Pecans are so popular and the roasted variety can be used in so many different ways. Many cooks prefer to use them as halves, for their baking needs, as the price is a little bit less and they re easier to chop to put in their favorite dish, whether it be for the first course, as in a sweet potato pie with a pecan topping, or in something more decadent, as a pecan pie, or pecan tarts. How delicious are they? Another great dessert where pecan halves can be used, is a decoration on the top of a cake, or over your favorite ice cream along with a sauce. The variety is endless.
When you prefer to roast your own pecan halves, this is s simple method to use. In a large baking dish, place the pecans, and then pour some lukewarm water over them. If you find some, which are black or shriveled, remove them. Stir them around for a minute, and this process will help them to taste much sweeter when put in your favorite recipe. You will notice that the water will become dark, from all the impurities coming from the nuts, then drain them and repeat this until the water is clear.
Then spread the pecans in a single layer and put them in the oven at 350*F. Roast them for approximately 20 minutes, stirring every once in a while, until they are a nice deep golden brown color. They will continue to turn brown when they are cooling, so don t leave them in too long. This is the time when you will want to put either some butter or margarine on them, stirring so they all get covered, then sprinkle with salt. Let them cool completely before packing them in your favorite airtight container.
Pecan halves and other nuts are becoming a nutritious snack foods for so many types of people and for all different reasons. You might have a meeting, which you are running late for, so you need a quick pick me up. Keep a bag of roasted pecan halves handy in the office, in your children s school bag, or keep a dish of them in your kitchen for you to munch on whenever you need a quick fix.
Everyone needs fiber in their diet, and pecan halves are a wonderfully easy way to get this much needed part of our daily quota. Some facts to know about his versatile nut; 15 of your needed daily fiber can come from nuts, as they contain 5 grams of fiber from 50 grams. One quarter cup of pecan halves will replace a serving of meat, or some other protein source, your heart will thank you for reducing the amount of cholesterol that s in the blood, and eating just a handful of these nuts daily will help to control your weight.
You ve heard that eating an apple a day is so helpful for your health, well pecans have about 19 minerals and vitamins and also the amount of fiber you receive from the apple, can also be found in a handful of pecan halves, many very good reasons for eating them. For the best in quality check out the pecan halves at tannerspecans.com