I love making salads and it's just coming to that time of year when fresh produce will be ready.
This is probably one of my favorite tips that I will pass along, as who doesn't enjoy nuts on a salad.
But what really gets me is when you find a new recipe and at the end of the recipe it suggests that you add roasted nuts and it's just like one extra step to make, but you know that it's worth it.
So a few years back, I started to buy my nuts in bulk and about once or twice a year I take an hour or so and roast nuts on large cookie sheets, making a variety and packaging them in Ziploc bags and freezing them. They maintain their flavor and texture very well and you always have them available.
Slivered Almonds
- Preheat oven to 350°
- 3 cups (750 grams) of sliced almonds on a cookie sheet.
- Spread almonds evenly on a cookie sheet.
- Bake for up to 15-20 minutes, checking and stirring every 3 minutes.
- In the end, check more regularly till they are the desired color.
- Remove from oven and let them cool and then store in Ziploc bags and freeze.
Coconut
- Preheat oven to 325°
- 2 cups (500 grams) of coconut flakes on a baking sheet.
- The flakes will toast very quickly (5-10 minutes)
- After a few minutes stir the coconut frequently.
- Sweetened flakes take less time because the sugar speeds up the toasting process.
Sugared Almonds
- 2 cups whole almonds
- 2/3 cup sugar
- Place nuts and sugar into a frying pan on low heat, stirring constantly until the sugar is melted and the almonds are coated. (15 minutes)
- Place almond mixture on parchment paper and let cool.
- Once they are cooled you can either chop them into smaller pieces or leave them whole.
- Store in a container in the fridge or freezer.
This is one of my favorite nut mixtures. But, you need to hide these, because they are like candy and very hard to keep around once my family knows they are in the fridge.
Toss your nuts on your favorite salad...
and remember how easy it is when you make them in advance.
I've always wondered about toasting nuts. Never have them on hand when recipes call for them. Thanks for the info...and the encouragement to do it!
ReplyDeleteLove toasted nuts in salads thanks for the great tip so nice to have handy in the freezer!
ReplyDeleteHow entirely brilliant and how simple too - thank you!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tutorial. I love to eat them out of hand, on yogurt and with my ceral. Toasting just makes them better.
ReplyDeleteFor small batches in my one-person household, I toast them in a fry pan on stovetop. You have to stay with them, on medium low heat.
Sharon
Marg, I've never really thought about it, but some kind of nuts, if not several kinds, are always in my freezer. I just never thought of them as a staple.
ReplyDeleteI usually make a large batch of sugared almonds, and I also label them, just like you. But our family joke, is..... when our daughter, was just learning to read, she saw the bag of "sugared nuts" and asked me, "what are cigared nuts"? Oh the English language is so tricky - why would the "s" in sugar be pronounced like "sh"?
ReplyDeleteI toast nuts frequently in the microwave! I know that they aren't technically "toasted", but don't tell my taste buds! They are awesome! I just lay them out on a plate and stir every now and then. I can't even tell you for how long because sometimes I toss them in frozen so they take longer. I can always tell by the smell (and taste) when they are done.
ReplyDelete