Smoky Mixed Nuts

I don’t often have a snack recipes on the blog, so you’d better believe this is a good one! Seriously, though, who has time to cook snacks? You buy snacks that are mostly pre-packaged that you can reach for when you’re hungry. It’s not healthy, but it’s quick and easy.

If you know me, you know that I love Doritos, Cheez Its, Coke, burgers, and all sorts of other unhealthy stuff. You may or may not know that I also like healthy foods, like fruits and veggies, fish, etc., and actually try pretty hard to eat a “balanced” diet (whatever that means). Sadly, all of the healthy foods that I love require some sort of prep to eat. Someone with better planning skills may pre-cut their veggies for easy snacking, but I am not a great planner (though I’m working on it). What do I do instead? I carefully select my snack foods so I mostly have things in the house that are easy to grab and I don’t feel too guilty about eating: dried fruits, nuts, seaweed snacks (yeah, I’m weird, I know), and some processed stuff like crackers and Snap Pea Crisps.

Of all of these snacks, nuts are my favorite. Why, you ask? Aside from the fact that they are delicious, they really fill you up. I stash little snack-sized pouches of almonds from Trader Joe’s in my purse, car, and desk, and eat them whenever I’m hungry. I did a quick Internet search, and came across this page from Mayo Clinic about some of the health benefits of nuts, if you didn’t already know that they’re pretty good for you (in moderation).

Raw nuts can be kind of boring, so one day I thought I’d spice them up a little bit. I was pretty satisfied with the outcome using just two spices (smoked paprika and salt), and a little truffle oil. I made enough to eat throughout the week, and they kept well in an airtight container on the counter for that amount of time.

I really love smoked paprika, which is much more flavorful than regular paprika. If you don’t have smoked paprika, you can play around with the recipe and see what you like. I think almost any spice would work well, but some ideas are cumin, chili powder, and coriander.

Put the nuts and oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the salt and paprika, and stir frequently. Cook until the paprika becomes fragrant, then remove from the heat.