Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (22 page)
Read Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans Online
Authors: Michelle Tam,Henry Fong
Tags: #Cookbooks; Food & Wine, #Cooking by Ingredient, #Natural Foods, #Special Diet, #Allergies, #Gluten Free, #Paleo, #Food Allergies, #Gluten-Free, #Healthy
MAPLE-SPICED WALNUTS
These glazed walnuts add a bright, crunchy sweetness to your dishes—and they’re dead simple to make.
| Makes ¾ cup | 6 ounces raw walnuts |
| Hands-on time: 20 minutes | 2 tablespoons maple syrup |
| Total time: 20 minutes | 1 tablespoon melted ghee or coconut oil |
| ½ teaspoon kosher salt | |
| ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper |
DO THIS:
- P
reheat the oven to
350
°F with the rack in the middle position. - A
dd the walnuts, maple syrup, melted ghee, salt, and cayenne to a bowl, and stir to combine the ingredients. Make sure the nuts are well coated, and then spread them in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. - B
ake the nuts for
15
minutes or until fragrant, stirring often to ensure even cooking. Keep a close eye on the walnuts—particularly in the last few minutes—to prevent scorching. - T
ake the walnuts out of the oven, and give them one final toss. They’ll still be sticky, but the coating will harden once the nuts cool down.
T
hese candied nuts can help balance the flavors and textures of a salad of spicy or bitter greens!
Ah, CHIPS. (Or, if you’re a Brit, CRISPS.)
Legend has it that potato chips were invented a decade before the Civil War by George Crum, an African American chef at the Moon Lake Lodge in Saratoga Springs, New York. As the story goes, Crum’s invention was triggered by a flash of anger at a customer who had sent back his order of French fries, complaining that they were too thick and soggy. In a fit of spite, Crum cut up another potato into paper-thin slices. Deep-fried and tossed in a shower of salt, these “fries” were meant as a sarcastic retort to the customer’s complaint, but to Crum’s surprise, his “Saratoga Chips” became a huge hit.
Crum’s tale is likely apocryphal, but crunchy, salty chips were here to stay. By the start of the twentieth century, chips had already become America’s snack food of choice.
Today, mass-manufactured potato and corn chips (not to mention all sorts of cheesy, poofy things) are everywhere. Every year, Americans consume over 1.2 BILLION POUNDS of hyper-processed, artificially colored, chemically enhanced chips. That’s a ton of hydrogenated oils, acrylamide, and MSG, people.
What do you say we make something tastier and healthier, but just as crunchy and savory?
BRUSSELS SPROUTS CHIPS
The next time you trim Brussels sprouts in preparation for roasting, don’t chuck the outer leaves into the trash. Instead, bake them into salty, crunchy, irresistible Brussels sprouts chips. Waste not, want not, right?
| Makes 2 cups | 2 cups Brussels sprouts leaves (the outer leaves trimmed from about 2 pounds of sprouts) |
| Hands-on time: 10 minutes | 2 tablespoons melted ghee or fat of choice |
| Total time: 30 minutes | Kosher salt |
| Finely grated zest from 1 small lemon (optional) |
DO THIS:
- P
reheat the oven to
350
°F, and line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. - I
n a large bowl, mix the leaves and melted ghee. Season with salt to taste. - A
rrange the leaves in a single layer on the baking sheets, and bake each tray for
8
to
10
minutes or until crispy and brown around the edges. - I
f desired, grate some lemon zest over the crispy Brussels sprouts leaves, and serve immediately.
Y
ou can also deep-fry 'em, but only if you don't mind the splatter and clean-up!
