Make Pecans Part of Your Holiday Snacks: The Tremendous Health Benefits of Pecans Make Them a Must Have

Pecans have long been prized for their flavor. Some may fear the fat content of pecans unnecessarily. Put pecans on your list of healthy snacks. Read more about the nutritional study of pecans at the National Pecan Shellers Association website. It seems that pecans should be part of every health conscious person’s diet. In that spirit, here are some tasty variations on spiced pecans for your healthy snacking. Keep some on hand, but also, give them as gifts to show you care. Pecans are native only in the American south. Pecan trees require about 60 feet, or more, of space from their nearest neighboring tree or building. They also require huge amounts of water. The leaves and fruits contain toxins to other plants, and should not be used as mulch.

Spicy Sweet Pecans

• 1 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup pecans

Dissolve the sugar in the warm water. Add the pecans and soak for 10 minutes.

• 4 TBS sugar
• 2 TBS Hawaiian Kine Spicy Rub or chili powder

Drain the pecans. Mix the sugar and rub together and stir into the pecans. Spread on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees 5 minutes. Stir and bake another 5 minutes. Remove from oven and cool before eating.

Pecans Without the Pie

These are sweet and buttery like pecan pie without all the extra calories and fat. Follow the recipe for spicy sweet pecans. In the second step, substitute the following:

• 2 TBS butter
• 2 TBS cinnamon
• 1 TBS vanilla
• 4 TBS sugar

Melt the butter in a baking sheet in the oven and stir in the cinnamon, vanilla and sugar. These need to be stirred and baked another 5 minutes. Keep a close eye on them so they don’t burn.

Other Spiced Pecan Suggestions

Make 3 to 4 variations of spiced pecans for a great gift. Put them in a seasonal tin, separated by cardboard cut to fit the tin. Use cardboard from a pastry box or cardboard for cakes. Cut a heart out of a piece of paper to use as a label for what spices are in the pecans. You may also want to include the nutritional benefits of pecans on the label. Use double stick tape to fasten the label to the inside of the lid.

Some other spices to try:

• curry powder
• allspice
• Chinese five spice

Pecans aren’t the only healthy nuts. Try making spiced almonds, cashews, or peanuts. They are so easy to do in addition to being both delicious and nutritious. May your days be healthy and happy with pecans.