Pass the nuts. While it's true that nuts are high in fat, it's the good fat. As long as you remember to keep portions small, they deserve a second look. Nuts can add crunch to a green salad, pizzazz to a pasta dish and flavor to baked goods.

Nuts are also full of monounsaturated fats, which help lower cholesterol, and polyunsaturated fats, which help prevent heart disease. Plus, nuts are a good source of protein, calcium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, selenium, folate, vitamin E and vitamin A.

Balancing Act

Before you go nuts, the American Dietetic Association warns that the key to making nuts part of a healthy diet is to balance the fat in nuts with lower fat foods.

For example, if you sprinkle nuts on top of your pasta, leave off the cheese. Or, if you're tossing nuts into a salad, choose fat-free dressings and add smaller amounts of meat, fish or poultry. If you like to snack, take a set portion to enjoy -- you can easily overeat by scooping nuts by the handful from a bag or jar. You can also mix nuts with dried fruit.

Nutty Nuggets

• Because they're full of oil, nuts go rancid easily. It's best to store them in your refrigerator or freezer. To determine if nuts are rancid, check for a faint, fishy odor.
• One tablespoon of nuts has about 80 to 100 calories and 1 to 3 grams of protein. Make a little go a long way by using chopped nuts. Toasting nuts enhances the flavor, so it's worth the extra step before adding them to any dish. Check out the recipe for Toasted Nuts for cooking pointers.
• Many nuts, including pecans, pine nuts and walnuts, are considered aphrodisiacs.

Meet Some of the Family

We have been eating almonds for centuries. Today, most of the world's supply is grown in California. With their mild flavor, almonds have a place in both sweet and savory dishes from tarts to stir frys.

Hazelnuts, also known as Filberts, are grown in the Pacific Northwest but the bulk of the crop comes from Europe and Turkey. Hazelnuts are a dessert favorite. To remove their bitter brown skin, bake until the skin cracks, then rub the warm hazelnuts with a rough cloth or between your hands.

Pecans are a true southern belle. They're the only major tree nut that grows naturally in North America - many varieties are named for American Indian tribes. Pecans are the fattiest nut, and have rich, buttery flavor that's delicious in baked goods but can hold up in entrees, too.

Peanuts are actually a legume, not a nut. Half the crop in the United States is used to make peanut butter.

Pine Nuts come from pine cones, which are heated to extract the nuts -- hence the hefty price tag. They are grown in the southwestern United States, China, Mexico, Italy and North Africa. Their culinary range reflects their geography - pine nuts are fabulous in everything from pesto to couscous to stir frys to sweet desserts.

Walnuts grow around the globe and are a welcome addition to most dishes. Make walnuts the last ingredient when you're baking. They're sensitive to the chemical reactions that can occur in baking and may change color.

Chock Full O' Nuts

We're nuts about these recipes:

Barbecued Pork Chops with Pecans, Sweet Potato, Sautéed Green Beans,
Mushrooms and Onions
Fresh Strawberry Almond Tart
Greens with Apples, Walnuts Blue Cheese and Balsamic Vinaigrette
Pecan Shortbread Tea Cookies
Red Beans with Walnut Sauce
Sautéed Spinach with Pine Nuts
Spinach, Orange and Almond Salad
Tagliarini with Smooshed Broccoli, Toasted Pine Nuts and Pecorino
Wild Rice with Dried Cranberries and Walnuts