnuts for this dish gives them a special soft texture and plumpness. Serve this vegetable dish with pita as part of a mezze platter or as a side salad.

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.

Blueberries add just the right touch of sweetness to round out this nutritious nut and cheese snack. Bonus: It's all super easy to pack for on-the-go snacking.

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.

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.

Diced sweet potato, bell peppers and apples make a vegan stuffing inspired by the flavors of sausage. To add that savory flavor, we use poultry seasoning (don't worry, there's no actual poultry in it!). Piled into portobello mushroom caps, it creates a beautiful and filling plant-based main dish--perfect for the holidays.

This carrot cake recipe features cream cheese frosting with a twist. The addition of miso balances the sweetness of the frosting while adding a punch of umami flavor.

In this riff on Sichuan 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.

Packed with protein, these power bars are a tasty treat filled with chocolate chips, toasted oats and peanut butter.

This colorful salad makes a fine prelude to a hearty dinner. Walnut oil's distinctive flavor delivers a rich hit to the dressing.

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.

For this tart a few tablespoons of maple syrup sweeten the blueberry topping and round out the flavor of the cream filling.

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

This simple snack provides the energy you need when you start to drag.

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.

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.

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.

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.