A Month-of-Recipes: Flavored Nuts

Here we are at the end of another February with a Month-of-Recipes edition. Every year at this time I ask myself why I do this. It’s pretty hard keeping up with all my other writing commitments, life, etc. when I am posting food every day. I mean, “Parsley, Sage, and Rosemary Time” is a “foodie-oriented blog”, but it is not a “food blog”. Thus my shameless self-promotions for Mission Impastable and the soon-to-be-completed sequel, Prime Rib and Punishment. Did I mention Mission Impastable has 5-star reviews? <blush>

Just to make sure we cover the whole “soup to nuts” thing, I have several nut recipes for you today. And mid-month, I shared my Chocolate Cinnamon-Sugared Pecans for Valentine’s Day. 

http://sharonarthurmoore.blogspot.com/2014/02/a-month-of-appetizers-chocolate.html

Surely, you can set out dishes of nuts from the can for folks to scoop up, but with just a small amount of effort, you can serve nuts like these that clearly go, as Buzz Lightyear might say, “To infinity and beyond”.

These recipes are all from a great blog you should be following: www.pinkblotmom.com  Not only does Shari write entertainingly about food and many other topics. It is BEAUTIFUL, too! Her food porn is right up there with the best! Try her recipes! Yummers!

Cinnamon Almonds (makes 2 cups)

2 cups almonds

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg white

1 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine egg white and vanilla in small bowl; beat together until frothy. 

Stir in nuts, making sure almonds are evenly coated. 

Combine sugar, salt, and cinnamon in small bowl, and sprinkle sugar/cinnamon mixture over nuts until evenly coated. 

Roast nuts on prepared baking sheet at 250° for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes. 

Separate nuts on baking sheet and cool allow to cool at room temperature.

Coconut Cashews (makes about 2½ cups)

1 1/2 cups cashews

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup hot water

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon cream of tarter

1 cup shredded "angel flake" coconut

Toast coconut at 325° for 9-10 minutes on prepared baking sheet.  Stir coconut every two minutes to avoid burning. 

Combine water, salt, sugar and cream of tartar in saucepan over medium heat, stirring consistently until sugar dissolves. 

Once dissolved, remove sugar mixture from heat and add vanilla extract and toasted coconut in medium sized bowl. 

Quickly stir in nuts, coating evenly with sugar mixture. 

Spread onto baking sheet while still warm. 

Separate nuts on baking sheet and allow to cool at room temperature.

Maple Pecans (makes about 2 cups)

2 cups pecans

1/3 cup maple syrup

1 tablespoon melted butter

1 egg white

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Mix syrup, egg white, butter, salt, cayenne and black pepper thoroughly.  Add pecans, covering evenly. 

Spread nuts onto prepared baking sheet and roast at 250° for 40 minutes, stirring once after 20 minutes. 

Separate nuts on baking sheet and allow to cool at room temperature.

Thus endth another Month-of-Recipes February. Wonder what you’ll pick for me to do next year? Oh, and do stop by Pink Blot Mom to see what else Shari is cooking up!

DH’s Rating: 3½ Tongues Up  A minimalist kind of guy, he really prefers his nuts scooped from a bin at a natural foods store. These are kind of like a dessert nut for him rather than something he’d munch on at a party or day-to-day.