Monday, May 25, 2009

Roasted Nuts

One of Dad's favorite snacks. You can do them in the oven or on the stove.

To Dry Roast just follow the instructions below for Roasting Nuts omitting the oil.

Oven Roasted:

Coat 1 cup of nuts evenly with 1 t. cooking oil (we use organic, extra virgin coconut oil) and sea salt to taste. On a baking pan spread the nuts evenly and place them into a preheated oven at 350° F. Stir occasionally til the nuts are fragrant and lightly browned (5-10 minutes). Be careful because the nuts will continue to cook after removed from the oven. DO NOT OVERCOOK.


Stovetop toasting:

Place them in a heavy skillet on top the stove. Heat slowly over low heat, stirring. Cook until slightly browned, about 10-15 minutes.

I personally prefer the oven method because it doesn't require me to stand over it stirring!

I'm going to research some flavorings. I think adding cinnamon/stevia would be good. Or adding a pressed clove of garlic to the oil before tossing. We buy spice grinders at Dollar Tree - read the ingredients, because some contain sugar, but most are just the spice. The chili/sea salt is particularly good, and the Italian seasoning. There are many flavors to choose from and I'm sure they would be great on the nuts.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

"Homegrown Salad"


One of our favorite summer salads is just marinated veggies - whatever we have from the garden or the roadside stand. Our first of the year contained halved grape tomatoes, sliced young sweet onions, along with the chopped onion greens, halved snow peas, and chopped basil. The dressing was a bit of fresh lime juice, a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of sea salt. Stir and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes or so. Serve as is, or on a bed of fresh baby spinach. Yummy!!