I try to be healthy. Really I do. Sometimes I’m all cake and ice cream, and other times I’m like, GIVE ME MORE SALAD! It’s just a weird balance I try to maintain. These nuts help. I love to snack on a little something in the evening or before dinner. I love that these have ginger, and a little Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (in place of soy sauce) to give it some deep savory flavor.

Almonds are so tasty! They are healthy for you too, check out this article: 9 Health Benefits of Almonds.

So you may be wondering about the Bragg’s Liquid Aminos… well it’s a great soy sauce alternative. I use it because it has way less sodium then soy sauce, and it’s non-GMO. Did you know that just 1 tablespoon of soy sauce has almost 40% of your recommend daily intake? Last year, my doctor told me that my blood pressure was a pretty high. I started to make some lifestyle changes (I still struggle with consistently exercising, but I’m getting better!) That’s when I started really watching my sodium last year I was reading labels like crazy. I even looked up how much sodium our favorite Papa Murphy’s pizza has… and guess what? We never got Papa Murphy’s again, it was THAT bad. (also, if you click the link to look at the nutrition facts of PM Pizza, keep in mind the serving size… I don’t know think I’ve ever seen anyone cut a pizza into 12 slices, and often when we had pizza for dinner I usually had 2-3 slices, which is maxing out the daily recommended sodium amount of 2,300mg for those under 51. You can read more here.

 

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But the good news is it all paid off and my blood pressure levels are now back within the normal range. It taught me SUCH a valuable lesson though, read the labels, look at the serving sizes, and as always, make what you can from scratch with less salt. Your taste buds adjust and after awhile, you actually don’t even want all those high-sodium things anymore-they start to taste too salty! One more low-sodium tip: watch out for one of the biggest culprits–canned soups and stocks. 

So just because I had to cut back on salt doesn’t mean that I can’t enjoy some delicious snacks! Alton Brown made these during is “Good Eats” episode, “Live and Let Diet”. If you are trying to lose a few lbs. check out this episode! He is full of great tips. 

I love how the ginger coating stays on these almonds… no egg white or corn syrup involved! I served these as an appetizer to some discerning eaters, and they loved them! 

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Ginger Almonds, slightly adapted from Alton Brown’s “Good Eats” episode “Live and Let Diet”

 

Ginger Almonds
 
Recipe Type: Snacks, Appetizers
Author: Sugar Pickles
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4 cups
Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 small dried arbol chile, broken into small pieces
  • 1 pound whole natural almonds
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (or sodium-less soy sauce)
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
  1. Heat the oven to 250 degrees F.
  2. Combine the ginger and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
  3. In a large sauté pan or cast iron skillet over medium-low heat add the arbol chile and cook, stirring frequently, until the chile begins to give off an aroma, 30 to 45 seconds. Put the chili pieces in a large mixing bowl and add in the almonds, olive oil, sesame oil, Braggs or soy sauce, and the Worcestershire. Mix until all the almonds look shiny and coated, then sprinkle over the ginger and salt mixture and toss thoroughly, until the nuts look evenly coated with the ginger mixture.
  4. Spread the coated nuts into a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove the pan to a cooling rack for at least 30 minutes or until completely cool. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.