Since pine nuts and macadamia nuts are so expensive I've started using brazil nuts in place of them. Does anyone have any special recipes utilizing brazil nuts?...Thanks...Diana

Diana,

I'd be careful about overusing Brazil nuts--they are high in selenium and too much is not healthy.

Because I limit my consumption to a small handful every week or two, I find the best way to eat them is to just soak overnight, rinse, and then dab dry with a towel. They are lower in fat than other nuts, so harder to make into a creamy butter or binding meal, but they are nice sliced up into thick slivers(once softened through soaking), tossed with naturally dehydrated seasonings and then dehydrated until a tad crunchy again. This is a nice way to spice up salads.

1 cup[by volume] raw Brazil nuts, soaked 10-12 hours, rinsed and towel dried
1-2 teaspoons raw liquid oil, such as coconut
2+ teaspoons chili powder
1/2-1 teaspoons natural salt or Nama Shoyu
1-2 teaspoons raw lemon juice

Carefully slice Brazil nuts with a sharp paring knife into slivers. Place in a deep bowl. Coat with oil and lemon juice. Sprinkle on salt or Nama Shoyu and chili powder; start with a small amount of each and then add more to taste. Toss well to coat. Let sit 20 minutes. Drain well and arrange on Teflex sheets or natural parchment paper on a dehydrator tray. Dehydrate at 110 degrees, 8-10 hours, or until dry to the touch, stirring two or three times to ensure even drying. Store in an airtight container and use up within 10 days. You can vary the seasoning, i.e. replace with dried herbs, to suit your whim. The drying time will vary according to your dehydrator and the dampness of the nuts at slicing. If they will not be used up quickly, store the finished nuts in the refrigerator to retard spoilage.

I've made these pancakes with them a couple times, and I think its pretty good: [goneraw.com]