Walnuts, one of our favorite ingredients during the holiday season, are a psoriasis and eczema superfood. Walnuts provide a variety of health benefits that will help keep your skin and your heart healthy.
Walnuts are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids. In fact, a quarter-cup of walnuts provides 90.8% of your daily value of essential fats. Science indicates that Omega-3 fatty acids may improve the condition of your psoriasis or eczema by reducing the inflammatory compounds in the body.
Walnuts also contain ellagic acid, an antioxidant compound that has antiviral and antibacterial properties, which support the immune system. As an added nutritional bonus, ellagic acid is believed to have anti-cancer properties.
With so many benefits, why not incorporate walnuts into your diet and holiday meals?
Here are a few holiday recipes that incorporate walnuts and other healthful ingredients to create delicious results:
Green Beans with Toasted Walnuts and Dried-Cherry Vinaigrette
Bon Appétit | November 2010
by Diane Morgan
Yield: Makes 8 servings
Active Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup minced shallots
- 3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons Sherry wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
- 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper plus additional (for sprinkling)
- 1/3 cup dried tart cherries
- 1 1/2 pounds trimmed slender green beans (such as haricots verts)
- 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted , chopped
Preparation
Whisk first 6 ingredients and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in small bowl. Mix in dried cherries; set aside. DO AHEAD: Vinaigrette can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Bring to room temperature; rewhisk before using.
Fill large bowl with water and ice; set aside. Cook green beans in large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain. Transfer to bowl with ice water; cool. Drain. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap in paper towels; enclose in resealable plastic bag and chill. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before continuing.
Toss green beans, walnuts, and vinaigrette in large bowl. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Transfer to platter and serve.
Flourless Chocolate-Walnut Cookies
SELF | December 2008
by François Payard
Yield: Makes 60 cookies
Ingredients
- Parchment paper
- 2 1/2 cups walnut halves
- 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 egg whites
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Preparation
Position 2 racks in the upper and lower thirds of oven. Heat oven to 350°. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Place walnuts on a work surface and finely chop. Transfer to a separate large baking sheet and toast until fragrant, about 9 minutes. Let cool. Mix sugar, cocoa and salt in a bowl. Stir in walnuts. Add egg whites and vanilla; beat with a fork or electric mixer on medium until batter is just moistened. (Do not overbeat batter or it will stiffen.) Drop batter by the teaspoonful onto baking sheets in evenly spaced mounds. Bake cookies until tops are lightly cracked and glossy, about 15 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Maple, Walnut, and Flaxseed Pancakes
Bon Appétit | January 2004
Yield: Makes about 12
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup flaxseed meal*
- 1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cups reduced-fat (2%) buttermilk
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon (or more) vegetable oil
- Additional pure maple syrup
Preparation
Whisk flour, flaxseed meal, walnuts, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Whisk buttermilk, 1/4 cup maple syrup, and egg in another medium bowl. Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients and whisk just until incorporated.
Brush large nonstick skillet lightly with vegetable oil and heat over medium heat. Working in batches, add batter to skillet by scant 1/4 cupfuls. Cook until bubbles appear on surface of pancakes and undersides are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Turn pancakes over and cook until golden on bottom, about 2 minutes. Brush skillet lightly with vegetable oil as needed before adding each batch. Transfer pancakes to plates. Serve with additional maple syrup.
*Sold at natural foods stores and some supermarkets. If flaxseed meal isn’t available, buy flaxseeds and use a spice grinder or coffee mill to grind them into a fine powder
1 comment
Wow! I have had both psoriasis and ezema since I was a teenager. Not one of the many primary care doctors or dermatologists ever mentioned this to me. It also took them four years to diagnosis squamous cell cancer I kept asking them about .
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