You would probably by now be aware of the fact that – contrary to the popular belief of the past few years – fat does not make you fat (and in case you were wondering what does make you fat, it is largely to do with the high amounts of sugar which most of us eat to excess daily thanks to our processed diets made up largely of packaged convenience food). In fact, not only does fat not make us fat, we actually NEED fat as part of a healthy diet to help us absorb essential vitamins and minerals.
Another benefit of including fat in our daily diet – it makes food taste better. Anyone that has had a salad doused in a fat free salad dressing as opposed to a drizzle of olive oil, squeeze of fresh lemon juice and sprinkle of salt will know exactly what I mean.
Nuts are a great source of healthy fats, and make a great addition to a meal – sprinkled in salads for a little protein and texture, blended into a creamy paste, or roasted with a few flavourings for a delicious snack on the go. If you are lucky enough to be able to source fresh nuts, they make for a great snack as they are.
When I was younger, we used to spend weekends foraging for walnuts and chestnuts with my grandparents. We’d jump the fence to the big trees behind the medical centre (though this sounds like we were trespassing, I’m pretty sure my parents new the owner who gave us permission… I think…) and squash the chestnuts out of their spikey covering. We’d then run to the walnut tree and scoop up the kernels, jumping on some as we went so that we could taste the deliciously fresh nuts as we went along.
I managed to get my hands on some local walnuts the other day, and they were damn good! I managed to stop myself from eating the whole lot there and then and instead decided to roast a few. I have been loving the sweet and salty combo lately so that was a given, and I also decided to throw in some rosemary left over from a baked cheese experiment for good measure. Not only do these make an impressive snack, packaged up they would make a lovely Christmas present too.
- 1 cup | 100g walnut halves
- 1 heaped Tbsp honey
- ½ Tbsp coconut oil
- 1 Tbsp roughly chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 tsp Himalayan sea salt
- Preheat oven to 190 C | 375 F
- Add all ingredients to a medium ovenproof frypan over medium heat, stir well to coat as the honey and oil softens. Once the walnuts are evenly coated, place the pan in the oven, cook 7 - 10 minutes until lightly browned and fragrant.
- Remove from the oven, sprinkle with a little extra salt and fresh rosemary to serve.
Rosemary honey walnuts? Wow – these sound absolutely delicious and perfect for Christmas festivities! I love cracking walnuts when it is all cosy and Christmassy! I guess I won’t be cosy this year… walnuts on the beach? ha!
Haha, yes very different here in Australia at Christmas time. You’ll have to embrace the warm weather and have a BBQ or something instead!
I hate the fact that so many people still think fat is a bad thing, so thanks a lot this post :)
These walnuts look wonderful. There is nothing better than local fresh walnuts.
I think it’s hard to un-learn something that’s been so widely told for so long now, but I think the only way to encourage the re-learning of healthy fats and nutrition is to try and make that widely told instead :) Thanks so much Josefine x
Love snacking on flavoured nuts so this recipe is perfect for me. Pinned!
They’re one of my favorite snacks too :) Thanks Thalia!
Oh my goodness, these walnuts look delicious Dearna. And I’m loving them added to that cheese and fruit plate. Such a fun way to eat too!
Thanks Katie! Its the perfect way to eat them :)
Making these today! Nothing like report writing procrastination ;)
Haha, baking is the best way to procrastinate :) Hope you like them Georgie! x