Jeremy, I'm sorry to say, has gone on the late, not-so-great Atkins diet -- you remember, the one that was all the rage 'cause it let you eat all the bacon and burger patties and pork rinds you wanted without expecting you to eat anything nutritious like fruit??? He and his dad started it just in time for Christmas, on the "buddy system" ... sigh. They've had a great deal of success already, but it certainly made life difficult for this chickie who made a dozen different types of sweet treats!
So, while I've been baking cookies and planning to give a tin of them to Jeremy, he's been eating Quarter Pounders without the buns, strips of bacon doused in cheese, pork chops in sour cream sauce ... oh, and one token taco salad without any chips. What kinds of treats could I give to him, then???
Jeremy suggested Jell-O Jigglers, made with sugar-free Jell-O; he told me that the blue ones looked good. Oh, if only I could capture in words my look of disgust and disdain when I heard that!
And then another idea struck, a much better one than rubbery blobs of blue goo: roasted nuts ... almonds, to be specific.
I dug through some recipes for ideas and mangled this one together from pieces of all the others. They smell so, so good as they're baking! And they're unbelievably addictive ... Jeremy is lucky that I left a few for him!!! When he tried some at our Christmas gift exchange, he just closed his eyes and said, "Mmmmmmm" ....
Roasted Cheddar-Herb Almonds
1 egg yolk
2 cups raw almonds
3/4 cup finely grated sharp cheddar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon herb seasoning
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Preheat oven to 325F. Lightly oil a baking sheet.
In a large bowl, beat yolk; add almonds and stir to coat.
In a small bowl, combine cheese, garlic powder, seasoning and salt; pour over the almonds and stir to coat.
Place the almonds on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer.
Bake for 15 minutes. Stir, then bake for another 10 minutes. Turn off the oven and open the oven door a bit, then let the almonds rest for 15 minutes.
Remove almonds from oven and let cool completely. Serve in a decorative bowl or place into a pretty jar to give as gifts.
YUM! these look and sound great.
ReplyDeleteOh, how I LOVE any kind of homemade roasted almonds. I don't know why, but I never thought about adding cheese to the mix before. Great idea! I hope Jeremy quits the atkins thing soon. You're right, fruit is MUCH healthier for your heart and whole body in the long run than slabs of meat. Miriam@Meatless Meals For Meat Eaters
ReplyDeleteThat is simply delightful. OOOh.. wow.
ReplyDeleteI could hardly believe my eyes: cheddar and herbs and almonds in the same title. But the most incredible is Jeremy's wish for blue jello jigglers. LOL
ReplyDeleteI must say here, however, that it was the Atkens diet which brought my diabetic brother's wildly fluctuating blood sugar completely under control with numbers in the normal range - for the first time in years.
But back to the almonds. I am a huge fan of them, and I'm sure I owe at least 10 pounds of my weight to almonds and walnuts!
OMG this recipe sounds delicious! It sounds incredible!!!
ReplyDeleteAbout the diet...none of the "fad" "gimmick" diets work in the long term...and their cholesterol is probably going to go through the ceiling.
I started Weight Watcher's on Oct 2nd and have lost 20 lbs. Weight Watcher's is the HEALTHIEST diet out there (next to going to a dietitian)...if behavior modification isn't involved NOTHING will work!!!
Must admit, I like blue jigglers too! Now, these nut are a good reason to go on a diet.
ReplyDeleteOMG these sound wonderful!! I'd go on the Atkins diet if it means I could eat a bowl full of these! :)
ReplyDeleteFor now I can only imagine how incredible these almonds must be...Wow!! Thanks for sharing with the Hearth and Soul hop.
ReplyDeleteYou are just full of great recipes today...I'm coming to your house for Christmas!Mona
ReplyDeleteWhodathunkit?! Almonds are 1 of only 3 nuts that I like. Now you've combined them with Cheddar cheese? Way to make them even more crave-worthy, Mary. (you're reading my mind again, arent you? LOL) Thanks so much for sharing them at the party!
ReplyDelete