Almonds add crunch and nutrition to both savory dishes and desserts. They are a good source of Vitamin E and protein. Almonds figure prominently in Turkish and Indian cuisines and are also used in American baking and cooking. There are many different types of delicious dishes made with almonds including main dishes and sweet treats.
Almonds can compliment main dishes in many different ways. Pork chops can be stuffed with a mixture of bread cubes, almonds, herbs and other ingredients. Ground almonds, cracker crumbs and seasoning mixtures can be used to coat, or bread, chicken breasts or fish fillets for pan frying. The fish or poultry is dipped into a milk and egg mixture and then rolled into the almond and cracker breading before frying.
Courser ground or chopped almonds can also be mixed with cracker crumbs or bread crumbs to top vegetarian or chicken casseroles. Slivered almonds are also ideal to add to a salad. Green bean casserole is one of the most popular American dishes made with almonds. Green bean casserole is a vegetable side dish that blends green beans, a creamy sauce, fried onion rings and almonds.
Many main dishes made with almonds also feature chicken. Chicken Almondine uses sliced almonds and chicken breasts. Badami Murgh (Chicken with Almonds) is an Indian dish that uses both finely ground and slivered almonds. A creamy almond soup made with finely ground almonds is also part of Indian cuisine. Dried fruits and nuts such as almonds are sprinkled on top of vegetables such as squash and ground almonds are often used in curries.
Dishes made with almonds are extremely popular in Turkish cuisine. Almonds as well as hazelnuts and walnuts are commonly eaten with breakfast foods in Turkey. Rice Pilaf with almonds is a Turkish dish that is enjoyed world-wide.
Turkish Baklava has either pistachios in the filo pastry layers or a syrupy almond paste filling. Almond Pudding with chopped almonds added to a custard base is another one of Turkey's popular dishes made with almonds. Halva is a well-known Turkish dessert that can be made with honey, sugar, cinnamon, cream of wheat and ground almonds.
Italian biscotti can feature almonds and almond flavoring. Chocolate biscotti often has slivered almonds added to the batter and after baking, the biscotti may be dipped in chocolate and then sprinkled with chopped almonds. Almond Cakes may contain both ground almonds and almond extract for flavor. Almond bar cookies can be made with a pie crust base filled with an almond-flavored cream cheese filling. Almond frosting and chopped almonds can be sprinkled on top before cutting the dessert into bars.
