Favorite Party Snack Mix

Thank God for Chex.

This is not an advertising plug, promise.

My husband has always adored Chex Mix. I'll admit, I kinda like it myself. It's one of those go-to snacks for road trips and parties and such. Unfortunately, the bags you can buy in stores of the pre-made stuff - not so much gluten-free friendly, if you know what I mean. They're loaded with bagel chips, pretzels, wheat Chex...all perfectly delicious as far as the hubs is concerned. But I certainly can't eat it without getting sick. Or I have to carefully pick out the none-offenders...and that's not so much fun.

So I started making my own. It's become a staple in our house. I make a big batch every week. Between the two of us, it doesn't last very long. And it's so easy to make yourself - takes less than 15 minutes.

When I first started experimenting, I pretty much stalked the Chex website - it contains tons of cool gluten-free recipes. I tried all the fancy variations, tweaking them as I went along. This ended up being our favorite. It is very similar to the traditional Chex party mix recipe, however it is completely gluten-free and I have made a few changes to fit our personal tastes.

This recipe is awesome! It has that great balance of salty and sweet and it's relatively addictive. Just sayin'. This is super easy and quick if you cook it in the microwave. The first few batches I made were done in the oven, but I realized it's a waste of time and electricity/gas. It comes out just as beautifully crunchy in the microwave in a fraction of the time. Feel free to change up the ingredients, if it suits your fancy. But trust me, you'll never go back to the bag mix again!

Favorite Party Snack Mix

Prep Time: 5-10 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Yield: 24 (1/2 cup) servings

• 3 cups Rice Chex
• 3 cups Corn Chex
• 3 cups Cinnamon Chex
• 2 cups Gluten-free Mini Pretzels (I like Snyder's)
• 1 cup Mixed Nuts, lightly or unsalted
• 6 Tbsp Light Butter
• 2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce (Lea & Perrins is gluten-free)
• 1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning, reduced sodium
• 1 tsp ground Cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1/2 tsp Onion Powder

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine Rice Chex, Corn Chex, Cinnamon Chex, pretzels and nuts. Stir to combine.
2. In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, melt butter on high heat in microwave for 45 seconds to 1 minute - make sure you cover it with wax paper (plastic wrap might melt) so it doesn't splatter.
3. To melted butter, add Worcestershire sauce, Old Bay, cinnamon, garlic powder and onion powder. Whisk or stir well to combine.
4. Add butter mixture to cereal mixture and toss well to coat with a large spoon or rubber spatula.
5. Place large mixing bowl in microwave and cook on High heat for 2 minutes. Remove bowl and stir contents. Repeat on High for 1 minute - remove and stir. Do this twice more, until Chex mix has cooked for a total of 5 minutes on High heat, stirring intermittently so it doesn't clump together.
6. Dump contents of bowl onto a rimmed baking sheet that has been lined with parchment or a Silpat. Allow to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to one week.

Oven Directions: Preheat oven to 250 . Follow above directions through Step 4. Dump contents of bowl (unbaked) onto a rimmed baking sheet that has been lined with parchment or a Silpat. Bake for 1 hour, stirring mixture every 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on baking sheet. Store in an airtight contained for up to one week.

*Adapted from Chex*

Happy gluten-free baking!

Oat, Nut & Flax Granola

Allow me to vent for a moment.

There is nothing, and I mean nothing, I hate more (right now) than browsing the internet for gluten-free recipes and ending up with Paleo diet recipes on my search feed.

I'm sorry. I'm just not a fan. If there's anything I learned from my Nutrition classes - and I learned A LOT, mind you - it's that any diet, and I mean ANY diet, that cuts out entire food groups is bound to lead to T-R-O-U-B-L-E.

End of rant.

Thank you.

Trying to eat grains while on a gluten-free diet can be challenging. But that doesn't mean you should cut out grains altogether just to seemingly make life easier. When you cut out whole grains, you're also cutting out fiber and essential vitamins and minerals than can be difficult to get from other foods. Be smart and safe about where your gluten-free grains are coming from and make sure they're certified if you suffer from a severe allergy or Celiac's.

I have neither, my gluten intolerance is not severe, so I don't spend the extra money on gluten-free oats. This, however, is a personal choice. But I promise you that making your own gluten-free granola is going to be far cheaper than buying it! Pinky swear.

This recipe is an oldy but goody. I've been using it for years. My mother makes her own granola now too after trying mine during a visit a few years back. It's so easy, and so affordable. What could possibly be better?

This is also one of those recipes that you can totally personalize. Double it, change the nuts, use a different spice, use a different kind of juice (cranberry juice works really well), or use a different type of oil or extract. You can even add dried fruit, coconut, chocolate bits, or whatever you like. Make it work for you and your family. Enjoy served with fruit and yogurt or alone with milk!

Oat, Nut & Flax Granola

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 3 1/2 cups (about 10 1/3-cup servings)

• 3 cups gluten-free Old-fashioned Oats
• 1/3 cup ground Flax Seed Meal
• 1/4 cup slivered or sliced Almonds
• 1/4 chopped Pecans
• 2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1/3 cup Apple Juice
• 1/3 cup Honey
• 1/4 cup Dark Brown Sugar
• 2 tsp Coconut Oil, melted
• 1 tsp Almond Extract
• Additional ingredients - Dried Fruit, Coconut, Chocolate Chips, etc - as desired

1. Preheat oven to 300°F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine first 5 ingredients (through cinnamon). Stir to combine.
3. In a small saucepan, combine apple juice, honey, and brown sugar. Stir/whisk constantly over medium heat until brown sugar and honey have dissolved. Do not boil!
4. Remove saucepan from heat and stir in coconut oil and almond extract.
5. Add liquid mixture to oat mixture and stir well to combine.
6. Line a jelly-roll pan or rimmed cookie sheet with a Sil-pat or parchment, or spray with cooking spray. Empty contents of bowl onto baking sheet and spread out into an even layer.
7. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
8. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely.
9. Add any additional ingredients you might like: raisins, dried cranberries, dates, other chopped dried fruits, coconut, chocolate chips, etc. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Happy gluten-free baking!