Before I announce the winners of my Organics Are For Everyone date syrup giveaway (though you’ve probably scrolled down and looked already!), I’ve got one more treat to share with you. I decided to do a raw riff on Hannah’s recipe for sweet and salty cashews, and it turned out great!
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked
- 2 Tbsp date syrup
- 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1½ tsp raw sesame seeds
- ½ tsp coconut oil
- ½ tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp paprika
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
Instructions
- Rinse and drain the cashews very well, then pat dry with a clean towel.
- In a small bowl, whisk together all remaining ingredients.
- Add the cashews and toss or stir well to coat.
- Transfer to a Paraflexx-lined dehydrator tray (or a greased baking sheet, and just bake them in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes!).
- Spread the cashews evenly so that they’re not touching (or are barely touching). Dehydrate for
- 6-8 hours, then move to a mesh-lined tray and dehydrate for 6-8 hours longer.
These cashews are SO yummy! They have an incredibly complex flavor, what with the sweetness of the date syrup, the tang of the balsamic vinegar, and a little salt and heat in each bite, plus the extra crunch factor of the sesame seeds.
And the winners of my Organics Are For Everyone date syrup giveaway are…
Aubrey and Lori!
Congratulations, girls! Email your mailing info to almostveganblog AT gmail DOT com, and I’ll pass it on to Colleen at OAFE right away.
Thanks to everyone else who entered! If you didn’t win, never fear—there will be another AV giveaway before you know it.
Wow, those look good! Sounds like a delicious flavor combination.
It WAS a delicious combo! I thought it sounded a bit odd on paper, but it turned out really well.
MMMMMM….Those sound awesome!!!!
Thanks Michelle! They were tasty!
Seriously, I am LUCKY!
No kidding! Maybe you should start playing the lottery…
I love sweet n’ salty nuts! I always make them with pecans and walnuts, but cashews never crossed my my mind before. Since cashews are my husband’s favorite nut, I’d love to make a batch of these as a stocking-stuffer for him at Christmas
Cashews are probably my favorite too! These would make an awesome stocking stuffer; great idea.
Nutty goodness! You should totally submit this to this month’s sesame themed SOS Kitchen Challenge @ Diet Dessert and Dogs!
Ooh, thanks for bringing that to my attention! I’ve submitted it
These look SO good…remind me of the Sahale Snacks that I love so much, but can’t justify spending the money on
Thanks!
What’s the particular variety/flavor of Sahale called? I’m not familiar with their products, but I think I need to look them up!
This is *exactly* my kind of recipe! (Except with actual toasting not dehydrating, as my budget definitely doesn’t allow for a dehydrator!) In fact, my family grew so addicted to the Union Square Cafe nut recipe that I simply had to stop making it, for our own good.
Actually, there’s a Sahale Nut Mix in your country that must be almost EXACTLY these flavours, and I’ve tried that, so I can pretty much vouch for your recipe without trying it
Wow, two people in a row mentioning Sahale Snacks…I may need to find me some of those!
These would do just fine in a conventional oven.
These look so yummy! I might have to add them to my sister’s baby shower menu….I’m already making cinnamon almonds and curried walnuts
Nice! That sounds like my kind of menu already! I look forward to the cinnamon-roasted almonds at RenFest every year, cuz that’s pretty much the only time I buy them. And I’ve been meaning to make curried cashews, actually. I ought to do that today! Especially since my dehydrator is already running, what with the raspberry-almond granola I got up at 7am today to make…hmm, think I’m a nut fiend?
Nut fiend….nut….whatever
. Any idea where I can find date syrup locally? I’m thinking dark maple will be fine, but I’m always open to another grocery trip 
. And of course it’ll be the chocolate balsamic that I coveteth….and maybe ancho chili spice?
I’m supposed to be taking a nap, not thinking about nuts!
Let’s not pick on semantics here
As for where to find date syrup locally, I’m afraid I don’t know! You could post the Q on Organics Are For Everyone’s Facebook wall to see if they’re sold anywhere in the area, but outside of that, I’d try a Middle Eastern market. Date syrup is apparently pretty common in Israeli (and other MidEastern) food. If you can’t find it, a dark grade B maple will be just fine, or for really strong, dark flavor, you could even try molasses!
That looks really good! My dad LOVES Cashews and he’s coming to visit this week. Maybe I’ll make him some of these!
If he also likes sweet & savory flavor combinations, then these are definitely the nuts for him!
oh yum! What a great idea!!
Indeed! The coating has such a unique blend of ingredients.
Oh, my goodness me! Those look unbelievably delicious. I wish I could get hold of (and then eat) date syrup! What a fabulous recipe. Thanks so much for entering this in the SOS Challenge this month.
Not sure if I missed your link to the SOS page here somewhere, but if you forgot, would you mind adding it so we can keep your amazing recipe on the page? Thanks so much!
Oh! I must have skimmed over that part! Thanks for catching that—it’s now corrected above
I just delicous’ed these, so I’d have the recipe – as I must make these sooner than later!
Thanks for sharing!
That’s great! You should let me know how you like them
How long should you soak the nuts? I’ve tried this recipe twice, after soaking the nuts overnight. They’re delicious – I have to guard the dehydrator if I want to get any – but, they don’t get crunchy. Now I have to say that I haven’t had the willpower not to gobble them down and let them dehydrate for more than 24 hours so I don’t know if prolonged dehydration would make them crunchy. I was just wondering if I was soaking the cashews too long.
I didn’t have any commercial date syrup so I’m using home-made date paste from Russell James’ recipe, just 1 c dates and 1 1/2 c water. I’ve never seen date syrup before, do you know if the date paste would be a similar consistency?
I only soak cashews for about 2 hours, so that might be part of it. Also, when I make date paste, I use 1 cup dates and 1 cup water, so you might want to make yours a little thicker. In either case, a longer dehydration would probably make up for both issues. I’m glad you like the flavor!