Almonds with Chile Verde

If you visited New Mexico at this time of the year you would be greeted by a scent of freshly roasted green chili, or chile verde, almost everywhere you went. Green chili is mostly used in cooked Mexican and New Mexican dishes, but I add it to my raw salsa, to salad dressings and roughly chopped to my salads. In this recipe I used it to spice raw almonds. Green chili is only slightly hot and nothing like jalapeno or habanero peppers. This makes it much more versatile than the other two.

Almonds and nuts make a perfect snack. I love to make a large batch of spiced nuts and keep them ready for my next trip across the Atlantic. They are so much nicer than the roasted nuts airlines offer with the drinks, and so easy to make.

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup almonds, soaked in water overnight and drained
• 2 large green chili peppers, seeded and roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• juice of 2 limes
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt

Method:

• In a blender or a food processor blend green chili, cilantro, garlic and lime juice into a smooth marinade. Transfer into a bowl and set aside.
• Remove the skin from your soaked almonds. This is very easy, but a little time consuming. You can, of course, leave the skin on if you prefer. I actually left the skin on about one half of my almonds.
• Toss the almonds in to your marinade and let them sit for at least one hour.
• Spread the almonds on a dehydrator tray, sprinkle with salt and dehydrate at 105°F for about 10 hours. If you are completely satisfied with the crispiness, transfer almonds into an airtight container and store in a cupboard or any other dark and dry place. Consume within a week.
• Enjoy in good company as a snack or a topping for a salad. 

Tip: If you do not have green chili peppers, you can use a green bell pepper and a jalapeno. The taste will differ just a bit, but your almonds will be just as delicious.

In radiant health - passionately raw - Dominique

Dominique Allmon©2015