Nutty Goodness

Sweet Nutty Goodness

Snacks you depend on to get you through those between meal periods can get repetitive and put you into an eating slump. They just get boring sometimes! Almonds, or nuts in general are one of those snacks - they are great for you, do wonders, give you that nutrition you need to keep you going, but they just get plain and boring. Try out these sweet roasted nuts that have a little kick to them next time! Oh... and they kinda taste nice with a nice cold beverage in the summer :)

Ingredients

4 Cups Almonds (or you can have a mixture of different ones!)

1/2 Cup Raw Honey

3/4 Tsp Cayenne Pepper

3/4 Tsp Kosher Salt

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and lightly grease it with coconut oil, or other oil you may have. Since you are working with honey, you don't want it to stick and rip the paper.
2. Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees.
3. In a saucepan, melt the honey over medium-low heat - ensure it doesn't boil. Add in the nuts and the cayenne pepper and completely coat all the nuts with the melted honey.
4. Pour honey-nut mixture onto the baking sheet and spread out evenly into a single layer.
5. Bake for approximately 10 minutes and remove from the oven. Immediately place the nuts in a large bowl and toss with the salt. Place it back down on the baking sheet and allow to cool.
6. Occasionally stir them around to prevent clumping. Once cooled - eat up or store into snack packs!

Almond Butter Awesome Cups

ALMOND BUTTER CUPS

Reese Peanut Butter Cups are overrated, try these little morsels of awesomeness!! You can RX these cups by coating the bottom of the muffin cups with chocolate as well to completely surround the nut butter filling (Thanks Carm for that little tidbit!). These taste best when taken right from the fridge.

Ingredients
For the Filling:
3/4 Cups Ground Almonds
1/4 Cup Gluten-free Oats, ground
2 Tbsp Almond Butter
1-1/2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
1.5 Tbsp Maple Syrup
1/2 Tsp Pure Vanilla
Pinch Sea Salt (I use Maldon Sea Salt)

For the Topping:
3 Tbsp Coconut Oil
3 Tbsp Maple Syrup
2 Tbsp Cocoa Powder
Pinch Sea Salt

Method
Use paper or silicone muffin cups to make these. I use the smaller sized muffin cups to make 2 bite awesome cups.

1. In a bowl, combine all the filling ingredients thoroughly, it should resemble the consistency of cookie dough.
2. Once filling is mixed, place a tablespoon of the filling into each muffin cup. Set aside.
3. For the topping, melt together the coconut oil, maple syrup and cocoa powder until completely combined and smooth. Spoon chocolate over each cup.
4. Finish off the awesomeness with sprinkling a pinch of sea salt over the middle of each cup and pop in the fridge to harden before scoffing them down!

Groovy Granola

GROOVY GRANOLA

This is another great snack idea to have on hand for when you get the munchies. They are, what some call "moreish" - meaning when you start eating it, you want more! The seeds and nuts can be interchanged with any of your favourite nuts or seeds - you can even switch out the cranberries for another favourite dried fruit as well. 

Ingredients
1 Cup Raw & Slivered Almonds
1 Cup Macadamia Nuts
1 Cup Chopped Pecans
1 Cup Unsalted Sunflower Seeds (hulled)
1 Cup Raw Pepitas (Pumpkin Seeds hulled)
1 Cup Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
1 Tbsp Flax Seeds
1/4 Cup Sesame Seeds
1 Cup Organic Dried Cranberries
1/4 Cup Raw Honey
1/4 Cup Butter Unsalted
1/8 Tsp Ground Cloves
1/8 Tsp Ground Nutmeg
1/2 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
Cacao Nibs (optional)

Method
In a bowl beat the eggs until they are frothy (they'll have little bubbles in them) and add in the liquid ingredients of coconut milk, vanilla and honey.

1. Pre-heat your oven to 325F. In the meantime, cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper, enough that the paper goes up the sides a bit above the lip of the baking sheet.
2. Combine all the nuts, seeds, coconut flakes, and spices in a large bowl, with the exception of the cranberries and flax seeds.
3. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt together the raw honey and butter, stirring until they are completed melted. Pour the honey-butter mixture into the bowl and stir until well incorporated. Should be sticking together in chunks, no dry bits.
4. Pour the mixture onto the parchment paper and spread it out so it is even allowing for equal baking on all areas.
5. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes, or until slightly brown - you don't want to over bake this! At the 15 minute mark, check on it and give it a bit of a stir to ensure even browning. Add in the dried cranberries and the flax seeds evenly and continue to bake for another 5-10 minutes.
6. Remove the pan from the oven. At this point the granola is still loose enough that you could mix in some cacao nibs if you wish. Allow granola to cool thoroughly before transferring into an airtight container that can be stored at room temperature....if it makes it that far without it going straight into your belly!