Pumpkin Spiced Almonds

All this fall weather and pumpkin recipes made me want to whip up something sweet and crunchy. Hence Pumpkin Spiced Almonds. This recipe is easy to make in the crockpot and smells amazing when you make it.

Ingredients:

1 cup evaporated cane juice
1 cup sucanat
3 tablespoons cinnamon
2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg white
2 teaspoon vanilla
5 cups raw almonds
¼ cup water
1/2 cup of additional evaporated cane juice(optional)

The How To's:

Pour sugars, cinnamon, and salt into base of slow cooker. Mix until evenly combined throughout. In a separate bowl, whisk egg white with vanilla. Add almonds and stir until all almonds are coated with egg wash.

Pour almonds into slow cooker and stir with sugar mixture.

Cook almonds in slow cooker for 4 hours on low heat, stirring well every 20 minutes. When 1 hour of cook time remains, pour water into slow cooker and mix thoroughly. The almonds will gradually thicken. They will be wet but not dripping.

**At this point you can toss in another 1/2 cup of sugar and toss them to evenly distribute the sugar. It will not dissolve and will leave a nice crunchy crystal like coating on the outside.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread cooked almonds to cool. Again they will look wet. As the almonds cool the syrup will harden. Separate and move them around as they harden so they don't stick to the paper or to each other. Place in an airtight container to store. If there are any left!

Make your own Greek Seasoning

Greek Seasoning

Seasonings are expensive at the store. Organic seasonings even more so. Creating the right blend for ethnic dishes can be challenging, especially when they require multiple herbs. This recipe is easy to make and you can make as much as you want at a time. The recipe below will make about 1/2 a cup.

Combine the following:

3 teaspoons sea salt

1 1/2 teaspoons cracked black pepper

3 teaspoons garlic powder

3 teaspoons onion powder

3 teaspoons dried parsley

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil

1 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary

1 1/2 teaspoons dried lemon peel

1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme

1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seed

3/4 teaspoon marjoram leaves

3/4 teaspoon dried mint(spearmint is best)

I store in an old glass spice jar. This is great on chicken and lamb. Also great combined with Oil and vinegar for a dressing. Experiment!