Roasted Almonds

Almonds are my favorite nuts; I eat them sweet and savory, in baked goods or just on their own...I never say no to almonds no matter what! UNLESS they become a little chewy or stale .The bagged stuff bought from the store tends to loose a lot of the flavor before it gets to us (imagine how long it takes that bag to make it to your shopping cart).

I had once bought a huge bag of roasted almonds from a bulk store thinking that it would be worth it since they are a favorite snack in my house but by the time we consumed half of the bag the second half was rancid so we just tossed it out. I decided to start making my own in smaller amounts that would last for a week and when it's done make a new batch; that way the almonds are always at their freshest. There are many fancy recipes to make different flavors but I always stick to the basic one.

Ingredients:

Almonds

Salt

Water

Directions:

Line a baking sheet with some aluminum foil (you will love me at clean up time) in a bowl pour enough water to completely wet all your almonds and this will depend on the amount you're making but the goal is NOT to soak each almond but rather wet your whole batch in a uniform manner. Add Salt to your water (depends on your preference of how salty you want the almonds to be). That is it! Almonds wet with some salted water and spread in one layer on the baking sheet. They bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes, keep checking every 10 minutes to move the almonds around so all of them roast at the same time.

Enjoy!

Moroccan Shrimp over Rice

I am a big seafood lover but shrimp is a bit of an exception for me; I don't hate it but i don't really love it the way I like fish or oysters...This recipe is one of very few that transform shrimp to something I really enjoy. I prepare it using shrimp that's still in the shell for two reasons; it produces a lot of flavorful juices for the sauce and it's so much fun to get messy with it when it's served. Of course you can take the shells off before cooking if you're serving it to guests.

Ingredients:

20 jumbo shrimps

2 minced garlic cloves

3 tbsp chopped cilantro

1 tbsp butter

salt/pepper

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 tbsp olive oil

Saffron

4 to 5 tbsp water

Rice (according to preference)

Directions:

Cook the rice in some salted water until soft and let it drain. Save on the side

In a sauteing pan add shrimp and all ingredients (except for rice) and cook on a low heat until shrimp is cooked. Don't forget to add the water in the beginning of the cooking process and if more is needed add a little at a time, the goal is to have cooked shrimp and enough sauce left for the rice.

Remove the cooked shrimp from the pan and set aside, add your rice to the pan and mix around until it absorbs all the sauce that is left behind.

Serve Shrimp over rice and enjoy!!