Y’all, I am obsessed with kale chips. I am not afraid to admit it, and I know I am not alone.  On a whim a couple of weeks ago, I toasted some almonds and seasoned ’em up with a little salt and sugar, mixed them with the kale chips, and called it snack mix.  It was delicious, but I knew it could get better. So I worked on the nut seasoning, and I think I nailed it.

I enjoy these almonds alone, or tossed with kale chips. I’ve plowed through bowls of this Almond-Kale mix while watching the NBA Finals, or a good Rom-Com, it is the crunch of popcorn combined with a sweet, salty, spicy flavor punch, and minus any of the empty calories.

So here it is….

recipe after the jump….

Toasted Almonds:

If you don’t have garlic infused olive oil, you can quick infuse some in a skillet over low heat with a 3 cloves of garlic. Just warm the oil, and let the warm oil steep with the garlic for a few minutes.  If you don’t wanna do that, then just substitute melted butter for the garlic oil, slightly less healthful, but oh, yummmm…..

1 cup slivered almonds

1/2 tsp dried rosemary (or 1 tbs fresh)

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp brown sugar

1 tsp sea salt or kosher salt

2 tsp garlic infused olive oil

Combine salt, spices, and oil in a large bowl, and set aside.  In a heavy bottomed skillet, spread the almonds in a single layer.  Toast over medium-high heat, swirling every thirty seconds until the almonds warm and just begin to brown (about 3-5 minutes).  As soon as you see the nuts beginning to take on a golden color, add the nuts to spice mix and toss to coat.  Allow to cool for a 3-5 minutes before chowing down.

Store at room temperature in an airtight container.