Snack Attack: Take two

Super Bowl shenanigans yesterday got us in a snacking mood and thinking about better, homemade snacks. Often prepackaged snack mixes have undesirable ingredients and leave no room for creativity. If you love our oldie but goodie recipe for Snack Attack Bars than you'll be glad that we're back with round two - Snack Attack Berbere Mix. But what is berbere you ask, let's find out!

We had some fun at one of our favorite specialty grocers in Chicago this weekend - Middle East Bakery and Grocery in Andersonville. They have a delicious eat in cafe and an amazing selection of hard to find Mediterranean ingredients. What really wows us about this grocer, however, is their colorful selection of spices and unique spice blends without strange additives. It's here that we discovered berbere and are sure glad we did. Berbere is a traditional Ethiopian spice blend with a delectable balance of spice, savoriness, and a touch of sweetness. Our blend contains paprika, ginger, cumin, gram masala, anise seeds, cinnamon, allspice, cardamom, curry, onion, and garlic powder. From what we've found there can be a variety of spices in different berbere blends or recipes but we love the one that Middle East Bakery and Grocery carries. Check them out soon for this gem or find a local specialty grocer that carries unique spices. If you have a great spice cabinet already and want to experiment with a mixture of these ingredients that would be fun too! Though this snack mix would be amazing with any of your favorite spices/spice blends. 

Snack Attack Berbere Mix
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 40 minutes
Servings: ~7 cups

Ingredients
3 cups mini woven wheat crackers (rice, corn, or wheat woven unsweetened plain cereal would also work)
2 cups pretzels (any shape will work, we used whole wheat pretzel bites)
1 1/4 cup roasted broad bean crisps (we used Enlightened brand, roasted chickpeas would also be great)
1/2 cup unsalted macadamia nuts
1/2 cup unsalted, shelled pistachios
4 Tbsp melted, unsalted butter
2 Tbsp + 2 tsp low sodium soy sauce
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp honey
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp berbere seasoning powder (paprika, ginger, cumin, gram masala, anise seeds, cinnamon, allspice, cardamom, curry, onion, & garlic powder) OR spice mix of your choice

Pre-heat oven to 250 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together the mini woven wheat crackers, pretzels, roasted broad beans, macadamia nuts, and pistachios then set aside. In another small bowl, combine the melted butter, soy sauce,  apple cider vinegar, and honey then pour over the dry ingredients. Gently stir the mix until well coated. Sprinkle berbere seasoning powder over the mix and stir again to evenly coat. Spread mix in an even layer on a large parchment lined sheet pan then bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, allow mix to fully cool for ~15 minutes, then store in an air tight container for up to 10 days.

This mix is a snack that won't quit. It's perfectly crunchy but also rich and buttery, the mixture of nut and bean protein will keep you full and satisfied, and the unique tang of the berbere will keep you coming back for more. This can be shared with a group and will easily travel for an on the go snack. And don't forget to support your local businesses and specialty ethnic grocers - finds like this mix may not be possible without them! Thank you Middle East Bakery and Grocery, see you soon.

Snack on,
​Jess and Cecelia