No secret that we love Blue Diamond Almonds up in this house. They usually send us some to try every month or two through the Tastemakers program and it’s a battle to save them long enough to make a recipe rather than just inhale them. When I opened this month’s delivery, Josh was pretty skeptical. Sriracha almonds? They’re definitely one of those foods that’s either going to be crazy good or ridiculously bad, especially because neither of us do spicy very well.
When I popped that can open, all worries immediately turned to hunger, because these smelled GOOD. Not the “this is so spicy my nose is going to fall off” smell I was expecting, but the subtle spiciness with an under layer of smoke that I love. Another sign they were going to be amazing? My cats came running at the sound of the can opening. I don’t know how they do it, but my cats don’t come running when random cans open — they reserve that for foods they love (like green beans).
For some reason, all I’ve been thinking about with these almonds is how they’d make a great rim for a bloody Mary. Unfortunately (fortunately for her?) my bloody Mary buddy was away on her honeymoon this last week, so that use is going to have to wait. For now, I made Sriracha almond crusted grilled cheese. You get the extra crunch from the almonds plus a little heat, gooey cheese (obviously a highlight), and cool creaminess from the avocado. All around, my new fav sandwich.
Spicy almonds, gooey cheese, creamy avocado. Boom. What else do you need?
Tagged with: Almonds • Easy • Egg Free • Gluten Free • Hidden Veggies • Sandwich • Vegetarian
Such an innovative and cool new way to use almonds! Do they really stick to the bread as well as they seem to in your photos?
Yes, they really do stick that well! No trickery here 🙂 The key is to press the bread down onto the almonds to not be shy about it, so that they’re pressed slightly into the actual bread and held in place with butter until you cook. I’m relatively gentle during the cooking process, but they’ll still stay on while you’re cutting your sandwich in half and eating with your hands.
Love that you made almond meal out of the nuts, very clever. I bet this was delicious!
You are amazing!!!! What a great idea, Sriracha almond encrusted grilled cheese, with avocado?? Yes Please
GENIUS idea! I bet this is so perfectly crispy and just spicy enough!