My dear man loves his nuts. And seeds. Guy plows through a big amount each week. And with our new healthier lifestyle there were 2 options for satisfying his hunger for the crunchy nut…
1. buy them from some place like Whole Foods ($$$$$). And no guarantee that the roasted nuts won’t be made with soy or other no-no oils.
2. buy un-roasted nuts and learn to love them (he says “no thanks. I like my nuts crunchy and salty and with that roasted flavor.”).
Or, wait – there is a third option that is a take-off of #2…
3. buy un-roasted, raw nuts and seeds and roast them at home. Ding! We have a winner!
This is my 3rd attempt and roasting and I’ve finally hit on the perfect method and formula. My first effort was on the stovetop. This made for nuts that were slightly scorched in some places and yet raw in others. The next attempt was in the oven but I mixed the different nuts/seeds before roasting them and as some were teeny tiny (sunflower seeds) and others were huge (whole almonds), this didn’t work out too well. The mini guys got VERY roasted while the almonds were not quite there.
So taking what I’d learned and with a big DUH, I roasted each type of nut and seed separately. Started with the almonds and moved on from there. As each batch was finished, it was dumped into a paper bag. For this particular batch, I used whole almonds, macadamias, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds. From beginning to end it took approx 45 minutes. Not terribly bad considering I got about 4 pounds of snacking heaven for my noshing hubby to enjoy.
Just look at these beauties with their delicately roasted pieces and bits of fresh-ground sea salt throughout… The almonds are perfectly toasted and dark with flavor. The macadamias have a glorious crunch, and the 2 types of seeds provide a nice second texture and depth that wouldn’t be there if this were strictly a nut blend. Even if we fell off the whole-food/paleo wagon tomorrow, I would continue to roast my own blends at home. It’s just *that* much better. Worth every minute spent.
The beauty of doing this at home is the infinite possibilities for different nuts and seeds as well as oils, spices, seasoning. The hubby requested just straight up salt this time so that’s all I used. Salt and a dash of macadamia nut oil. Yum!
no measurements here – just basic directions so you can forge your own path to roasted nut greatness!
raw nuts and seeds
oil (coconut, macadamia, almond, avocado, olive, sesame, etc)
salt
spices, as desired *
Heat oven to 375 and get out a cookie sheet that has sides (to keep the nuts and seeds from leaping off the pan and into the vast open spaces of the oven).
Keep your nuts/seeds separate until each is roasted. Cover the cookie sheet with your nut/seed of choice. You don’t want inches of nuts in there – try to keep it to one layer. Bake for 5-20 minutes, depending on the size of the nut or seed. Check every few minutes and stir to keep them from scorching. You might want to pull a few off each time you check to see if they have reached your desired roasting stage.
Once done, pour into a paper bag or large bowl. Repeat the process with remaining nuts/seeds.
Now that they are all roasted, it’s time for the oil and salt or spices. I use 1 Tbl oil per pound of nuts/seeds. Pour over the little darling and either shake the bag to coat or stir well in the bowl. Season to taste. 1/2-3/4 tsp salt per pound. Spices as desired. Shake/stir well to coat and then pour the contents onto the baking sheet. This time it will be much more than 1 layer deep, but that’s ok. We’re just popping the tray into the oven for 7-8 minutes to help the oil and seasonings to stick to the nuts and to dry them on there.
Remove from heat, set aside to cool, pack into a storage container and enjoy. Delicious, healthy, and so much better than anything you’d buy in the grocery store!
* Spice / seasoning ideas
cinnamon
Chinese 5 spice
garlic
italian herbs
cayenne pepper
curry powder
etc
Next time I’ll do a blend of cayenne, cinnamon, salt. A bit spicy, salt, and hot. Should be fabulous!
My dear man loves his nuts. And seeds. Guy plows through a big amount each week. And with our new healthier lifestyle there were 2 options for satisfying his hunger for the crunchy nut…
1. buy them from some place like Whole Foods ($$$$$). And no guarantee that the roasted nuts won’t be made with soy or other no-no oils.
2. buy un-roasted nuts and learn to love them (he says “no thanks. I like my nuts crunchy and salty and with that roasted flavor.”).
Or, wait – there is a third option that is a take-off of #2…
3. buy un-roasted, raw nuts and seeds and roast them at home. Ding! We have a winner!
This is my 3rd attempt and roasting and I’ve finally hit on the perfect method and formula. My first effort was on the stovetop. This made for nuts that were slightly scorched in some places and yet raw in others. The next attempt was in the oven but I mixed the different nuts/seeds before roasting them and as some were teeny tiny (sunflower seeds) and others were huge (whole almonds), this didn’t work out too well. The mini guys got VERY roasted while the almonds were not quite there.
So taking what I’d learned and with a big DUH, I roasted each type of nut and seed separately. Started with the almonds and moved on from there. As each batch was finished, it was dumped into a paper bag. For this particular batch, I used whole almonds, macadamias, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds. From beginning to end it took approx 45 minutes. Not terribly bad considering I got about 4 pounds of snacking heaven for my noshing hubby to enjoy.
Just look at these beauties with their delicately roasted pieces and bits of fresh-ground sea salt throughout… The almonds are perfectly toasted and dark with flavor. The macadamias have a glorious crunch, and the 2 types of seeds provide a nice second texture and depth that wouldn’t be there if this were strictly a nut blend. Even if we fell off the whole-food/paleo wagon tomorrow, I would continue to roast my own blends at home. It’s just *that* much better. Worth every minute spent.
The beauty of doing this at home is the infinite possibilities for different nuts and seeds as well as oils, spices, seasoning. The hubby requested just straight up salt this time so that’s all I used. Salt and a dash of macadamia nut oil. Yum!
no measurements here – just basic directions so you can forge your own path to roasted nut greatness!
raw nuts and seeds
oil (coconut, macadamia, almond, avocado, olive, sesame, etc)
salt
spices, as desired *
Heat oven to 375 and get out a cookie sheet that has sides (to keep the nuts and seeds from leaping off the pan and into the vast open spaces of the oven).
Keep your nuts/seeds separate until each is roasted. Cover the cookie sheet with your nut/seed of choice. You don’t want inches of nuts in there – try to keep it to one layer. Bake for 5-20 minutes, depending on the size of the nut or seed. Check every few minutes and stir to keep them from scorching. You might want to pull a few off each time you check to see if they have reached your desired roasting stage.
Once done, pour into a paper bag or large bowl. Repeat the process with remaining nuts/seeds.
Now that they are all roasted, it’s time for the oil and salt or spices. I use 1 Tbl oil per pound of nuts/seeds. Pour over the little darling and either shake the bag to coat or stir well in the bowl. Season to taste. 1/2-3/4 tsp salt per pound. Spices as desired. Shake/stir well to coat and then pour the contents onto the baking sheet. This time it will be much more than 1 layer deep, but that’s ok. We’re just popping the tray into the oven for 7-8 minutes to help the oil and seasonings to stick to the nuts and to dry them on there.
Remove from heat, set aside to cool, pack into a storage container and enjoy. Delicious, healthy, and so much better than anything you’d buy in the grocery store!
* Spice / seasoning ideas
cinnamon
Chinese 5 spice
garlic
italian herbs
cayenne pepper
curry powder
etc
Next time I’ll do a blend of cayenne, cinnamon, salt. A bit spicy, salt, and hot. Should be fabulous!