Sweet and Salty Roasted Nuts

I often eat raw nuts as a snack, but sometimes they can be a bit boring. One day, I noticed some almonds that I had purchased weren’t as crunchy as they should have been…perhaps they were slightly stale. So I decided to roast them. What a drastic improvement! They were completely transformed into crunchy, flavorful, sweet and salty perfection.

The great thing about roasting them yourself is that you can control what kind of oil you use and the amount of salt, and you can vary the spices that you add. I like mine lightly salted and slightly sweet, so I add some sea salt and granulated stevia.

This recipe is so simple and only takes 10 minutes. You can serve these nuts as a snack, sprinkled over salads, or ground up to use in a pie crust.

Sweet and Salty Roasted Nuts

Servings:  16

• 2 cups of raw nuts of choice (walnuts, pecans, almonds, cashews, etc.)
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 packet (or 3/4 teaspoon) granulated stevia sweetener
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Toss the nuts with the oil, sweetener and salt and spread evenly on the tray.  Bake for 10 minutes, stirring after 5 minutes.  Be careful not to burn.

Cool completely, then store in an airtight container.  They will stay fresh at least 2 weeks.

Variations:  Add additional spices such as cayenne or black pepper, any dried herbs such as rosemary, thyme or oregano.  For a sweeter treat, add a touch more stevia, plus cinnamon and nutmeg.