Day 4

Day 4: We're getting a little nutty...

Lately, we've been roasting our own walnuts and almonds in our dehydrator.  The results have been delicious, and even I eat them (I'm not typically a nut fan, except when it comes to peanuts).  Not only that, but their nutritional value is much higher!

Raw nuts contain enzyme inhibitors, and our body produces enzymes to help us break down food.  These inhibitors are molecules that bind to the enzymes, making them useless.  Thus, raw nuts can clog the balance of the digestive system, giving us a stomach ache.  Yuck.  No wonder I didn't like them.  So, dehydrating the nuts instead preserves the nutrients needed for our bodies to properly digest them, and plus they take out the bitter taste found in many raw nuts.

~Roasted nuts~

Ingredients
Nuts, any kind, as much or as little as you like
Sea salt, about 1 T. per 4 cups of nuts
Water, to liberally cover nuts

Directions
Before bed--In a large bowl, combine nuts, sea salt and water and stir.  Cover and set in a warm place overnight.

The next morning--(oven directions) Preheat oven to 150 degrees.  Uncover the nuts, rinse in a colander and spread onto a regular cookie sheet in a single layer.  Place in the oven for 12-24 hours, stirring occasionally.  Remove from oven and cool completely before storage.

The next morning--(dehydrator directions) Uncover the nuts, rinse in a colander and spread in a single layer onto a dehydrator tray lined with the mesh insert.  Place into the dehydrator.  Set the temp. to 150 degrees for 12-24 hours.  Remove and cool completely before storage.

Storage--Store nuts in an airtight container.  Can be frozen.

Enjoy!