Go nuts with these 13 great nut ideas

Nuts are rich in both flavour and nutrients, making them the perfect addition to these 13 recipes.

1. To add another dimension of flavour to a green salad, mix in some toasted nuts such as pecans, walnuts or pine nuts. Toast the nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat until they smell fragrant, shaking the pan often.
2. For hamburgers with a deliciously crunchy crust, sprinkle 125 to 175 millilitres (1/2 to 3/4 cup) chopped, unsalted peanuts on a sheet of wax paper. Press one side of each burger into the chopped nuts and broil, grill or pan-fry the burgers.
3. To give frittatas and omelets interesting crunch, add chopped nuts such as cashews or almonds to the egg mixture.
4. For a pie crust that's amazingly tasty and healthy, use ground nuts and oil in place of shortening or butter. In a food processor, combine 125 millilitres (1/2 cup) toasted slivered almonds, 75 millilitres (1/3 cup) sugar and one millilitres (1/4 teaspoon) salt until finely ground. Add 250 millilitres (one cup) plain dried bread crumbs and pulse until mixed. Drizzle in one beaten egg white and 30 millilitres (two tablespoons) olive oil. Pulse until just combined. Press into a 23 centimetre (nine inch) springform pan or pie plate. Pre-bake the crust on a baking sheet for 10 minutes before adding the filling.
5. To give sauces rich body, add finely ground nuts. For instance, ground walnuts, blue cheese and half-and-half make a fabulous sauce for pasta. Finely ground pine nuts lend flavour and body to pesto sauce. Puréed chestnuts make a rich base for sauces and soups.
6. For a tropical crust on fish fillets, add ground macadamia nuts to the breading. Or coat the fillets in flour, then beaten eggs, then chopped macadamia nuts. Sauté and serve topped with a simple pineapple salsa of cubed pineapple, chopped cilantro, red onion and fresh lime juice.
7. To make stuffing taste better, stir about 250 millilitres (one cup) toasted and chopped pecans into 1.4 to two litres (six to eight cups) of your favourite poultry stuffing.
8. If you overcooked your stir-fry, add crunch with crushed peanuts or cashews.
9. For a new twist on breaded chicken, stir finely ground nuts into the bread-crumb mixture. Pecans, walnuts, almonds, cashews and peanuts all work well.
10. For an effortless muffin topping, sprinkle chopped nuts onto the muffin batter in each muffin cup before baking.
11. To make delicious walnut popcorn, cook popping corn in hot oil in a heavy pot. Meanwhile, finely chop 150 millilitres (2/3 cup) walnut pieces in a food processor until finely ground and oily but not a smooth paste. Toss the popped corn with the ground walnuts, two millilitres (1/2 teaspoon) salt and two millilitres (1/2 teaspoon) sugar.
12. To make more substantial rice pilafs, add chopped nuts such as pistachios, macadamias or almonds.
13. To liven up egg salad or chicken salad sandwiches, add 125 millilitres (1/2 cup) toasted and chopped pecans, walnuts, almonds or cashews to every 250 to 750 millilitres (two to three cups) of salad.

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