Positive Vibration Food - Honey Cinnamon Roasted Nuts (homemade!)

Well, it all comes upon so fast doesn't it? The holidays are practically here and for the most part, ready or not, we are going to dive into this season and make the most of whatever comes our way. Except the food - you can't make the most of bad food....

Food in general is one of those things that is vibration specific, if it's of a low or poor quality then it's essence is low or already gone. You simply cannot breathe new life into dead food. And I for one would never expect my body to eat something that doesn't have a positive frequency.

With this in mind it's always best to make as much of your holiday fare as possible - one of our favourites around here is nuts. Of course nuts are usually very good for you - however when heavily  processed they end up on the dark side of junk.

I enjoy salted as well as sweet or honeyed nuts - and they are so easy to make at home. I have mentioned here a few months ago the details of making your own roasted salted cashews - which are yummy and can be made in a few minutes or a few hours if soaking in brine.

And then there are Honey Roasted Cinnamon Nuts.....this is what makes the ultimate Yule time snack for us here and no holiday season would be complete without them. I kept myself busy yesterday making these and then enjoying the aroma of deliciousness!

To make this type of nuts get 2 cups of almonds or my favourites, pecans, walnuts and almonds - but keep them all separate from each other in different bowls. As long as you have 2 cups in total of all these nuts together.

You will need 2 tablespoons honey, 1 tablespoon oil (I use olive oil), 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, dash pepper. Preheat your oven to about 170C and prepare a baking sheet by covering with parchment paper. 

Mix all these ingredients (not the nuts) in a small saucepan and gently heat while stirring constantly until runny. Then spoon out evenly over each batch of nuts and toss the nuts into the sticky mixture, but still keep them separate because they require different cooking times. 

On the baking sheet, spoon out the nuts in different batches - the almonds will take the longest at about 15-17 minutes while other softer nuts take about 12-14 minutes. Watch them carefully once in the oven and take them out if they start to burn or darken too much. 

When ready, take out the softer nuts first and using a wooden spoon, lift them onto a piece of tin foil to cool. Separate them while you do this. After a few minutes all of the nuts will be cooling on the foil. Once cool you can mix them together in an air tight jar, add a tiny bit more salt if desired and they will keep for about a week or so.

These are so tasty, we can't stop eating them!

Enjoy,

April

Honey Roasted Cinnamon Nuts

Fig, Date & Walnut Loaf

I have loads of figs here and have been looking for ways to use them up - dates are no problem because we love them in date squares. I haven't tried making fig squares...perhaps that is next. However, I do like figs in breads and loaves as well as when making coconut balls.

With this in mind I decided to try my hand at making a loaf with figs and dates that would not be too heavy - I wanted it to be light, soft and while not overly sweet, just a nice tasting loaf. Sort of a dessert bread but also a bit of a treat.

What I also like about figs and dates is that they are so good for you full of necessary minerals and vitamins. I remember a time when this was my only indulgence during the week...and I looked forward to it like a little slice of heaven.

Well, they are still a slice of heaven - and divine when added to any recipe. Yesterday I made a little loaf of Fig, Date and Walnut bread for my taste tester to try out - and it got a thumbs up. So, now I can't wait to try it myself next week. 

Only a few more days to go with this detox and it's back to eating for me for a few days, then back to detox again. It is detox season and I like to give this all I've got - that's the only way to get the best results.

To make the bread I started out as usual with my 3 cups of flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt - but then because I was using figs and dates I decided to use cloves and nutmeg in place of cinnamon. Just for a little stronger flavour as well as the warming effects. 

Next I added chopped figs and dates to 1 cup of milk as well as some grated lemon, lemon juice and 1/4 cup of date syrup. In another bowl I whisked a duck egg which I then added to the soaking figs and dates. 

Once I was happy that the figs and dates were soaked, I poured this milk mixture into the flour blend and stirred until it was nearly mixed - when I added 1/3 cup of water and 2 tablespoons oil. I continued mixing until all was blended and then spooned the dough into loaf tins. 

Lastly I pressed chopped walnuts into the top of each loaf (to get them to stick) and put them into the hot oven. After baking for 30 minutes (mini loaves) it was done and smelled wonderful - next time I think I will omit the egg and add a little butter instead of the oil. Just to see if I can get the loaf even softer. But, it did turn out very nice as it is. 

April

Fig, Date & Walnut Loaf