Try this easy recipe for gussied up party nuts

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Have you had enough sugar this month? There has been a lot of it going around since Thanksgiving. Actually, since Halloween. Candies, pies, and cookies seem to be plentiful at every holiday party and get-together.

While I don’t have as big of a sweet tooth as I used to, I do enjoy the once-a-year treats that are making their cameo appearance this time of year. Mincemeat pie is my all-time favorite wintertime indulgence, but I doubt I will make that this year. I’ve become obsessed with nuts.

Nuts? Yes, nuts. One of my goals this year was to incorporate more healthy fats into my (and my family’s) diet. “Good” fats come from fish and plant sources, like nuts, that include a high proportion of monounsaturated fats and omega-3s.

These good fats offer health-protective benefits to our bodies. They help keep our brains sharp, our hearts healthy, and our skin smooth.

So, you may be wondering, what’s the deal with nuts? Most nuts are packed with protein, so they are a great portable, easy to store, and easy to pack nutritious snack on the go.

In addition to unsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids, nuts also contain fiber which helps lower cholesterol and helps you feel full longer so you eat less. According to the Mayo Clinic website, the plant sterols in nuts also help lower cholesterol – a double whammy!

Nuts contain good amounts of Vitamin E and L-arginine which both help improve artery health by curtailing the development of plaque and keeping artery walls flexible.

My family and I have long enjoyed peanuts, almonds, cashews and walnuts. But since learning about the health benefits of nuts, we’ve tried to add pecans, hazelnuts, pistachios, and macadamia nuts more regularly to our diets and found them all to be delicious.

The best way to consume nuts is when they are raw. Sometimes raw nuts can be hard for some folks to digest, so dry roasting them is the next best alternative. The nutritional benefit is about the same as raw but roasted nuts are easier to digest, according to the book “Encyclopedia of Healing Foods.”

Dry roasting simply means roasting nuts in dry heat without any added oil or other ingredients. The easiest way for me to dry roast nuts that I buy in bulk is by spreading them on a piece of aluminum foil and toasting them in my toaster oven for a few minutes. After they cool, the nuts are lightly toasted and deliciously crunchy.

This week’s recipe, because it does involve a little butter, salt, and sugar, falls under the once-in-a-while treat category for nut consumption. Think of it as nuts getting gussied up for the holidays.

I found this on the Allrecipes.com website and discovered it made a very addicting batch. These are so good you may, like me, pass on that piece of pie and go for the good stuff: nuts.

Sweet, Salty, Spicy Party Nuts

Ingredients:

• Cooking spray
• 1 cup untoasted walnut halves
• 1 cup untoasted pecan halves
• 1 cup unsalted, dry roasted almonds
• 1 cup unsalted, dry roasted cashews
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly coat with cooking spray. Combine walnut halves, pecan halves, almonds, and cashews in a large bowl. Add salt, black pepper, cumin, and cayenne pepper; toss to coat.

Heat sugar, water, and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until the butter is melted. Cook for 1 minute and remove from heat. Slowly pour butter mixture over the bowl of nuts and stir to coat. Transfer nuts to the prepared baking sheet and spread into a single layer.

Bake nuts in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Stir nuts until the warm syrup coats every nut. Spread into a single layer, return to the oven, and bake until nuts are sticky and roasted, about 6 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.