Soaked and Dehydrated Almonds & Nuts

By Kathy C.

Posted on January 11, 2013 by Katie
(adapted from Nourishing Traditions)
NOTES:
Nuts are an amazing little snack. I am a big fan of these guys and always have been. They are incredibly versatile: mix them into a salad, top your oatmeal or yogurt with them, grind into nut butter, or chop them up to mix into cookies.

When prepared traditionally, nuts are full of nutrients. Like many of the other traditional recipes I have done, soaking is required to knock out any enzyme inhibitors (and the return of our not-so-good friend phytic acid). When improperly prepared, nuts can wreak havoc on your body’s digestive functions. By simply soaking nuts in salt water it unlocks the good enzymes that knock out those nasty enzyme inhibitors.

The ancient Aztec people used a method to soak the seeds of hard squash in a salty water before they would lay them out to dry under the warm sun. We are taking a page out of their book to make our nuts more nutritious and delicious!

Ingredients

• 6 cups raw almonds (or nut of your choosing)
• 2 tablespoons real salt or sea salt
• filtered water
• glass bowl
• dehydrator

Details

Adapted from girlmeetsnourishment.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Place almonds in a big glass bowl, cover with filtered water, and mix in salt.

2. Allow to soak overnight or for at least seven hours.

3. After the soaking period, lay the nuts out in a dehydrator and dry on heat between 105 and 145 degrees until crispy for about 24 hours, rotating the trays occasionally. (If you do not have a dehydrator, you can do this in a warm 150 degree oven for the same amount of time.)