Recent Posts
-
Admin
Aug
20
Nut Trilogy 3: Spiced Nuts
August 20, 2010 | 7 Comments
Sweet and Sour Almonds and Garlic-Rosemary Walnuts
I also call them “Traffic Light Nuts”. A little pouch of these in the car ensures that I’m not starving while rushing from one place to the next. There is the quick, easy method (that I used), and another that is more involved, but yields more nutrition. I have explained the latter below.
I usually make 2 cup batches in this manner. Walnuts are the best candidates for this. They crispen evenly and well. Almonds, Cashews, Pistachios, Macadamias, seeds (sunflower/pumpkin seeds) work well too. Peanuts should work too, but I prefer them this way with a chickpea coating.
Per 2 cups of nuts you need 2 tbsp (6 tsps) liquid
The purpose of the liquid is two-fold:
– to help the spices stick to the nuts
- to make them crispen while baking
Good candidates are
- egg whites
- fat (oil/ghee)
- liquid seasonings
You can use just egg whites, or if you’re vegan just oil, but I like to use a bit of both. I find that using egg whites yields crisper, more evenly cooked nuts. Using all egg whites makes them smell “eggy”, so I use a bit of each.
I find that the optimum combo for 2 cups nuts is
1 tbsp egg white (about half the white from a large egg)
1 tsp fat
**extra virgin coconut oil/raw mustard oil/extra virgin olive oil/melted ghee/unrefined sesame oil.
2 tsp liquid flavourings
**tamari/shoyu/low-sodium soy sauce/Braggs Liquid Aminos/hot sauce/balsamic vinegar/pomegranate molasses
If you’re using dry spices, replace the liquid flavourings with 1 to 2 tsp oil/ghee.
GARLIC-ROSEMARY WALNUTS
Mix together
1 tbsp egg white,
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp Frank’s Red Hot sauce
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
and
half tsp Mrs. Dash Garlic-herb seasoning
salt to taste
half tsp chopped fresh rosemary
Toss the mixture with
2 cups walnuts
Bake on a lined cookie sheet in an even layer at 300F (convection setting) or 325F (regular setting) for between 12 to 13 minutes. Stir once in between.
SWEET AND SOUR ALMONDS
This is my favourite. The pomegranate molasses make them sweet and tangy. Pomegranate molasses is 100% boiled down pomegranate juice. You can find it in Arab/Persian stores or online. It’s also sold as “pomegranate concentrate” or “pomegranate paste”.
Just make sure it has only one ingredient: pomegranates. It costs around $6 a bottle and can be used in lieu of expensive balsamic vinegar in any recipe. Flavourwise, I prefer it to balsamic vinegar. It tastes like khajur-imli (date-tamarind) chutney. So you can try that as a substitute.
Mix together
2 tsp egg white,
1 tsp extra virgin coconut oil
1 tsp tamari (or low-sodium soy sauce)
1 tsp Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
1 tsp Sadaf pomegranate molasses (or balsamic vinegar)
and
salt to taste (you may not need any)
Toss the mixture with
2 cups almonds
Bake on a lined cookie sheet in an even layer at 300F (convection setting) or 325F (regular setting) for between 14 to 15 minutes. Stir once in between.
Almonds take longer to crispen than walnuts.
If your oven goes below 150F or you have a food dehydrator, read on.
The most nutritious way to consume nuts is after soaking them. Nuts have enzyme inhibiters to prevent them from sprouting prematurely. These enzyme inhibitors neutralize the enzymes your body uses to control inflammation and aid in digestion. They can even cause the pancreas to swell.
There are only two ways to destroy these enzyme inhibitors:
1) roasting, which also destroys the enzymes (the method I used),
and
2) sprouting, which destroys the enzyme inhibitors and keeps the beneficial enzymes intact.
Most nuts we get in the U.S. are irradiated at low temperatures. Hence they will not sprout. But soaking is beneficial.
Soaking your nuts in warm water will neutralize these enzyme inhibitors, and also help encourage the production of beneficial enzymes. These enzymes, in turn, increase many vitamins, especially B vitamins. It also makes these nuts much easier to digest and the nutrients more easily absorbed. And, yes, this is a traditional method of preparation. For example the Aztecs would soak pumpkin or squash seeds in salty water and then, sun dry them. (The Nourishing Gourmet)
Soaking them in brine (salted water) makes the process even more efficient.
The basic method is as follows: Dissolve salt in water, pour over nuts or seeds , using enough water to cover. Leave in a warm place for specified time. Then drain in a colander and spread on a stainless steel pan. Place in a warm oven (no warmer than 150 degrees) for specified time, turning occasionally, until thoroughly dry and crisp. Really make sure they are all the way dry! If not, they could mold and won’t have that crispy wonderful texture. I have found the longer I soak a seed or nut, the longer it takes to dehydrate them.
You can spice the nuts/seeds before dehydrating or baking them. This link has several recipes with detailed instructions. Ideally, you should bake the nuts at 140F or thereabouts for 12 hours or until they crispen.
I didn’t follow this process, but it should work using both the recipes above. Since the nuts will already be salty, just add pomegranate molasses/hot sauce/garlic/herbs/spices. Skip the tamari, salt, egg whites and oil.
If your oven doesn’t go below 150F or you don’t own a food dehydrator, you can skip the soaking and follow the quick roasting method.
- b.
Filed Under: Almond, Chillies/Peppers, Eggs, Garlic, NUTRITION, Nuts, pomegranate molasses, Rosemary, tamari, vegan recipes, vegetarian recipes, Walnut
|
7 Comments
hey these are brilliant ideas.
I made these rightaway! Instead of pomengranate molasses,I used blackstrap molasses!
The dash of hot sauce was a nice idea!
They sure make a wonderful snack.
Love the tortoise.
A great way to spice up nuts,the walnuts are calling!
My hubby is nuts for any kind of nuts, he eats a small bowl more i don’t give him to his utter disapointment. I should make this for him too.
I really like spiced nuts and have extra egg whites on hand from my daughter making ice cream. Using some of them up for this will be just the ticket!
A question – what do you mean by “convention setting” and “regular setting”. Could “convention” possibly be a typo for “convection”?
it’s a typo. thanks.
These are such brilliant ideas – thanks!