What's better than a crunchy, slightly sweet, slightly spicy cluster of nuts and seeds? Nothing, that's what.
These lovely nuts are very easy to whip up and you can go ahead and use whichever nut/seed combo you'd like. I've gone with cashews as my main nut, pumpkin seeds as my main seed and just a few almonds to jazz things up a bit. Pecans or walnuts would go beautifully here, so would sunflower seeds, hemp hearts, flax seeds, pistachios, brazil nuts, you name it.
Turmeric is a spice that absolutely everyone loves right now, and not only for it's warming, kinda spicy qualities. It's wonderful for fighting inflammation and a great source of antioxidants, aiding in everything from joint pain to cardiovascular health. It's easy to use in most dishes - certainly traditional Indian dishes, like Curries, but you can also throw a few shakes into stir fries, scrambled eggs, homemade dips like hummus, fermented veggies like sauerkraut or kvass and certainly in snack foods like roasted nuts!
Combine about 2 tsp of turmeric with a pinch of sea salt and a pinch of chili flakes. Warm the spices over med-low heat for a few minutes, until a lovely aroma starts to fill your kitchen, then add 2 tbsp of coconut oil.
When the coconut oil and spices have melted, add about 1 tbsp of coconut nectar. Now, I love coconut nectar. It's a great low glycemic substitute for sticky, syrupy sugars. This recipe benefits from it's consistency, as we're going for a cluster vibe. Honey will work well here if you don't have coconut nectar, however, I especially love the combo of low glycemic sugar with high fats like coconut oil and nuts. This makes this snack ultra satisfying, satiating and guilt free.
Combine the nuts & seeds with the turmeric/coconut oil and stir until well coated.
Spread on a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
Bake at 300 degrees F for about 20 - 25 minutes, checking on them often to ensure they aren't burning. Every oven is different, and yours may take a bit more time than mine to roast to perfection, so don't worry if you need to let them bake for a bit longer, just note this down for next time. Make sure to stir them around at the half way mark.
As soon as they come out of the oven, sprinkle them with sea salt and a bit of coconut sugar, if you've got it. Again, coconut sugar is an lovely low-glycemic sugar that acts as a wonderful substitute to cane sugar. This gives the nuts a bit of crunch and texture. Yum!
Let them sit on the tray for about 10 mins to cool and crisp up.
And then eat away! These guys are great on their own but also as salad toppers, combined with coconut flakes as a wonderful paleo granola or as an addition to a muesli (just combine with rolled oats, dried fruit and yogurt!).
Sweet & Spicy Turmeric Nuts
- 2 tsp turmeric
- Pinch of sea salt
- Pinch of chili flakes
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tbsp coconut nectar
- 1.5 cups raw cashews
- 1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
- 1/2 cup raw almonds
- Sprinkle of coconut sugar (optional)
- In a medium saucepan, heat turmeric, sea salt & chili flakes on med-low until lightly toasted, about 3 - 4 minutes
- Add coconut oil and melt, stirring constantly
- Add coconut nectar and stir to combine
- Add nuts and seeds and stir to combine
- Spread nuts on a parchment-lined cookie sheet
- Bake at 300F for about 20 minutes, stirring half way through
- Sprinkle hot nuts with another pinch of sea salt and a pinch of coconut sugar (I highly recommend!)
- Rest on the tray for 10 minutes to cool
Enjoy!
