Homemade Snacks for Hitting the Trail

Making your own snacks for a beautiful hike in the woods or mountains will add something special to the experience. Here are some easy recipe ideas that are quick to prepare and more interesting than your average trail mix or granola bar. Just bring enough to share!

Cheese Crisp Sandwiches

Yield:
2 Sandwiches

Ingredients:
4 cheese slices
2 tablespoons peanut butter

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place cheese slices on baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake for 10­15 minutes, until bubbly and browning on edges. Remove from oven and let sit for about 5 minutes, until they start to cool. Remove from parchment paper and place on a wire rack to cool completely. They will be crisp when fully cool. Spread peanut butter on crackers, and put two together to make sandwiches. Wrap in paper towels or cloth napkins to store until snack time.

**Cheese crisps are great on their own. Cheddar is best with peanut butter, but other good crisp options are brie slices, pepper jack, and mozzarella.

Spicy Roasted Chickpeas

Yield:
1 1⁄2 cups

Directions
1 15 oz can chickpeas
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sambal oelek or sriracha
1⁄4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1⁄4 teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Rinse and drain the chickpeas. Place them on a rimmed cookie sheet and pat dry with a clean towel. Drizzle olive oil on top, then add sambal, salt and garlic powder. Mix it all up with clean hands. Bake for 30­45 minutes or until the chickpeas are crispy.

Coconut Cashew Popcorn Balls

Yield:
12–16 balls

Ingredients:
6 cups plain or lightly salted popped corn
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cashew butter
1⁄4 cup finely chopped cashew nuts
1⁄4 cup coconut shreds
1⁄2 cups white sesame seeds

Directions:
Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper. Prepare a medium bowl of ice water. Put popcorn in a large bowl. Combine honey and cashew butter in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring gently, but constantly. As soon as the mixture starts to lightly bubble, stir constantly for 15 seconds more and turn off heat. Immediately pour the mixture evenly over the popcorn; gently mix with a wooden spoon or spatula until well coated. Gently stir in cashew nuts and coconut shreds. Dip both hands in the ice water. Working quickly, press small handfuls (heaping 1/4 cup each) of the popcorn mixture firmly into 2­inch balls. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet. If they seem too fragile, rinse hands with cold water and press and squeeze each ball again to help keep it together. Sprinkle each ball with sesame seeds while still a little damp and sticky. Let cool completely before storing. To store, individually wrap in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container.

This is a guest chef journal post by our favorite dirty girls, Aimee, Mai-Yan, and Emily of Dirty Gourmet. These adventurous gals were inspired by living in the woods and a massive bike tour through Canada. Eventually they decided to turn their shared passion for food & adventure into something tangible and thus Dirty Gourmet was born.

We can’t wait to feature more awesome recipes by these talented gals!