Nuts are a staple in my kitchen. I use them extensively in my cooking and quite often in my baking as well. I also snack on them regularly (probably more than I should!). In my household, the Indian curries are almost always cashew, almond or peanut based. Fried cashews are a mandatory garnishing for any Indian rice dish or upma that I make. I tend to spoon a generous dollop of peanut butter or almond butter over my overnight oats to make it an even more satisfying and delicious breakfast. Basil pesto pasta containing either walnuts or pine nuts features on our family menu every single week. I have a thing for homemade Middle Eastern mezze platters for which nuts and Dried Fruit are an integral component. I have the habit of sprinkling almond flakes or chopped walnuts on top of any kind of salad or buddha bowl. My sweet bakes commonly contain pecans, macadamia nuts or hazelnuts and pistachios are my garnish of choice when I happen to make traditional Indian sweets or puddings. I also have a habit of storing a small contained of mixed nuts and dried fruit at my workplace for when the mid-morning or late afternoon hunger pangs strike. At any given point of time, I will always have large quantities of cashews, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pistachios and peanuts in my refrigerator. Nuts and dried fruit invariably have a permanent place on my shopping list and need constant replenishing! 

With the Covid-19 pandemic this year, exercising and eating healthy might not be a priority for a lot of people. Stress and anxiety also leads to mindless snacking on refined and processed foods. Best in Singapore has compiled a list of Top 8 Healthy Nuts in Singapore you should check out. In all probability, it will make you remove that bag of potato chips or biscuits from your grocery basket and replace it with any one of these delicious guilt-free snacks!

I love gifting boxes of dried fruit and assorted nuts as gifts not only during festive occasions but also for casual visits. Not only does it look attractive but it is useful, delicious and good for health (when portion-control is maintained). If you are going the edible gift route, Just Nuts has some great gift boxes in a different price ranges that you can choose from.