Spicy Trail Mix

Maybe it’s just me, but I seem to find myself in this spot often. One would think being a food blogger would keep me out of this predicament. Nope, I am pretty sure that just makes my flaws more pronounced…

What in the world am I talking about? Well, I am either referring to my current fever OR my chronic lack of meal planning. And since I can’t really figure out what a fever has to do with food — we will go with the second option. But, let’s all pay special attention to the fact that my writing is definitely more “odd” when influenced by a fever.

Back to the subject at hand – meal planning. I do not meal plan. I have never meal planned. I will never meal plan. It stresses me out. It’s like a little piece of paper is bossing me around all week and by the end of Day 1, I am “outta here”. Honestly, even reading a recipe is stressful to me — “Mix, stir, pour, spread, 1 cup this & 2 tablespoons that, bake for this long at that temperature, cool…I mean how bossy can one piece of paper be?! And trust me, reading my own recipes is no better. STRESS-FULL.

Thanks to a well-stocked pantry & fridge ((or as hubby says :: “over-stocked”)), I can pretty much come up with 8 dinner, breakfast, lunch — or in this case, snack options in 2 minutes flat. No recipes, no lists, no menus, no instructions and NO being bossed around. For some reason, that is how I do things – and it makes me happy. 

This spicy trail mix is no exception to my cooking habits. I recently needed to make a few snacks for a Bible study retreat I would be attending & knew I wanted to have a few sweets and a few salty treats. Travel & no refrigeration made this task a little tricky — combined with my quirky “no-recipe” tendencies, I was feeling a little pressure.

But after a quick scour through my pantry, homemade taco seasoning and a variety of dried fruits & nuts were just what I needed to make a yummy, simple snack.

I love this recipe because you can add and omit ingredients according to your taste preferences and what’s on hand. Start off by toasting approximately 3 cups of nuts and 1½ T taco seasoning in a medium skillet along with 2 T salted butter & 1 T canola oil.

Add in your favorite combination of dried fruits — I added pineapple, cherries & apricots.

As the mixture begins to toast over medium-low flame, add 2 T cane sugar and ½ t kosher salt (basically, salt to taste — depending on whether or not your nuts and taco seasoning have added salt, you may not need any salt).

Stir to coat and spread out on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes at 250°.

A little spicy, a hint of sweet, just the right amount of salty and the perfect crunch! No refrigeration needed, assembled in under 15 minutes and travels like a charm.