Chef Nige: Curry Ginger Almonds

Curry Ginger Almonds What better way to celebrate our month of Metabolism and Energy than sharing one of my favorite energy-boosting snacks? While the process of metabolism involves much more than just eating, what we eat, plays a key role in how we convert our food into energy. A balanced diet, a self care routine, and exercise all come into play for maximized energy, and a good snack to give us fuel for our day can be just as important. A 1oz or so portion (about a small handful) of these almonds will help your body repair itself after a workout, or just keep you feeling alive throughout the day. Almonds are full of good fats to help keep you full, as well as energy promoting nutrients, like vitamin E, magnesium, vitamin B2, niacin and folate. (They don’t call almonds a SUPERFOOD for nothin’!) Bragg’s Liquid Aminos offers you a natural low sodium alternative to soy sauce (it’s also made up of naturally occurring amino acids), and a dash of energy packed honey contains trace minerals and antioxidants. Nettle, ginger, and curry spices add a huge “POW” of vitamins and minerals to help boost immunity, improve energy levels and metabolism, and improve circulation. Adding in some coconut oil can be beneficial as it is full of medium chain fatty acids, helping to support thyroid function, essential for a good metabolism and energy. So grab a handful and get movin'! Curry Ginger Almonds Recipe: Ingredients: 16oz raw whole almonds 1 teaspoon ground/powdered ginger 1 teaspoon curry powder 1 teaspoon nettle powder 1/4 teaspoon sea salt 1 tablespoon Safflower Oil, Sunflower oil, or non GMO canola oil 1 Tablespoon Coconut Oil 1.5 Tablespoons Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (or 1 Tablespoon Tamari) 1 teaspoon honey Method: Set oven to 250 degrees. Move one of your racks to center in the oven. Grab a baking sheet pan, line with foil, set aside. Grab a large bowl. Place all your dry ingredients into bowl and blend them a little with a fork or spoon. Set aside. Grab a small bowl. Whisk honey and Bragg’s (or Tamari) together with your fork to combine. Set aside. In a sauté pan (non stick or heavy bottom skillet), heat to medium/low heat and add your oils. Allow oil to heat up (about a minute or two). Once oil is warmed up, add in almonds and toss to get them nicely coated in oil. Toss a few more times for about five minutes on medium/low heat. These will start smelling nice and fragrant. Give your Bragg’s honey mixture a little stir again, add it to pan, toss immediately to coat. Keep tossing these a couple more times for about 1-2 minutes until the liquid is mostly evaporated and your almonds are a little dry and sticky. Turn off heat. Pour Almonds into your bowl that is holding your dry spice mix. Toss almonds and spices in bowl to coat. After getting these babies nice and coated, transfer them to your baking sheet, and spread in a single layer. Place pan into your oven on that center rack, close up shop, and set your timer for 20 minutes. When your timer goes off, pull pan out and allow pan and almonds to cool on a heat safe surface (At least 30 minutes). Once cool, snack on some and eventually transfer to an air tight container. (Note: you can also toss in a little more ginger powder for an extra kick!) These will keep at least a few days and remain nice and flavorful and crunchy. They will also keep nicely in your airtight container in the freezer for about a month before losing some flavor. *Eat in 1 oz. portions for an afternoon snack, on top of salads, in sautés, mashed up over soups and curries…. Add a tasty energy boost and crunch to your meals and snacks and feel good while doin' it! Nige