Salted Roasted Cashews

I don't know about you, but for me, this is the perfect little snack.  Ten of these little cashews is just enough to give me a boost in the middle of the afternoon.  I was really excited to learn that these were easy to roast myself and thereby control all the ingredients for this perfect snack.  I also like them chopped as a garnish for a salad or some Asian flavored dishes.  These are really quick and easy to make.

Salted, Roasted Cashews
Makes 3 cups

3 cups raw cashews
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
3 teaspoons warm water
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
Pinch of Sea salt flakes

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Dissolve most of the salt in the warm water in a large bowl.  Add the cashews and toss well with the salted water.

Place the cashews on a sheet tray and bake for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.  Watch the nuts carefully near the end of the baking time since they will turn golden brown quite quickly.  Don't be afraid to add a few minutes to the bake time to achieve a golden brown color.

When the nuts are done, pour them back into the same bowl you started with and toss them with the olive oil and a few pinches of sea salt.  Allow the nuts to cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally, then store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks or in the refrigerator for 1 month.

Slightly adapted from Riki Shore

Our rating:

Energy Bars

With our quest to eat healthy, I have been trying to incorporate healthy snacks to keep our metabolism boosted through the day.  Gerry and I both work out every morning and most days I work out for two hours so by 10:00 a.m., I'm ready for a snack.  If I don't have a snack in the morning, I will definitely look for one in the afternoon.  Most times, I try to make it fresh fruit, or a combination of nuts and dried fruit, but sometimes it's nice to have something a little different.  Ellie Krieger's energy bars fill that little craving wonderfully.

Energy Bars
Makes 20 bars, each about 3 x 1 1/2 inches

cooking spray
1 cup oats, rolled, quick cooking
1/2 cup sunflower seeds, shelled, unsalted, raw
1/2 cup wheat germ, toasted
1/4 cup flour, whole-wheat pastry, or whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup apricots, dried
1/2 cup almonds, raw
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup dates, pitted and whole, dried
1/2 cup milk, fat-free, powdered
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 large eggs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Coat a 9 x 13-inch pan baking pan with ooking spray.  Place all the ingredients, except the maple syrup and eggs, in a food processor and pulse entil everything is finel chopped.  add the syrup and eggs and pulse until the mixture is well combined.  It will resemble a coarse paste.

Transfer to the baking pan and spread evenly to cover the bottom.  Bake until lightly browned, about 20 minutes.  Allow to cool for 15 minutes then cut into 20 bars.  Store in an airtight container for about 3 days or wrap individually and freeze.