My Spin on Chex Mix: Savory Granola with Carrots and Kale Chips

I make a lot of granola, and something that had been plaguing me for a while was the concept of savory granola. You don’t really hear about savory granola; you can’t buy it in grocery stores, I rarely see recipes for it on pinterest, but why not? There’s nothing particularly sweet about nuts and oatmeal, the snack’s main components. Everything is else just personal taste and choice.

So I decided to go for it. I wanted a marriage between traditional granola and one of my favorite classic snacks – chex mix, the homemade kind. This concoction really hit that mark, so I’m happy. An added bonus is that with olive oil instead of butter and heart-healthy oatmeal instead of empty-caloric cereal, this savory treat is a lot healthier than traditional chex mix.

I apologize ahead of time for the somewhat vague nature of the recipe below. When I was making this, I really just threw things into a bowl. The only proportions that will really make a difference in taste, though, are the seasonings, so I’ll try to be at least somewhat precise in those measurements.

I think the most important part of this mix is the kale and the shredded carrots. I used about 3/4 of a large shredded carrot and a couple handfuls of fresh torn kale. It is also very important that you cook it at a low enough temperature so that the kale does not burn. It was all so vibrant before I popped it into the oven! The orange of the carrot disappeared after cooking for an hour, but that’s okay because the crispy little sticks are well worth the vanishing color.

So if you’ve had enough of your sweet tooth and you really just want something salty, give this a whirl. You won’t regret it!

Savory Granola with Carrots and Kale Chips

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup mixed nuts
3/4 of a large shredded carrot
A couple handfuls of fresh kale, or more to your taste
Pretzels, or any other add you can think of
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
5 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp seasoning salt
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 clove minced garlic
1 tsp Italian seasoning

METHOD:

1. Preheat oven to 300F. Mix oatmeal and nuts in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together oil, worcestershire sauce, and seasonings. Add shredded carrot.

2. Add seasoning mixture to oatmeal and mix until oatmeal is well coated. Add kale and stir some more until kale is coated. Spread thin on a baking sheet and bake for about an hour, or until oatmeal is crunchy.