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Quick, tasty snacks are sometimes hard to come by. Enjoy the filling nature of nuts along with their great flavor and natural sweetness. Nuts are touted as a heart healthy food choice due to the unsaturated fats, fiber, vitamin E, and sterols that all help lower LDL cholesterol.
INGREDIENTS
2 cups pumpkin seeds
1 cup whole dry-roasted almonds
1 cup pistachios, unshelled
3/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
4 T pure Grade B maple syrup
Coarse salt
1 cup dried cherries
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
In a large bowl, toss the pumpkin seeds, almonds, and sunflower seeds and the syrup until evenly coated. Spread the nuts and seeds out in a single layer on the lined baking sheets and season with salt to taste. Bake the nuts, stirring several times with spatula or wooden spoon, until just golden, about 20 minutes.
Cool the nuts completely on the pan, then add the cherries and toss to combine. Store cooled trail mix in an airtight container at room temperature.
Sonya Looney is a professional mountain biker focusing on ultra endurance and stage racing events. She was selected to the USA Marathon World Championships team in both 2010 and 2011.
