To create this gluten-free, added sugar-free, organic / raw trail mix, I combined dried cranberries, slivered almonds, chocolate-covered raw cacao beans, and cashews. The bitter raw cacao balances the tartness of the cranberries, sweetness of the almonds, and basic mouthfeel of the cashews.
To make this magical flavourpot, do the following:
- 1 part organic, unsweetened, dried cranberries (if you feel like cheating or want a sweeter overall flavour in your mix, you can try Ocean Spray’s Craisins, but be forewarned: there’s not much healthy about them)
- 1 part organic, raw, gluten-free, dark-chocolate covered cacao beans – get these from Bulk Barn
- 1/2 part organic, raw, slivered almonds
- 1 part raw, organic cashews
I’m always curious about nutritional info for recipes I’m looking at, so I’ll provide that here based on a 1 cup serving of the mix:
Dried Cranberries:
Calories: 85
Fat: 0.38g (1%)
Carbs: 22.65g (8%) – [Fiber 1.6g (6%), Sugar 17.88g]
Protein: 0.02g
Calcium: 1%
Iron: 3%
Organic Dark-chocolate Covered Raw Cacao Nibs:
Fat: 16g (24%) – [Sat 12g (60%), Trans 0g]
Carbohydrates: 16g (4%) – [Fiber 8g (32%), Sugar 4g]
Slivered Almonds:
Calories: 170
Fat: 140g (215%)
Carbs: 6g – [Fiber 4g, Sugar 1g]
Protein: 6g
Calcium: 8%
Iron: 8%
Raw Cashews:
Calories: 150
Fat: 12g (18%) – [Sat 2g (10%), Polyun 2g, Monoun 7g]
Carbs: 8g (3%) – [Fiber 1g(4%), Sugar 2g]
Protein: 5g
Calcium: 2%
Iron: 10%
I might also try adding coconut shavings. I think that would be magnificent – though, probably all too much fat. Crikey, at 258% of your average recommended daily intake (at 65g), I’d recommend this snack only as a very rare indulgence, when you’re being particularly active in a day. For example, last weekend when I made this, we walked to / from, and danced at a party for about 5 hours. This weekend, when I made it, we went biking for about 2.5 hours. One is also unlikely to eat an entire cup’s worth of this stuff in one sitting either anyway, when proper savoury measures are taken during consumption, so all balances out, I’d imagine.