I’ve been working long hours lately, which is why I haven’t been posting much. Because of the long hours, I’ve needed to bring snacks to work to keep me going. The only food we have to buy is vending machine food, probably the worst of the worst – expensive and bad for you. So I’ve been trying some different ideas on snacks. Here is what I’ve come up with:
These are absolutely terrific and compared to the canned, flavored almonds, cheap!
Ginger Almonds – Alton Brown
1 tablespoon dry ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1 pound whole natural almonds
1 tablespoon less-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Directions
Heat the oven to 250 degrees F.
Combine the ginger, chili powder and salt in a large mixing bowl and set aside.
Heat the olive oil and sesame oil in a 12-inch saute pan over medium-low heat. Add the almonds and cook, stirring frequently until lightly toasted, approximately 5 minutes. Add the soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce and cook until reduced slightly and the pan looks dry, approximately 1 minute. Immediately remove the nuts to the large bowl and toss with the ginger mixture.
Spread the coated nuts into a single layer on a cookie sheet pan and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Let cool for at least 30 minutes or until completely cool. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
I’ve also made a sweet version of these almonds the same way – replace the ginger/chili powder mix with brown sugar and cinnamon and the soy sauce/Worcestershire with real maple syrup. Absolutely addictive!
Other great snacks:
Hard boiled eggs – a true classic and it comes in its own package!
Fruit – I love a good apple, oranges are pretty good, too. Don’t like bananas much but they are filling.
Granola – make your own, much cheaper and very easy to make.
Trail mix – also make your own – If anyone has a great recipe, let me know.
Celery – with peanut butter or cream cheese – fabulous!
Carrots – the original finger food.
Cherry tomatoes – one of my favorites
I’m working on a recipe for cheap granola bars, too. Anyone have any ideas?
Cooking From the Food Bank 