I try to incorporate nuts into my diet as much as I can.  I always add them to my salad and try to snack on them as a substitute for something less nutritious.  Over the years, I have made many variations of seasoned nuts to serve as an appetizer or as part of a cheese tray.

I had no snacks for last Sunday’s epic television viewing night – the Justin Timberlake concert and then the This is Us episode, so I decided to jazz up some walnuts to snack on.I came up with this recipe for rosemary walnuts using ingredients I had on hand.  I love rosemary.  Using dried rosemary on my walnuts made it possible to add the rosemary flavor without running to the store for fresh herbs.  (The one little sprig of fresh rosemary I had that you see in the photos was saved to use in the recipe I made next!)  This snack was prepared in 20 minutes and tasted (and smelled) wonderful when eaten warm.  I don’t ever eat much salt, but most people do – that’s the reason I put the range of salt!  I also tried not to use more butter than I needed – starting with less and adding just enough to cover the nuts!

Rosemary Walnuts

• 4-6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 Tablespoon dried rosemary, crumbled
• 1 teaspoon to 1 Tablespoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 4 cups walnut halves

Melt butter in a large saucepan.  Remove from heat and add seasonings.  Add walnuts and toss gently, coating well.  Place on a large shallow baking tray n a single layer.  (I lined the tray with parchment paper for easy clean up.)  Bake at 325 degrees until richly brown – about 10 to 15 minutes, tossing occasionally.

I know; eliminating the butter would make this recipe totally guilt-free!  But, I decided to get a little decadent for the big concert.  I may try substituting something a little more healthful for the butter next time – maybe sunflower oil.

The point of this recipe is to show you that it is easy to create some seasoned nuts using dried herbs you have on hand.  I may have recipes for herbed nuts that I like more than this one, but this one did the trick when I wanted something quick without going to the store!

I hope you are inspired to try this recipe or to create your own variation.

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie