Spiced Roasted Walnuts

#glutenfreen #dairyfree

These are one of my favourite additions to any cheese board or salad. They are slightly spiced, slightly salted, and slightly sweet. It doesn’t get much more-ish than that. They pair perfectly with a rocket, pear, and parmesan salad, crumbled atop a roast vegetable salad, or as an accompaniment to any cheese board. Candied or spiced walnuts are often made with a lot of butter, but these brain-healthy babies are made with egg white in place of butter, making them dairy-free and a little lighter than usual. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

4 cups of walnuts

½ cup of coconut sugar

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon of onion powder

¼ teaspoon of garlic powder

¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon of flaky sea salt

1 egg white

1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 150°C. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
2. In a bowl, mix together the coconut sugar, sea salt, cinnamon, cayenne, garlic and onion powder until combined.
3. In another bowl, whisk together egg white and vanilla essence until combined.
4. Pour the egg mixture along with the sugar and spice mixture into the walnuts and toss until the walnuts are completely coated in the sugar and egg mixture.
5. Spread the walnuts out evenly on the baking tray and bake for 20 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven, and stir the walnuts.
7. Return to the oven and bake for a further 5 minutes.
8. Cool the walnuts in the tray on a baking rack.
9. Enjoy them as they are, or store them in an airtight Tupperware for up to 2 weeks.
10. Enjoy!

Nutrition Bite: Walnuts are the nuts with the highest antioxidant levels, making them a great free-radical scavenging food to add to the diet. They are also a fantastic plant-based source of omega-3 fatty acids. Walnuts are known to be beneficial for the brain, and some believe it is no coincidence that the shells of the walnut look like mini brains, giving a hint to the goodness they provide within!