When I was a kid, my mom used to add walnuts to everything from chocolate chip cookies to banana bread. I guess it was her way of making sweet treats more healthy. I wasn't a picky eater as a kid, but walnuts (along with black licorice) were my Kryptonite.

As I grew older, I realized that it's not the walnuts I hate so much as their use in desserts, and I've found that I enjoy them quite a lot in savory dishes. Candied walnuts on a salad with blue cheese dressing are one of my favorite combinations, and I also love a good pesto di noci (walnut pesto).

These soy sauce roasted walnuts make for an umami-packed snack on their own, but they're also a delicious way to add some texture to vegetable dishes. Think of them as low-carb, high-protein, high-flavor croutons. They're super easy to prepare, but just be careful as you bake them. There's a fine line between toasty and burnt, and I crossed that line with this batch.😅