Wacky Food Wednesday: Soaked Almonds

Ok, so nuts aren't wacky at all. Docs praise almonds for their good fats, and high calcium, magnesium and vitamin E content. A one-ounce, 160-calorie serving of almonds, or about a handful, is an excellent source of vitamin E and magnesium, and a good source of fiber and phosphorous. Almonds also have monounsaturated fat, protein (6g), potassium (200 mg), calcium (75mg) and iron (1.0mg). 20-25 almonds (approximately one ounce) contain as much calcium as 1/4 cup of milk, and almonds are a great source of folic acid.¹

So if nuts are so good, what's wrong with them? Well, for as nutritious a nut can be, it also contains the anti-nutrient phytic acid, which impedes the absorption of all the good stuff in the nut. I took an e-course on Phytase, and how it can help the mind and mood by allowing the body to absorb more of the minerals and nutrients in the food we eat. According to Amanda, author of the e-course

In humans, phytic acid is a strong chelator of iron,
calcium, zinc, magnesium, and phosphorous. What this means is
that the phytate generally stays undigested in our digestive tract
and it clings to other minerals in our food and escorts them out of
our bowels.

Because of phytates, you are missing out on about half of the
minerals your food could be providing if you prepared it a bit
differently.

So what can we do to get the phytates out of the nuts? You SOAK them! You simply soak the nuts overnight in salted water, then roast them in the oven for a while until dry, spicing to suit and ta da. YUMMY ALMONDS! Kimi over at The Nourishing Gourmet has great instructions for each type of nut, how long to soak, how long to cook, and at what temperature. Here is her recipe for almonds, though I tweaked it for the flavor. Also, I should note, I have a new fangled oven that doesn't go below 170* but the 170* has worked ok for pepitas and almonds.

4 cups almonds, preferably skinless- SF notes “Skinless almonds will still sprout, indicating that the process of removing their skins has not destroyed the enzymes….[they] are easier to digest and more satisfactory in many recipes. However, you may also use almonds with the skins on. “
1 tablespoon sea salt
filtered water

Soaking time: At least 7 hours, or overnight
Dehydrating Time:12 -24 hours, until completely dry and crisp

Put the nuts, water and salt in a mason jar overnight to soak. Rinse them off in the morning and strain them. Set the oven to 170*, put parchment paper over a baking sheet, and spread the nuts. Sprinkle with sea salt and spices (garlic powder, cayenne pepper, cacao powder). Let them bake until they are dry and can be snapped in your fingers.

This is what the end result is. In the words of RR, YUMMO!