I have to tell you something. I get bored really easily, but not in the way you’re probably thinking. I get bored when it comes to food. There are most definitely a few things that I enjoy and never tire of, but my taste buds and my tummy really like trying new things. (This is why you’ll most likely be reading a lot of posts starting with, “I tried something new today in the kitchen.”)
I digress….lately I’ve been feeling the need for a bit more variety in our snacks. I don’t know about you, but I went a bit overboard on the holiday sweets, and it is consequently time to wean myself off all of that sugar. Sure it would be easy to just not eat anything sweet, right? Yeah, right. I don’t have that will power. And I will always have a sweet tooth.
So I was trying to think of something maybe a bit sweet that wasn’t stuck in some form of carbohydrate. Nuts! They are full of protein and healthy fats. I had a giant sack of walnuts in the freezer. By default, that was the nut of choice! I headed on over to www.food.com, my favorite place to go on the net for recipes of any kind, typed in walnuts on the search bar, weeded my way through a slew of recipes, and finally found one that sounded absolutely perfect: Maple Glazed Walnuts. And oh yes, they ARE absolutely perfect!
One of the best parts about this recipe is that it has 3 ingredients and takes only a few minutes to make. I almost always modify the recipes I use in some way, shape, or form, and this one was no exception. If you’re interested in the original recipe, you can find it here: http://www.food.com/recipe/maple-glazed-walnuts-253308
This is my version: First I preheated my cast iron skillet to about medium/high. Then I dumped 3-4 cups of walnuts, 1/3 cup of maple syrup (the REAL maple syrup….no yucky corn syrup make believe stuff around here), and about 1/8 tsp. of salt into the pan. I stirred it continuously for about 3-4 minutes, which was enough time to get the nuts slightly toasted and the syrup caramelized. They went from the skillet to a sheet of waxed paper to cool, although a few went almost immediately into my mouth. Woops!
The kids love them. I love them. I’m not sure about the hubby, but does it matter? 😉
Made in Montana 