Salty. Crunchy. Easy. These herb roasted nuts are just what you need in your snack bag. Packed with protein, fiber and good fat, nuts satisfy your hunger while providing a nutritional punch.
A jar of these went into some holiday giving this year. It was really a blast to make food packages for family and friends. Without forethought, everything in the packages this year was vegan. People received Vegan Snack Bundles of Joy (the name definitely needs some work). Not only was it a gift from the heart, but it also incorporated this element of creating delicious food for those that are health conscious or have a variety of food sensitivities. It just seemed like the right thing to do.
Turns out it was! People love them! Myself included.
The recipe itself is fairly easy. There are a couple of pointers to keep in mind though:
Simmering the herbs in oil is crucial. It is what helps infuse the oil with the delicious herb flavor. Err on the side of what you think is too many herbs. Trust me. It takes a decent handful of fresh herbs to really coat the nuts with flavor.
Different nuts have different cook times. Almonds take longer to roast than cashews. Before you start roasting away, take a look at the cook times for each type of nut you are using.
Keep an eye on them in the oven. Once they get close to done, they can burn quickly.
Herb Roasted Nuts:
1 cup almonds
1 cup hazelnuts
1 cup cashews
3 Tbsp oil
1 - 2 Tbsp kosher salt
1 tsp cumin
6 sprigs rosemary leaves, chopped
6 sprigs sage leaves, chopped
Handful thyme leaves, stripped
1 tsp onion powder, optional
Preheat oven 300°
Heat up oil in a small saucepan. Add chopped herbs to pan. Let simmer for 5 - 15 minutes.
Put almonds in small bowl. Put hazelnuts and cashews in separate bowl.
Pour ⅓ of the oil mixture, onion powder and salt over almonds. Mix to coat. Pour remaining oil, onion powder and salt over the cashews and hazelnuts. Mix to coat.
Spread out almonds ONLY on a sheet pan. Almonds take longer to cook than other nuts. Depending on the nuts you use, you may want to time yours differently. Bake for 5 minutes, or until texture starts to change.
Stir and add remaining nuts. Bake for 15 minutes. Stirring after the first 10. Let cool. Store in an airtight container for 2 weeks or so.
TIP: Use onion powder to add some sweetness and gives the nuts some “cling”. Switch up the flavorings based on your preference. Get fancy with it if you want!
Adapted from A Farm Girls Dabbles.