Crunchy Cherry Party Mix
This easy-to-prepare snack is a party and holiday favorite! As a Recipe Makeover, it cuts down on the calories, fat and sodium of a traditional recipe, and, it's crunchy good!
Per serving: 93 calories, 2.2g fat and 202mg sodium.
Saves: 55 calories, 4.5g fat and 220mg sodium.
Preparation Time: 5 mins
Cooking Time: 25 mins
Yield: 20 x 1/2-cup servings
About this Recipe Makeover
This party mix is a nice alternative to traditional Chex Mix. The makeover recipe adds dried cherries for extra flavor, replaces salt with spices, and reduces the amount of butter/spread.
Ingredients Show Makeover Show Traditional
- 4 cup bite-size rice square cereal (such as Rice Chex) *
- 2 cup bite-size wheat square cereal (such as Wheat Chex)
- 2 cup broken whole-grain Melba toast
- 2 cup small fat-free pretzel twists
- 3 Tbsp vegetable spread (such as Smart Balance), melted **
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/8 tsp ground red pepper
- 1 1/2 cup dried tart cherries, de-seeded
- 5 Tbsp butter
- 1 1/3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 2 1/2 cup bite-size rice square cereal (such as Rice Chex)
- 2 1/2 cup bite-size wheat square cereal (such as Wheat Chex)
- 2 1/2 cup bite-size rice square cereal (such as Corn Chex)
- 13 Tbsp pretzels
- 13 Tbsp bagel chips, pieces
- 13 Tbsp mixed nuts
Directions:
Preheat oven to 300ºF.
Put rice cereal, wheat cereal, Melba toast, and pretzels in a large bowl; stir to mix. In a glass measuring cup or small bowl, stir together melted vegetable spread, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and red pepper. Drizzle over cereal mixture. Toss to coat.
Spread cereal mixture in a 15x10x1-inch (or a 13x9x2-inch) baking pan. Bake in preheated oven about 25 minutes, stirring every 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from oven; stir in dried cherries.
Pour onto aluminum foil to cool completely. Store in a tightly-covered container for up to 1 week.
Variations:
* Can replace rice cereal with corn square cereal, such as Corn Chex.
** An equal amount of butter can replace vegetable spread, if desired, and if a dairy-free recipe is not necessary.
Serving suggestions are not included in the nutritional analysis.