(Family Features) This summer season, make it easier to get your good going with new delicious flavors and recipes. Whether you’re greeting the day with brunch or celebrating an afternoon outside with a tasty barbecue, there’s no better time for enjoying healthy and nutritious food with family and friends. As you work to prepare a spread of your favorite mouthwatering entrees and appetizers, look for new ways to incorporate healthy ingredients that deliver on both flavor and nutrition.

Honey, which is rising in popularity both as a natural sweetener and an ingredient in everyday foods and recipes, is a perfect flavor with indulgent taste. Pairing the sweet nectar of honey with a nutrient-rich nut, such as almonds, creates richly decadent recipes that are as healthy as they are tasty. Plus, products featuring honey’s subtle sweetness make them versatile and appealing whether you are craving something sweet or savory.

With a variety of honey flavored products available, such as Honey Roasted Chipotle Snack Almonds, Hint of Honey Vanilla Almond Breeze(r) Almondmilk and Honey Mustard Nut Thins, Blue Diamond’s new line of honey flavored products are versatile enough for a wide range of dishes.

For additional recipes that capture the sweetness of honey and rich nutty flavors of almond, visit www.bluediamond.com.

Bee-musing Facts about Honey and Almonds

Honey bees pollinate one-third of the world’s food supply, including almonds.

Since 1976, Blue Diamond, the world’s largest almond processing and marketing company, has helped fund research in more than 70 projects focused on enhancing the health of honey bees while improving crop production.

Every spring, more than a million colonies of honey bees are placed in California almond orchards to pollinate the crops.

Recipe: Summer Veggie Stuffed Portabellas

Ingredients:

Recipe: Steakhouse Cheese and Almond Spread

Ingredients:

• 1 block (8 ounces) 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup Blue Diamond Hint of Honey Almond Breeze
• 1 teaspoon steak seasoning blend
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1/4 cup Blue Diamond Honey Roasted Chipotle Almonds, chopped
• Blue Diamond Honey Mustard Nut Thins
• Fresh cut vegetables

Preparation:

1. Puree cream cheese, cheddar cheese, Blue Diamond Hint of Honey Almond Breeze, seasoning and garlic in food processor. Add green onions and pulse until finely chopped.
2. Transfer to small bowl and sprinkle with Blue Diamond Honey Roasted Chipotle Almonds. Serve with Blue Diamond Honey Mustard Nut Thins and vegetables.
3. Spread may be prepared one day ahead and stored tightly covered in refrigerator.

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