Pecan Meal

Welcome to the world’s easiest recipe ever.

Ever-ever.

That’s right, I feel sheepish even calling this a recipe when it’s more of an “element” that you’ll use in your recipes.

And that’s exactly what this Pecan Meal does best my friend: it’s a simple-to-make element that will elevate your nutritarian sauce and dip game.

This is the whole-foods, un-processed way to thicken up your gravies, sauces, oatmeal and casseroles.  You name it and this Pecan Meal can help!

Pecans are Nuts With Benefits

I’ve loved pecans a long time.  My first memory was as a little girl helping my grandma bake our favorite holiday cookies.  We would work together dicing the pecans and every now and again I’d press my little fingers into the “pecan dust” and have a good lick.

Pecans have a lovely mild, sweet and rich flavor.

And they happen to have loads of health benefits to boot!

Pecans were crowned by Dr. Greger as the world’s healthiest nut (followed by walnuts as a close-second)–if you’re interested you can check out the video here.  Pecans also have serious antioxidant content compared to other popular nut varieties.

Pecans beat out almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, peanuts, pine nuts and pistachios when it comes to fighting cancer cells!  Dr. Greger has an amazingly informative video Which Nut Fights Cancer Better (watch it here) that covers how pecans and walnuts reign supreme for cancer-fighting and prevention (including liver, colon and breast cancers).

And to really seal the deal on how amazingly nutritious pecans are: Dr. Fuhrman included pecans in his 100 Best Foods for Health and Longevity guide.

Here are a few highlights from p. 90 of the 100 Best Foods for Health and Longevity guide:

• pecans and walnuts rank highest in total phenols (a large class of phytochemicals)
• by including pecans in your diet you increase the total antioxidant capacity of your blood
• reduced markers of oxidation of LDL cholesterol

How to Make It Happen

You’ll find no simpler recipe than this, my friends.  Just no-cooking prep-ahead goodness.

The key to making your Pecan Meal is not over-blending it.

We’re walking that fine line between pecan meal and pecan butter.  And since pecans are a rather oily nut the line can be crossed in an instant!

I definitely recommend using a spatula during the process, so you can achieve as fine a crumb as possible without going overboard.

How to Use Pecan Meal

I created this recipe when I was updating my Power Prep Program last year.   I used it to thicken my all-time favorite Porcini-Pecan Herb Gravy (RC-81 if you’ve joined the program) and then I started using it on ALL THE THINGS!

Pecan Meal is essentially your oil-replacer in a recipe.

This was something I learned at Dr. Fuhrman’s Culinary Getaway.  Since a big part of being nutritarian is cooking without oil you need to find a whole-food fat replacement to add richness and great mouthfeel to your dishes.

You can use this Pecan Meal to:

• make this Nutritarian Apple Pie Filling recipe
• thicken soups, gravies and sauces
• add more flavor to cooked oatmeal
• sprinkle over salads
• sprinkle over fresh fruits (particularly apples and bananas)

5 from 1 vote

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Pecan Meal

A simple, whole-food, un-processed way to thicken your gravies, sauces, soups and oatmeal when you're following a whole-food plant-based diet!

Course Side Dish

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Servings 10

Calories 98.5 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup raw pecans

Instructions

1. Place raw pecans in high-speed blender bowl. 
   

2. Use pulse function to grind down the nuts into a meal.  Scrape down the sides of the blender bowl with a spatula to facilitate an even texture.  And be careful not to blend too much as it will turn into a nut butter. 
   

3. The pecan meal will be moist and a bit clumpy.
   

Recipe Notes

Makes about 1 1/4 cup. 

Use 1 to 2 tbsp. of Pecan Meal to thicken your soups, stews, and gravies.

Store in a glass Mason jar and keeps well in the fridge for up to 8 weeks. 

Nutrition Facts

Pecan Meal

Amount Per Serving (0.125 cup)

Calories 98.5 Calories from Fat 93

% Daily Value*

Fat 10.3g16%

Saturated Fat 0.9g6%

Polyunsaturated Fat 3.08g

Monounsaturated Fat 5.81g

Potassium 58.42mg2%

Carbohydrates 2g1%

Fiber 1.4g6%

Sugar 0.57g1%

Protein 1.3g3%

Vitamin A 1.33IU0%

Vitamin C 0.16mg0%

Calcium 9.97mg1%

Iron 0.36mg2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

I cannot wait to see how you end up using this Pecan Meal in your nutritarian cooking!  If you give this recipe a try I’d love to know what you think–please leave a rating and comment below!