The last time I candied almonds, we were up at the cottage and I made the mistake of using wax paper which stuck to the almonds - my recommendation is to instead use a greased cookie sheet to cool the almonds - this works MUCH better.

Last night I made a wonderful salad with bbq chicken, field greens, goat feta, red onions, red peppers, tangerines and a balsamic-oil vinaigrette, topped with candied almonds. I candied the almonds using just sugar but was pleasantly surprised with the result when Marty asked me how they were done and if there was any alternative to using sugar… this morning I did some research and found the following recipe at allrecipes.com, so next time I candy almonds I’m going to try this out.

INGREDIENTS (aprox 8 servings)

1/2 cup whole natural Almonds, roasted
2 tablespoons honey
1-1/2 teaspoons butter
1/4 cup sugar

DIRECTIONS

• Over medium heat in medium saucepan, heat honey and butter to boiling. Reduce heat to medium-low, simmer 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add almonds; simmer and stir 2 minutes.
• Using slotted spoon, transfer almonds to baking sheet lined with parchment paper or sprayed with nonstick cooking spray; spread in single layer and cool slightly.
• Toss almonds with sugar to coat using a medium plastic food storage bag.

*To roast almonds, spread in an ungreased baking pan. Place in a preheated 350 degree F oven and bake 10 minutes or until golden brown and fragrant; stir once or twice to ensure even browning. Note that almonds will continue to roast slightly after removing from oven.

We made this the other night along with the grilled shrimp and it was fantastic!!
I found the recipe here: Grilled Corn Salad
The grocery store was out of zucchini so I substituted with 2 peaches, and the flavor was just awesome, complimented the cumin perfectly! We left out the cilantro because neither of us like it, but I remember reading somewhere that Italian flat-leaf parsley can be a good substitute for cilantro.The ears of corn were grilled after shucking them, which gave the salad a nice crunch, and used goat cheese which made it nice and creamy.

Ingredients

* 4 ears of corn, do not shuck (or 2 1/2 cups frozen corn for the non-grill option)
* 1 large red bell pepper
* 1 5-inch long zucchini, sliced in half lengthwise
* 1/2 cup chopped red onion
* 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
* 1 serrano chili pepper, seeded and minced (optional)
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin (best if you toast whole cumin seeds then grind)
* 1/4 cup crumbly salty cheese such as feta or cotija (optional)
* 2 Tbsp olive oil
* 2 Tbsp cider vinegar or lime juice
* Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Method

1 Prepare your grill for high, direct heat. Oil the grill grates. Rub a little olive oil over the bell pepper. Place the corn (in their husks) and red bell pepper directly on the grill grates. (See our method for grilling corn-on-the-cob.) Cover the grill.

Turn corn occasionally, so that every part of the husk is blackened. Turn the red bell pepper occasionally until the skin has blistered up all around it. This should take 15 to 20 minutes.

For the last 5 minutes or so, rub olive oil over the zucchini pieces and place the zucchini pieces directly on the grill grate, cut side down. Turn them over after a few minutes when they have some nice grill marks on them. Let them cook for just a minute or two on the other side.

1a - no grill version Alternatively you can prepare the vegetables on the stove-top. Shuck the corn and use a knife to remove the kernels from the cobs. If you don’t have fresh corn, you can easily use frozen. Coat the bottom of a large, sturdy relatively stick-free (can use cast iron) pan with a little olive oil. Heat the pan to high. Spread out the corn kernels on the pan. If frozen, they will defrost almost immediately. Don’t stir them that much, just let them cook, stirring occasionally, until they start to toast. When they get a little browned, remove them from the pan to a bowl. Lay the zucchini pieces on the pan and brown on both sides, do not over cook, remove from pan. The bell pepper does not need to be cooked, it can just be seeded and chopped fine.

2 Let the corn cool down for a few minutes and pull back the husks. Stand the corn husks vertically, tip facing down, in a large shallow bowl or baking dish. Use a sharp knife to make long, downward strokes, removing the kernels from the cob, as you work your way around the cob.

Once the bell pepper has cooled a bit, remove the outer peel. Cut open the pepper, remove the seeds and stem. Chop the bell pepper into small pieces.

Slice the slightly browned zucchini again lengthwise and chop into small pieces.

3 Place grilled or toasted corn kernels, chopped bell pepper, chopped zucchini, red onion, cilantro, and serrano (if using) into a large bowl. Add the cumin, olive oil, vinegar or lime juice, and crumbly cheese (if using). Mix gently. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve cold or at room temperature. Serves 4.