A good varietal nut mix, in my book, is one of the greatest snacks ever. My husband, on the contrary, disagrees. He’s always been underwhelmed by my nut concoctions (does that sound weird to anyone else?) and I take it a little personal. So when he came home with a store-bought container of Cajun Trail Mix it was the last straw.
What followed was much trial and error, tasting and more tasting, and voila! – a spicy nut mix that he is a huuuuge fan of! Since this was created for my husband specifically, he tweaked it to fit his preferences. After my first batch he decided it wasn’t quite spicy enough and after the second batch he decided he wanted it to have more of a smoky flavor. I love how it turned out and I also love that it’s a healthy snack that he enjoys.
You can also tweak it to fit your taste preferences. If you aren’t a spicy food lover then go light on the cayenne. If you don’t want that smoky flavor, use regular paprika instead of smoked paprika. Feel free to use whatever nuts you have in your pantry.
You’ll see in the ingredients section that this recipes calls for aquafaba. When I come across a recipe with an ingredient I’m not familiar with I usually just move along to the next recipe, BUT– don’t run in the opposite direction quite yet. Aquafaba is actually a really simple ingredient that you likely already have in your pantry.
Aquafaba is just the liquid that legumes (like chickpeas) have been cooked in. So if you have a can of chickpeas, or any other legume, then you have aquafaba. All you do is strain out the water from the canned chickpeas (and then use the chickpeas for hummus, in stir frys, in salads, etc..).
Aqaufaba basically works as a replacement to egg whites. Normally when you make candied nuts you would whip egg whites into a foam. Aquafaba does the exact same thing. Adding a little arrowroot starch to it will also stabilize the foam and help it form those stiff peaks.
Spicy Nut Mix
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup dry roasted or raw peanuts
- 1/2 cup dry roasted or raw walnuts
- 1/2 cup dry roasted or raw almond
- 1/2 cup dry roasted or raw pecans
- 1/2 cup dry roasted or raw pistachios
- 1/4 cup pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)
- 1/4 cup goji berries
- 10 dates pitted
- 4 tbsp water
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 1/2 tsp cayenne
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 5 tbsp aquafaba
- 1/8 tsp arrowroot starch
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
- Combine peanuts, walnuts, almonds, pecans, pistachios, and pumpkin seeds in a large bowl.
- Place dates and water in a food processor and process until smooth. You may need to stop and scrape down the sides.
- Mix the date paste into the nut mixture until all nuts are coated.
- Combine garlic powder, cayenne, paprika, onion powder, and salt in a small bowl.
- Place aquafaba and arrowroot starch into a bowl and using an electric mixer, whisk until stiff peaks form.
- Scoop aquafaba into the nut mixture and gently fold it into the nut mixture. Pour the spices and mix gently until all nuts are coated.
- Pour nuts onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Remove, stir and place back in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove, stir and place back in oven for 10 additional minutes.
- Remove from oven and push nuts apart so they don't cool in clumps.
- After nuts have cooled and hardened, mix in the goji berries.