Let's Get Roasting - It's Snack Time

Tonight, I decided to experiment with some homemade roasted nut/bean snacks. Have you ever noticed the markup between raw bulk nuts and the fancier spiced ones at the market? Well I'm here to tell you that it's easier, fresher and healthier to take the bulk and make your own mixes! Controlling what goes in to these snacks should not be under rated. You can control the salt and the spices to your liking...yahoo! I find Indian snacks from the market like roasted chickpeas and curry nuts too spicy and here I have control.

Let's for a moment talk about nuts - They are calorie dense so tread carefully. They are an excellent source of protein and unsaturated fats like omega-3, which can reduce the bad cholesterol in your system. So stick to 1-2 oz per day and you're on your way - heart healthy snacks, here we are!

Curried Cashews - Combine 0.5 tbsp of olive oil, 1.5 cups of raw cashews, 1/2 tsp of tumeric, salt, coriander, cumin (each), 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper. Roast in oven at 350 for 12 minutes (stirring once at 6mins). Cool and serve. Spicy and delicious. Refer down to the benefits of curry spices. You'll be surprised!

Rosemary Garlic Almonds - Melt 1/2 tbsp margarine in a skillet, add 1 tbsp fresh minced rosemary and 1 minced clove of garlic. Heat until aromatic. Add 1.5 cups raw almonds and 1/2 tsp of salt. Stir and mix well for 1 minute over heat. Add 2 tsp worcestire sauce and mix well. Place on cookie sheet in single layer. Roast at 350 for 8 minutes. Cool and serve. Amazing savory mix, these are my favourite.

Spicy Roasted Chickpeas - 1 15 oz can of chickpeas, drain, rinse and pat dry. Mix with 1 tbsp olive oil, 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper and 1/2 tsp of garlic salt. Mix well and put in single layer on cookie sheet. Roast at 350 for 20 minutes. Flip the chickpeas. Crank heat up to 450 and roast for an additional 15 minutes. This will dry them out and make them a crispy spicy snack! Remember to cool before you eat or your tongue will be in for a rude awakening!

Curry for Company

Ever been to an Indian dinner party and thought, wow, this must have taken forever? Well, guess again! Some curry staples like mixed vegetable curry is much easier and less time consuming than you would imagine. Unless of course, you start with fresh spices and pull out the mortar and pestle...

You also may not know all the health benefits to the spices contained in a curry powder or garam masala mix. Tumeric, for example, has been associated with healing properties and has been used to heal cuts and burns. It's also thought that it may be helpful in treating, possibly curing, Alzheimers! So many other spices in the Indian store spice blends to think about - cinnamon, black pepper, anise, allspice, asafoetida, cardamom, chili pepper, clover, coriander and cumin. I encourage you to google the healing benefits of each of these spices and think - "Holy smokes, this one Indian dish will combine them all!" Here's a start - http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Health-Benefits-of-Curry&id=423844 Now on to the food. Here's a simple recipe for a vegetable curry. Add whatever beans/vegetables you like. You can even get paneer (homemade Indian cheese) from the market, should that be desired.

Vegetable Curry - This makes a lot! It freezes well and lasts a while in the fridge, the spices actually act as a preservative...interesting little tid bit, huh?

3 Onions, chopped

4 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp tumeric
1/4 tsp cayenne

1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro

1 15 oz can crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup non fat yogurt
4 cups of mixed vegetables and beans (I used, potatoes, carrots, frozen corn, frozen green beans, frozen peas and chickpeas)

Puree the onions and garlic with a little bit of water in a blender. Heat oil in a large saucepan. When oil is heated, at the pureed mixture (careful of splatter). Cook, stirring for about 5 minutes. Mixture will start to change colour. Add the cumin seeds, cook and stir for a minute and then add the remaining spices, the crushed tomatoes and the yogurt. You can alter the spice combination to make it a little spicier or less spicy depending on your preference. Bring the mixture to a boil and add the "hard" vegetables like potatoes, turnips, carrots, etc. Add water to cover the top of all the vegetables. Simmer until the vegetables are tender. Then add the beans and frozen vegetables and heat through. Serve on top of brown rice, basmati rice, quinoa or maybe with a little naan bread. I usually top with some nonfat yogurt or nonfat cottage cheese and a mint chutney. Chutney recipes to follow shortly, promise!

When you add a starch (e.g., rice, naan) to serve with the carb count will go up. So I tend to do more curry, less starch. Sometimes no starch at all, especially if I add the potatoes. This curry on it's own has some good ratios - 22g carbs; 10g protein; 5g fat.