Recipe Box: Trail Mix, You Don’t Need a Hike to Savor Healthy Snacks

by

I love gobbling GORP.

That “Good Old Raisins and Peanuts,” a.k.a trail mix, is more, though, than the sum of its delicious parts. It even has a history.

Trail mixes date back to the pre-colonial era when indigenous people created portable, nutritious, lightweight foods that didn’t need to be cooked, could handle any weather and stored well for a long time. Consider pemmican – dried buffalo, moose or caribou, pounded together with animal fat and dried berries. It lasted for months, ready to break off and simmer into a stew, called rubbabbo, often seasoned with maple syrup. Bannock, a flat quick bread favored among Canadian fur trading crews, also traveled well (though it could be a tooth-breaker).

Fast forward to 1958 when “trail mix” is mentioned in Jack Kerouac’s novel, The Dharma Bums. In the late 1960s, Hadley Fruit Orchards of California is credited with popularizing the term. The timeless food is beloved by surfers, hikers, kayakers … and harried students. Today in grocery stores, co-ops or outdoor outfitters, you can find packaged pemmican and assorted trail mixes marketed as high-protein, low sugar, gluten-free, vegan or paleo snacks.

    As convenient as those packaged items are, there’s a real advantage to making your own trail mix and trail bars – you control the ingredients and decide what goes into the mix. If you’re planning an outdoor adventure, or an afternoon with ever-hungry kids, I suggest keeping a stash of essential components on hand to be ready to go in any season.

Accumulate the Essentials

Nuts are loaded with healthy unsaturated fats, protein and fiber, antioxidants, vitamin E and other essential vitamins and minerals. Raw or roasted, it’s best to go with unsalted nuts. Healthy choices include almonds, pistachios, cashews and peanuts. Avoid denser, oilier nuts that tend to spoil if not refrigerated – macadamia, hazelnuts, Brazil, pecans and pine nuts.

Seeds, such as sesame, hemp, flax, sunflower and pumpkin, are nutrient dense, rich in omega-3 fatty acids, protein, magnesium, potassium and magnesium. Add a tablespoon or two to any mix.

Dried fruit, if not pre-sweetened, is a great source of fiber, antioxidants and carbohydrates. Stock up on dried cranberries, apples, cherries, blueberries, raisins, mangos and chopped dates.

Grains are a terrific source of complex carbs for extra energy. Be careful NOT to use those processed with sugar. Try unsweetened granola, toasted oats, puffed rice and puffed corn to add crunch.

Sweets add fun. Throw in a handful of dark chocolate chips, yogurt covered raisins, candied ginger or your other favorites … but not too much. Before using chocolate, or anything else that melts, of course, consider the temperatures you’ll encounter.

Master the Mix.

Here are a few terrific tossups that I favor. Generally, use equal amounts of each ingredient, but there are no hard fast rules.

Almond Joy: Toasted Almonds, toasted coconuts, dried cherries, dark chocolate chips.

Fall Favorites: Walnuts, dried apples, pumpkin seeds, granola, season with about 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, or more to taste.

Savory: Sunflower seeds, beef or bison jerky, corn nuts, craisins.

Curry Up: Peanuts, wasabi peas, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, 1/4 cup chopped crystalized ginger and season with about 1/2 teaspoon curry power, or more, to taste.

Raw Stuff: Walnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, dried blueberries, pinch of coarse salt.

The great thing about any of these mixes, munches or bars is that they can be ever ready both for hitting the trail and for healthy snacking.

So mix it up and enjoy.

Honey Toasted Munch

This delicious mix is great to eat on the trail and sprinkle over yogurt, ice cream or toss into muffins and quick breads.

Makes 4-1⁄2 to 5 cups.

Ingredients:

  • 1-1/2 c. thick rolled oats or regular rolled oats
  • 1 c. millet
  • 1 c. hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 c. unsweetened coconut flakes
  • 1/2 c. maple syrup or honey
  • 1/2 c. chopped craisins and/or dried cherries

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine oats, millet, chopped hazelnuts, coconut flakes and honey in a large bowl and mix well so the honey completely coats the ingredients.

Spread in an even layer on the parchment-lined baking sheet and place it on the middle rack of oven.

Bake until nicely toasted and nutty-scented, about 20 minutes, rotating the pan front to back halfway through for more even toasting.

Remove from the oven and toss in cherries and craisins. Mix well. Cool completely on pan before storing in airtight container, where it will last about a week.

Trail Mix Bars

These are crisp and crunchy and, trust me, far better tasting

than those you find at the store.

Makes 10 to 12 bars.

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 c. coconut oil
  • 1/2 c. almond or peanut butter
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 2 c. old-fashioned oats
  • Pinch Kosher salt

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper, leaving a few inches overhanging on the sides to lift the bars out.

Put the coconut oil, nut butter, honey and vanilla into a small bowl, and beat until smooth. Put the oats into a large bowl and mix in the other ingredients. Season with salt and spread the dough out into the pan and press down firmly.

Bake until the bars are golden and fragrant, about 20 minutes. Remove and cool on a rack for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the pan using parchment overhangs. Cut into 10 to 12 bars while warm. Cool completely before wrapping. Place in airtight container, where it will last about a week.

Beth Dooley’s most recent recipe book collaboration is The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen done with Oglala Lakota chef Sean Sherman.