Rosemary is one herb that many people use just for landscaping, but in my opinion, is a great ingredient to use in cooking and baking due to its many health benefits. I decided to post this super simple rosemary cashews recipe as many of my gift recipients have asked for the recipe.  It's so easy that it's somewhat embarressing!  When the rosemary is roasted with the nuts, the oils are extracted until the rosemary becomes crisp, providing a mild rosemary tasting cashew with bits of rosemary crisps.

Rosemary health benefits.

According to the Flushing Hospital Medical Center newsletter, rosemary has many health benefits. In their newsletter, it states that

"Rosemary is not only known for its taste and smell; it is also renowned for the many health benefits it possesses. A good source of iron, calcium and vitamins A, C, and B-6, rosemary has been used for its medicinal purposes for centuries.

Some of the many potential health benefits of rosemary include:

• Rosemary is a rich source of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds, which are thought to help boost the immune system and improve blood circulation.
• Rosemary is considered a cognitive stimulant and can help improve memory performance and quality. It is also known to boost alertness, intelligence, and focus.
• The aroma of rosemary has been linked to improving mood, clearing the mind, and relieving stress in those with chronic anxiety or stress hormone imbalances.
• The oil of rosemary has been known to promote hair growth prevent baldness, slow graying, and treat dandruff and dry scalp.
• Rosemary is often used for digestion problems, including heartburn, intestinal gas, liver and gallbladder complaints, and loss of appetite.
• Rosemary is specifically powerful against bacterial infections. It is linked to preventing staph infections.
• The nutrients in rosemary help protect skin cells from damage often caused by the sun and free radicals.

Given the above benefits of rosemary, we should be consuming more of this herb than just the token flavoring or garnish.

These rosemary cashews make an excellent snack as well as a home-made gift for those people who have everything.  I like bringing these as hostess gifts, especially when I travel and stay with people as they don't take up too much space and the "home-made" aspect makes it a unique gift.

Tips for making rosemary cashews.

Cashews.

Buy bulk whole cashews that have been already roasted and salted.  By purchasing already salted cashews, it eliminates the need for you to salt the cashews. If you want to omit the salt, you can use either the raw or unsalted roasted cashews.

Other nuts.

Blanched almonds and other almond type nuts can be used as a substitute.

Rosemary.

Fresh bunches of rosemary are placed on a baking sheet with the cashews and heated in the oven. This extracts the rosemary oil, crisping the leaves. The more the better!

When the rosemary has crisped, it will be brittle.  Remove the leaves from the stalks.  Serve warm or package the nuts with the dried rosemary leaves. You can also crush the leaves into a powder by blending it or grinding it with a pestle and mortar.

Serving rosemary cashews.

Serve cashews warm as an appetizer.  Store the re-roasted cashews in an airtight container or gift them by putting them into mason jars, once they are cooled, with a cute bow, or not! Enjoy!