Roasted Almonds with 5 Spices

Are you a snacker? I am! I've always liked to have some sort of snack available to get a boost of energy between meals. I used to struggle a lot but I found that nuts are a really good option. My personal favourites: roasted almonds. 

Roasted almonds really do the trick when it comes to snacking. Almonds are healthy, super easy to pack with you and there are many different flavours to choose from. I always felt guilty buying those little packages from the store so I stopped consuming them for a little while.

Even though roasted almonds are delicious and almonds on their own are really healthy I don't really like eating packaged food form the store for many different reasons:

• You can't find many vegan options. 
• Usually, roasted almonds are covered with loads of processed sugar and preservatives. 
• You pay way too much money for a tiny bag.
• Individual servings produce a lot of unnecessary waste.

A great alternative is to make your own roasted almonds. Ii is actually quite easy. This next recipe, for example, will only take you about 35 minutes to make from start to finish. The actual work takes only 5 minutes. For the rest of the time, you just have to keep an eye on the oven to make sure you don't end up with little pieces of coal. 

Another great reason for making your own snacks, any kind of food for that matter, is you get to adjust the taste to your preference. This for me is a big deal. We can always follow recipes but having the freedom to customise means you will enjoy your food so much more, add your personal touch and really make it your own.

These roasted almonds are super flavourful. I used Chinese 5 spices mix which is made with star anise, cloves, Chinese cinnamon, Sichuan pepper and fennel seeds. There are many Chinese spices mix recipes out there, some include other ingredients, but we can say these are the basics.

All these spices really bring to mind the typical flavours and aromas of Christmas celebrations in the western world. Actually, one of the first times I made this recipe I used the roasted almonds as a garnish for a Creamy Red Cabbage soup I cooked for a Christmas dinner party a few years ago. 

As you can see roasted almonds are a lot more than just a snack. You can use them to garnish many dishes, throw them in a spinach salad with dried cranberries, or any other salad, you can even incorporate them to some holiday cakes. They'll be a nice crunchy, slightly spicy but super fun little surprise in every bite. 

Since I make a big batch I like to chop the almonds before seasoning and roasting them. You can leave them whole if you prefer but I suggest to cut them first. This way they're a bit more versatile if I decide to use them for something other than stuffing my face with handfuls of them!