A handful of nuts is a stellar snack to help curb your hunger on a busy afternoon.
And nuts are a fantastic salad topper, without the nutritional pitfalls of things like fakey-bacon bits, partially hydrogenated chow mein noodles, and white-carb (sneakily artificial) flavored croutons.
In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, water, vanilla, and kosher salt, stirring to combine (don't worry that the sugar and salt won't all be dissolved).
In a medium-large saucepan over medium heat, toast pecans for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.