Smoked Almond Salad Recipe

Barsy's Smokies have a rich, smoked, bacony flavor. But, like all of Barsy's Almonds, we make Smokies with no animal products or added fat.

Here's a salad that we've adapted to use Smokies. Barbara and husband, Tom, enjoyed the original in a St. Louis vegetarian restaurant thirty years ago. The chef there used sunflower seeds that had been roasted with soy sauce.

For each salad grate one medium carrot, and toss with a handful of raisins. Put a half cup of uncooked bean sprouts in the center of a salad bowl, and make a ring around it with the raisin-grated carrot mixture. Garnish with a quarter cup of chopped smokies, and dress with vineagar and oil, or your favorite dressing.

Almonds Are Good Food

We talk to a lot almond eaters. We meet them when we demo Barsy's Almonds, passing out samples, in the fifty-or-so Minnesota stores that carry them. We also demo frequently in Iowa, South Dakota, and Wisconsin, with occasional trips to Illinois, and plans for Michigan and East Coast tours.

Some of the folks we meet are kind enough to ask us the leading question, "Almonds are really good for you, aren't they?"

With a disclaimer for people who are allergic to nuts, yes, almonds are really good for you.

Almonds are a good source of protein, fiber, and energy. They're also full of B vitamins, Vitamin E, calcium, magnesium, selenium, and zinc.

The oil in almonds is useful in reducing LDL, the "bad cholesterol," and Harvard's Nurse's Health Study found that women who ate five ounces or more of nuts a week had significantly less heart disease. The Sixth Edition of the Nutrition Almanac says that "Patients with Parkinson's disease have been found to have a lack of nuts in the diet, prior to contracting the disease."

Almonds taste good, too, and Barsy's Almonds are a treat that's real food.

Sample Barsy's Almonds In St. Peter, MN Saturday

Come to the St. Peter Food Co-op on Saturday. Barsy's Almonds will be the featured vendor, with Barbara passing out samples between 11:00 and 2:00

St. Peter is one of our favorite places, on US 169, and the Minnesota River, about an hour west of the Twin Cities. It's a small farming and college town that supports the co-op. Mortar boards mingle with feed caps at the co-op. It's a full-line grocery store, run by people who love and understand food, with plenty of bulk foods and a great deli with great coffee.

And the co-op carries all five Barsy's flavors: Smokies, Sweeties, Naughties, Hotties, and Stuffies.

That makes it a great place to fill in any gaps in your Barsy's education.

Barsy's Healthy Treats At Mississippi Market

Jason and Barbara met a lot of nice people and turned them onto Barsy's Almonds Saturday. St. Paul's Mississippi Markets were getting ready for the Super Bowl, and Jason was at the Selby Avenue, and Barbara was at 7th Street.

The Selby Mississippi Market is at 622 Selby Avenue in St. Paul, at the intersection with Dale. The 7th Street Market is at 1500 West 7th Street. Both Markets are large and airy, with everything you expect from a supermarket, but more and better.

The Mississippi Market website describes the stores as "St. Paul's premier source for local & organic produce, sustainably raised meats, health and wellness products, and delicious healthful food.

"...we're consumer owned and controlled and have been since we opened in 1979."

Here's a link to the Mississippi Market website: http://msmarket.coop/