Even though we tend to stuff ourselves to the gills during the holidays it’s always nice to have some snacks to nibble and nosh on. The hors d’oeuvres line-up just wouldn’t be right without a bowl of mixed nuts. Here’s the perfect alternative to the plain salt roasted variety – a nice sweet and spicy mix.

Spiced Nuts

1 large egg white
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1-3/4 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2-1/2 cups pecan halves or assorted nuts, such as cashews, walnuts or almonds

Heat oven to 300 degrees. Beat egg white until soft and foamy. Combine all remaining ingredients except nuts; whisk into egg white. Stir in nuts until well coated; spread mixture in single layer onto an ungreased baking pan.

Bake nuts for 15 minutes, then remove from oven. Using a metal spatula, toss, stir and separate nuts. Reduce oven temperature to 250 degrees and return nuts to bake until medium brown, about 10 minutes.

Remove from oven; toss, and stir again. Place baking pan on wire rack to cool. Break up any nuts that stick together.

Store in an airtight container up to two weeks.

Makes 2-1/2 cups.

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I love Mexican food. So much so that I think I was Mexicana in a previous life. Actually, I say that when I eat just about any food, really. I’ve been Japanese, French, Italian…you get the picture.

My newest love is mole. You’re probably saying, “Well, what took you so long?” Honestly, I had a bit of a bad experience years ago (I’ll spare you the gory details) and have been a bit averse to trying this rich dish again. But with a less whimpy belly, a fierce gusto for food and a recent trip back to Mexico, I tried it once more.

“Holy mole this is good!” I cried with gastronomical glee. I.Am.Hooked.

I know visually it may not knock your socks off, but believe me taste-wise it will.

Mole (pronounced mo-lay) is like curry. In fact, mole is a generic term for “sauce” and, like curry, comes in a variety of flavors. Such as, guacamole, or “avocado sauce.”

Probably the most well-know mole is Mole Poblano which is made from dried chili peppers, a whole gang of spices such as cinnamon and cloves, ground seeds and nuts, Mexican chocolate (stay with me now, it’s great), aromatics…oh the list goes on!

It’s no easy thing to whip up a mole. Well, a good traditional Mole Poblano, that is. It can take days to prepare a truly authentic one. But the good news is there are a variety of premade moles readily available at your local Mexican market or markets that carry ethnic foods.

We bought a Mole Verde (green mole) and prepared it with chicken like so:

We julienned some red and yellow peppers along with a large sweet yellow onion. Then we sauteed them in a large pan with a bit of olive oil until browned, removed them from the pan and set aside. In the same pan we heated up some more olive oil and browned a whole chicken (cut into parts). Once browned we added the pepper and onion mixture to the chicken. In a separate saucepan we heated the entire jar of mole and a bottle of white wine (minus a sip or two – wink, wink) until thoroughly mixed. We then added the sauce to the chicken and simmered the whole shebang for hours. You want to simmer at least a good two hours to allow the flavors to truly marry.

Muuuuuy delicioso!

If you have nothing better to do on a Sunday afternoon try one of these great mole recipes from Ramekins. I specifically like the sound of Mole Poblano #5.

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“Get those skinny ones out of here and bring in the short, pudgy ones!”

Would that not be great if that is what we heard at Parisian fashion shows? Sigh, how life for women would change. But, alas, I speak not of fashion models, the plump beauties I’m talking about are Spanish Marcona almonds. These are the voluptuous Rubenesque sister of the regular almonds of which we are all familiar, and are blanched to reveal their creamy white skin. They also contain a higher fat content making them velvety and mild.

Long preferred as the almond of choice by chefs, Marconas are also quickly becoming the hot item to serve at swanky bars for noshing enjoyment. And the fat lady sings.

Oh, and get this, there is as much linoleic acid – an essential fatty acid good for your heart and circulation – in two almonds as there is in two and a half pints of milk! That just makes my heart go pitter patter.

Try this delicious sounding recipe for Spanish Tortilla with Almond Romesco from MyRecipes.

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