Chili Lime Nuts

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A handful of nuts. Every nutritionist or dietician or healthy celebrity’s recommendation for a snack. Sounds like…

DISSAPPOINTMENT.

And sadness.

I tried to do this for a long time – nuts ARE a great snack, if you’re not allergic to them. They have healthy fats to keep you full. They have fiber and protein and lots of vitamins and nutrients that are good for you! Win win win.

But having just a handful of almonds makes me oh so sad compare to say… a handful of doritos.  I really like my snacks.

Plain almonds just doesn’t quite cut it for me. I like lots of flavor and zip and spice. What I prefer is more along the lines of um…. flavor blasted goldfish. If anything is called “flavor blasted ____” for example, it will be in my cart. So I guess that’s what these are- loaded with tons of flavor with spicy chili powder and zippy lime.

Having a snack is a whole thing— and it’s really good for my mental health! Making myself take 10 minutes to step away from work, sit in the sunshine outside, and have a snack helps me so much. In addition, it keeps the hangries away, which is important too.

I’ve been trying to find snacks that are healthy and filling, but not sad and flavorless for some alternatives to some of my, shall we say… less healthy and processed snacks. I love the Chili Lime Cashews that Trader Joe’s has. They are about $7 a pop for a bag though, so I decided it was time to make my own.

If you make them yourself, you can also control the level of salt, oil, and spice, and these are SO EASY to make! Healthy, spicy, lime-y and YUM! Seriously, these are so good. Spicy. A little sweet. A little sour. So good.

If you have a random assortment of peanuts, cashews, almonds, etc. (I had a bunch in the freezer I forgot about), make them a little more exciting with this recipe! I usually use a mix of cashews and peanuts, but you could use whatever you have.

Here’s the lineup for our snacktime:

• Nuts (obviously) – use whatever you like and have and are not allergic to or whatever. My favorite is cashews and peanuts. It’s best to use unsalted nuts so you can control the salt level, but you can use salted as well (just use less salt).
• Some oil – for roasting. I like to use avocado oil and keep the healthy fats trend going.
• A little honey – just a little! The sweetness balances out the tart lime and spicy chilis.
• Lime juice – fresh is great, but I’m not hating on that bottled lime juice. I use it all the time.
• Chili Powder – some spice! I always have a good chili powder in my cabinet – this one is my favorite.
• Chili Lime Seasoning – optional but I HIGHLY RECOMMEND – it adds so much more zing. Trader Joe’s has this one.
• Salt – you definitely need a little, but you can play around with how much based on what you like, and if the nuts you’re using are salted or unsalted.

Prep and Bake

The prep for these is so easy. Combine the liquids – oil, honey, and lime juice in a small bowl. Spread whatever nuts you’re using in a large, rimmed baking sheet (like this) and drizzle the liquid mixture on top. Stir to coat everything and then sprinkle the spices on– chili powder, chili lime seasoning, and salt. Give everything a good stir, so everyone is spicy and lime-y and pop them in the oven.

One note on salt– unsalted nuts are best in this so you can control the salt level. If you do use salted nuts though, omit the extra salt, and use less of the the chili lime seasoning too because it also has some salt.

These need to cook low and slow – 250 degrees, for an hour and a half. They need some time for all those spices and seasonings to sink in, and you don’t want to burn them at a higher temperature.

Stir them every now and then (about every 30 minutes or so), and obviously try a few when you do this to see how your handiwork is coming along.

When they’re done, I like to sprinkle them with a little extra of the chili lime seasoning for a little extra zippiness.

Store these in an air tight container – maybe a mason jar with one of these lids. FIRST THOUGH, let these babies cool off COMPLETELY before you trap them in a container so they don’t get soft.

My favorite way to enjoy these is on the patio, in the sunshine, with a lime La Croix. Ahhh best snack break ever!

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Chili Lime Nuts

Ingredients

• 3 c assorted nuts (cashews and peanuts)
• 2 T oil
• 1 T honey
• 2 T lime juice
• 1 T chili powder
• 1 T chili lime seasoning
• ½ t salt

Instructions

• In a small bowl, combine the honey, oil, and lime juice.
• Spread the nuts on a large, rimmed baking sheet and drizzle the liquid mixture over the nuts. Stir to combine.
• Sprinkle the chili powder, chili lime seasoning, and salt over the nuts and stir until evenly coated.
• Bake at 250 degrees for 1 ½ hours, stirring every 30 minutes.
• Sprinkle with extra chili lime seasoning, if desired.
• Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Notes

Unsalted nuts are best in this recipe, but if you use salted nuts, don’t add any additional salt. Also use less of the chili lime seasoning, because it has salt in it as well.