Crispy Rosemary Walnuts – Converting a Walnut Hater

Crispy Rosemary Walnuts

As long as I can remember I've hated walnuts.  Since they're considered a healthy nut and loaded with antioxidants, I've always wanted to like them, but I could detect their unique icky taste and texture the minute they were in my mouth, even if they were well-hidden.

Until I tried these crispy rosemary walnuts.  My friend, Janice, brought them to our local chapter's yearly “sample night”.  She doesn't like walnuts either, but said she loves these.  I didn't really believe her, but decided to try them anyway.

Wow.

They're full of flavor with a little spicy bite, and so crispy they melt in your mouth.  I couldn't stop eating them and for days afterward just wanted to get some walnuts so I could make my own batch.

Well I finally tried the recipe and I'm actually munching on my very own crispy rosemary walnuts as I type this!

I was reading up on Walnuts and saw this:

A study has suggested that consumption of walnuts increases fat oxidation and reduces carbohydrate oxidation without affecting total consumption, suggesting that walnut consumption may improve the use of body fat in overweight adults.”

Good so far, right?  But then I saw this and they lost all credibility:

On October 11, 2006, Science Daily published a report which stated “New research shows that consuming a handful of raw walnuts along with meals high in saturated fat appears to limit the ability of the harmful fat to damage arteries,” and attributed the result to a 2006 article in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. The lead researcher, Emilio Ros, MD, PhD, was quoted as saying “People would get the wrong message if they think that they can continue eating unhealthy fats provided they add walnuts to their meals.” Funding for the study was provided by the California Walnut Commission, an industry marketing agency.”  (Source)

When will the saturated fat bashing stop?!  (Read more here:  Healthy Fats and Oils – Learn the Truth!)  Oh well, I do know that walnuts are reeeally good for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits anyway, and this recipe has my beloved butter to make them even better, so there!

Print Recipe

Crispy Rosemary Walnuts

These walnuts make a great anytime snack, they are full of flavor and have a little spicy bite.  Even walnut haters will love the robust flavor.  Recipe shared with permission from Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon Morell. (With my recipe tweaks.)

Servings: 4 cups

Author: Janice via Kelly the Kitchen Kop

Ingredients

• ****You will need to start with crispy walnuts. See instructions below.
• 4 cups crispy walnuts, find organic raw walnuts here – By the way, I was out of walnuts another time and tried this recipe with pecans and they were also to. die. for.
• 4 Tablespoons butter
• 2-3 Tablespoons fresh or dried rosemary – chopped small
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1/2 – 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper , how much depends on how spicy you want it – here's the cayenne pepper we use

Instructions

• Melt butter with rosemary, salt and cayenne pepper.  Toss with crispy walnuts, spread on a cookie sheet (I use parchment paper on my stainless steel cookie sheets).
• Bake at 350* for about 40-50 minutes, turning them once or twice, and get them out when they're a darker brown and nice and crispy.  Be careful not to let them burn. They may take less time in your oven so test it out the first time! Store in an airtight container.

Notes

To make Crispy Nuts:

Soak raw nuts overnight with 1 Tablespoon sea salt and enough filtered water to cover them well.  Normally you'd dry in a 150* oven or dehydrator until crispy-licous (to retain enzymes), but for this recipe I just do them faster for 15 minutes at 350* since that's what I cook them at after tossing with the other ingredients.

To retain nutrients you *could* also do the last step in the lower-temp oven or dehydrator, I'm usually too impatient though!

Try these crispy rosemary walnuts and let me know if you're now addicted too?

And tell me, if you didn't like some food in the past, what got you to change your mind about that food?

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