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| Cashews roasted with falafel mix |
Let's talk about spiced nuts. Actually, that's not the best term, "spiced", as it implies that the nuts are spicy-hot or enrobed in cinnamon and nutmeg. While that's not a bad thing, "spiced" omits such lovely seasoning ideas such as olive oil and za'taar, falafel mix with a pinch of cayenne and sugar (as in today's recipe), or simply a great curry powder blend. Is "seasoned" a better adjective? Maybe. Or "savory" even though technically nuts are savory. Spices, spice blends, fresh and dried herbs, and other seasonings add an incredible amount of flavor without adding many, if any, calories. At any rate, nuts roasted with some kind of seasoning are delicious and are a great choice for a snack.
I made these for a baby shower and they may have been more of a hit with myself and the hostess than with anyone else. Luckily, I tripled the batch so there was more than enough for everyone.
Ingredients:
2 c unsalted cashews
2 TBSPS unsalted butter, melted
1/4 c falafel mix
1 TBSP granulated sugar
1/2 tsp ground cayenne
Salt to taste (*see the notes for further discussion)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper or foil and lightly grease. Set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the falafel mix and sugar.
Place nuts in a medium bowl and toss with the melted butter. Add the falafel mix and toss again to coat evenly. At this point, add the cayenne a pinch at a time and taste, taste, taste!
Spread nuts in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 9 or 10 minutes, stirring a couple times, until the nuts are golden.
Let cool completely before storing in a covered container at room temperature for up to a week.
Cook's Notes:
Ingredients:
2 c unsalted cashews
2 TBSPS unsalted butter, melted
1/4 c falafel mix
1 TBSP granulated sugar
1/2 tsp ground cayenne
Salt to taste (*see the notes for further discussion)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper or foil and lightly grease. Set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the falafel mix and sugar.
Place nuts in a medium bowl and toss with the melted butter. Add the falafel mix and toss again to coat evenly. At this point, add the cayenne a pinch at a time and taste, taste, taste!
Spread nuts in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 9 or 10 minutes, stirring a couple times, until the nuts are golden.
Let cool completely before storing in a covered container at room temperature for up to a week.
Cook's Notes:
- Let's discuss the seasonings first. I have found that brands of falafel mix vary in spiciness and people's individual tastes vary as well, so the best thing to do is to add the cayenne a pinch at a time to the seasoning blend as I stated in the recipe and taste, taste, taste.
- The sugar in the recipe helps the falafel mix adhere to the buttered nuts and it adds a great contrast to the cayenne as well, kind of a sweet'n'spicy flavor. Don't omit the sugar.
- As you can see, the recipe calls for unsalted nuts and butter and has no added salt. Check the falafel mix, it probably has salt in it, so again, taste and adjust the salt to your liking. You can also add salt after the nuts are removed from the oven and are cooling.
- If you don't care for cashews, you're weird, but I love you anyway. You may choose your favorite variety of nuts; pistachios, almonds, walnuts or pecans would all pair well with this blend.
- While the recipe specifies butter, feel free to use your preferred type of fat; olive oil and coconut oil are both great choices or you can use a neutral flavored oil such as grapeseed to really let the seasoning shine through.
I'm planning on buying nuts in bulk at WinCo and making up some yummy snacks. If you try this recipe, let me know what you think!
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