Southwest Mixed Nuts
Plain mixed nuts can get a little boring sometimes.
But if you add a little cayenne, some chili powder, garlic, and a few other spices you no longer have a mediocre snack. You now have a delicious snack packed full of flavor!
My mantra is low carb doesn’t mean low taste,” and these mixed nuts are definite proof of that!
Growing up, Mexican style foods were a regular in our household. Our whole family loved the robust flavors and spices commonly used in dishes such as tacos, enchiladas, posole, fajitas, etc.
Perhaps that’s why when trying to come up with a spiced nut for the first time I went to the spice cabinet and after very little thought pulled out some chili powder, garlic powder, granulated onion, cumin, paprika, and some cayenne for a kick.
“You can’t go wrong with this combo,” I thought to myself, as I set my armload of spices on the counter, and was I ever right!
The robust flavor of these southwest mixed nuts makes for a delicious afternoon snack. If you like your stuff a little on the spicy side I recommend doubling your cayenne, and if you really like your spice try tripling it or more!
Ingredient List
2 Cups Salted Mixed Nuts
1-2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1/2 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Onion Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Cumin
1/4 Teaspoon Paprika
1 Teaspoon Chili Powder
1/8 Teaspoon Cayenne
How To Make Southwest Mixed Nuts
The other awesome thing about these nuts is they are super quick and easy to make! I don’t know about you, but for me that’s a huge selling point! There’s never enough time in the day and I love, love, love finding quick and easy low carb recipes!
Begin by preheating your oven to 375°, then pull out a roasting pan or cast iron skillet. Pour your nuts into the skillet and drizzle with olive or avocado oil. Stir the nuts until they have been evenly coated with oil. If they seem a little dry add some more oil and stir again. You want them to be fairly wet with oil so the seasoning will stick. However, you don’t want them oiled so much it just slides off and pools in the pan.
Mix all your spices together in a small bowl, then sprinkle the mix over your oil covered nuts. Stir the nuts until they have been thoroughly coated with the seasoning mix.
Bake for seven minutes, then pull them out of the oven, stir them, and bake for another seven minutes. You may have to repeat this step a third and even a fourth time depending on your oven. I typically have to bake mine for a total of about 21 minutes.
Bake until the lighter nuts (such as your cashews) have begun to turn a golden brown. Let them cool completely before eating, and enjoy!
How Many Can I Eat?
Nuts are not your friend if your goal is dropping weight. If your goal is to lose weight this may not be the snack for you as nuts are higher in carbs than some snacks, and definitely not calorie friendly.
For me they are an awesome snack, as I’m needing a snack with a higher calorie count to get me energy through the day. Their high fat and proteins are what I’m after, making them a great snack with my goal being slight weight gain and maintenance. Even if eating with these goals you definitely should watch how many you eat, as it is easy to overdo it!
For more info on what you should be eating to achieve your goals visit the Ketogains website for tons of awesome information on the keto diet!
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Southwest Mixed Nuts
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Salted Mixed Nuts
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1/2 Tsp Himalayan Pink Salt
- 1/4 Tsp Garlic
- 1/4 Tsp Onion Powder
- 1/4 Tsp Cumin
- 1/4 Tsp Paprika
- 1 Tsp Chili Powder
- 1/8 Tsp Cayenne
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375° Farenheit.
- Mix all your spices together into a bowl and set aside.
- Pour your nuts onto a baking sheet or cast iron skillet and drizzle with olive oil. Stir until the oil has lightly coated all of the nuts.
- Sprinkle your spice mix over the nuts and stir again.
- Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, stirring every five minutes until nuts have started to brown. Pull out of the oven, and let them cool completely before eating. Enjoy!