Roasted Spiced Almonds

Nuts over nuts.
Frustrated with the amount of oil and salt in most roasted almonds out there (not to mention the price), I decided to venture out and make my own. Here are the results:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Step One: The Line-up

You will need:

Don't forget the almonds!

Step Two: Assembly
In a large bowl, add spices. Mix in olive oil until you have a nice, homogeneous paste. Add your raw almonds and mix. It's messy, but hands are really best for this.

Step Three: Roast

Spread your seasoned almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet like this:

Roast in a 350 degree F oven. Be sure to shake the pan or stir the almonds every 5 minutes of cooking. After 20 minutes they should be deliciously roasted and look like this:

I wish you could smell these! The cinnamon and coriander gives them almost a floral aroma, and the taste is heavenly. Be careful, but I encourage you to NOT wait until these are cool to taste them - they are delicious hot.

Once you've got the technique down, you can do just about any nut and any spice mix. Try these:
Keep the recipe above, but add 1/4 t cayenne powder for a spicy version!
2 T Chinese 5 spice powder = Asian Almonds
2 T curry powder = Indian Almonds
1/2 cu sugar and 1 T cinnamon = Candied Almonds (Pecans also work well with this!)
A packet of powdered ranch dip mix or onion soup mix would make interesting hors d'oeuvres!

Use your imagination! But definitely try the first recipe above!

Enjoy!

Sunday Saver - Japanese Curry Rice

Ok, it's not Sunday, but you could be reading this on Sunday. Or planning a meal for Sunday. Or... oh, you get the point. Plus, it doesn't need to be Sunday for you to enjoy this cheap and easy comfort meal.

I lived in Japan one semester of college, and my favorite meal was karerisu. Curry Rice. I must've eaten the stuff 3 or 4 times a week, so it was like going through withdrawls when I returned home. But I dreamed about it. Asked for it at every sushi joint I visited. And then. In the least likely of places, I found it.

Well, least likely would be like the top of the alps or something. But I found it in Disney World. And it was just as good as I remembered. Which inspired me to think I could recreate it. And this is my vegan attempt:

Ingredients:
1 red onion
2 lb potatoes (I prefer white or red new potatoes)
3 large carrots

2 T vegetable oil
2 T whole wheat flour
2 T curry powder (maharajah if you can find it)
8 oz tomato paste (1 small can)
1/2 cu apple sauce (the SECRET ingredient!)

1/2 cu peas
S&P

1 cu brown rice (I used Nishiki brand brown sushi rice)

Mise en place makes me happy.

1. Rinse your rice until the water runs clear. Add 1 cu rice and 2 cu water to a rice cooker and turn on. If you don't have one (why don't you, mine cost $10!) you can make this in a pot; be sure to stir occasionally until all water is absorbed.

2. Dice your carrots, onion, and potatoes into near equal sized chunks.


3. In a pan over medium high heat (make sure this one can hold at least 5 cups of stuff), add 1 T oil, onions and carrots. Cook for 5 minutes.






4. Add your diced potatoes and 3 cu of water. Simmer until potatoes are soft, about 15 minutes.

5. In another pan over medium heat, add the remaining 1 T of oil, 2 T curry powder, 2 T whole wheat flour, 2 T tomato paste, and the 1/2 cu applesauce (the SECRET to delicious curry). Whisk to form a roux. Add water from the potato pot to thin out roux. Once roux is thinned enough to mix with potato pot, add to potato pot. It will be thin at first, but your patience will be rewarded.












Thin.

Thick.

Add your peas and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Serve alongside the rice.

It tasted pretty darn close to the original.

And sure, if you have to invest in curry powder just for this recipe, it might not be budget friendly initially. But you'll thank me later (curry your couscous, your chickpeas, your ramen noodles).


Enjoy!