If it were two years ago I never would have been telling you about this trail mix. Why? Because I was operating under the mistaken belief that candied ginger was not worth my time. I’m not sure what prompted me to give it a try, but I’m happy that I did. While I’m not about to start throwing candied ginger into every baked good and batch of granola that I make, I no longer write off every recipe containing it.
Spicy + sugary = good.
Spicy + sugary + nutty + coconutty + salty + fruity = really good.
Pumpkin Seed Trail Mix
From Martha Stewart Living, October 2009
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 tbsp olive oil
Coarse salt
1/2 cup large, unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 cup whole almonds, toasted
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup candied ginger, cut into 1/4-in pieces
Toss the pumpkin seeds with the olive oil, and spread them on a rimmed baking sheet. Season with coarse salt, and bake at 375 for several minutes, stirring once, until golden. Combine the pumpkin seeds and the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Mix. Eat.
I made a few changes based on what I had around. Instead of raw, unhulled pumpkin seeds I used the green insides. Bake them the same as you would if they had their shells on. I only had about a tablespoon of dried cranberries, so I substituted dried apricots for the remainder. I also used finely shredded coconut instead of large flakes. This might be problematic if you eat it like trail mix as the little shreds will get everywhere, but if you eat it as a yogurt topping like I did it works fine.
