Food Blog Dot Com

FoodBlogDotCom

Food Blog Dot Com is written
by Lin Ennis, a writer passionate
about good food, healthful
food and food as medicine.

( Food Lovers Only )

Snacks

Snacks

Toasting Almonds

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I’m making one of my new favorite snacks. I learned this from Cheryl in an exercise class. The main ingredient is raw, shelled almonds. A three-pound bag at Sam’s Club or Costco is about $9.00. The secret ingredient is Ume Plum Vinegar. Sound exotic (i.e., expensive)? It’s only about $3.25 a bottle! I found it at our local natural foods store, but it is also available online from Eden Organic. Pour about a pound of almonds into a 2-quart bowl. Sprinkle a tablespoon or two of Ume Plum Vinegar onto the nuts. I don’t measure this. The bottle’s design is perfect for shaking a small amount of vinegar. You can add more, but I don’t know that there’s such a thing as too much. (More vinegar will result in a darker, almost black finished nut; less and they remain golden.) Stir well, till all the nuts are coated. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet (cookie sheet). Toast in a 350 degree oven (not preheated) for about 20 minutes, until the almonds smell toasted and are crunchy when cooled. (Too little toasting will leave them soft-ish). I’m at 4300 feet elevation, so my altitude may influence the amount of time it takes. I set a timer, but go by the doneness of the nuts…start with 15 minutes. Test by pulling 3-4 nuts out to cool, bite, and decide whether to continue toasting until you get the time that’s right for you. I prefer them slightly undertoasted to overtoasted. If you let them roast too long, they’ll be very dry, almost powdery, while chewing. (Have drinking water handy!) What’s great about this recipe is the almonds come out with no taste of vinegar but with plenty saltiness without your having to add oil to make salt stick! The Ume Plum Vinegar has 1050 mg of sodium per teaspoon! That’s about the same amount as 1/2 teaspoon of table salt. These toasted almonds are a huge hit with guests. People can’t stop munching on them. I keep a dish of them out all them time. Tips:

CARA CARA MI AMOR

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I’ve fallen in love with a new food. Just this winter did I run a taste test on apple varieties to decide which I like best. I’d never thought to run such a test on navel oranges. I mean, they’re navel oranges, aren’t they? Then I cut one open that was more red than a pink grapefruit (Texas pink grapefruit are the best…I like Florida for oranges). I thought about blood oranges, which have become fashionable in high-end restaurants for glazes, etc. This orange was the sweetest, tastiest I recalled ever eating. The white pulp was tender and filling (citrus white linings are supposed to help reduce cravings when you’re quitting smoking). The checkout code said “Cara Cara.” The next morning I cut open my second Cara Cara. It was as salmon-colored and sweet as the first. I went from a person who knew navel oranges came in different sizes, but not different varieties, to being totally enamored with this variety. I don’t know where I got them, but I’m sure they were on sale, because that’s how I buy oranges. I asked the produce manager at Basha’s if they had Cara Caras. He said they come in in April. Every website I’ve seen talking about them say the middle of winter–December and January. I recommend you look for them everytime you go to the store. When you find them, make note of the season. I’ve read they are not good if purchased at the end of the season (last summer’s peaches all rotted from the inside out after the first picking–I quit buying them after doing some Internet research on the cause of the blight). When you find Cara Caras, please let us know when and where. And tell us, are they a new love for you?