Rosemary and Sea Salt Roasted Pecans

Let's ring in the New Year right.

Let's grab our favorite beverage (I highly recommend this ginger spritzer or a cranberry rosemary refresher), our coziest blanket, and a handful of salty snacks. Let's curl up watching a good movie that makes us cry... play a board game with friends and have so much fun laughing that it hurts... or perhaps spend the evening batting a pretend mouse around with some felines.  There are lots of great ways to celebrate the New Year; just don't forget the snacks.

Wishing you health and happiness in 2013!

These rosemary and sea salt pecans are incredibly addictive. You've now been warned: do not make these on an empty stomach. The first time I made these, I think I ate about a cup in one sitting. This is serious business.

When roasting nuts, it's important to roast them at no higher than 170 degrees F because high temperatures cause nuts to break down their fats and produce free radicals. (This is also why you never want to use olive oil for high temperature cooking.)  To get around this, you can gently roast the nuts in the oven at 170 degrees F or, if you prefer a raw version, use a food dehydrator at an even lower temperature.

Note: I tried a batch of these in my dehydrator at 110 degrees F for 6 hours and they did not get the same "roasted" flavor as in the oven, but they were toasty and delicious all the same.

Rosemary and Sea Salt Pecans
Makes 2 cups

2 cups whole pecans
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt (or more to taste)

Preheat oven to 170 degrees F.  Toss pecans with oil, rosemary, and salt.  Lay flat on sheet pan and bake for 15 - 20 minutes, or until nuts are toasted.

Recipe shared at Weekend Wellness.