Spiced Nuts

Raw nuts are healthier than the roasted variety, as they contain more undamaged healthy Omega 3 and 6 fats.  Still, roasted are, in my opinion, tastier - especially when roasted at home, with just salt, herbs and spices, and no weird chemical additives.

So easy to do, as well.  Just heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in a pan.  I often use coconut oil, as it is very healthy, and the coconut scent is masked by the spices; otherwise ghee, sunflower or peanut oil are all good. Not olive oil, as it's not suitable for high temperatures.

Here are the spices I used today:

1/3 t cumin, 1 t paprika, 2 t salt, a shake of coarse ground black pepper, and a Tablespoon of maple syrup.

The spices are really down to your personal taste, but salt is a given.  I sometimes like smoked paprika with dried rosemary and chilli flakes, or cumin, coriander and cinnamon with a little honey.  The salty-sweet spice mix is, if possible, even yummier than just the salty version (and I normally love savoury much more than sweet flavours).

So, add the spices and heat for half a minute or so, until the scent has filled the house, before adding any combination of nuts.  Today I just had cashews, but I prefer mixing it up.  My favourite nuts are pecans and macadamias, but I also love hazelnuts, almonds and walnuts.

Stir the nuts until they're covered in the spicy mixture all over, then spread on a baking sheet (non-stick, if using anything sugary like honey or maple syrup; those things are bitches to clean up afterwards).  Bake for 15-20 minutes in a medium oven (170C, 150 fan, 350F), stirring once or twice with a wooden spoon.

Leave to cool and crisp up before serving.  Enjoy!

What kind of nuts do you like the best?  Which spices would you like to try? Let me know in the comments!