As seen on: Channel 4’s Undercover Doctor: Secrets of Your Big Shop

Shop-bought trail mixes can be incredibly more-ish, but pack in a lot of calories from the nuts and sugar from dried fruits. Whilst nuts are undoubtedly good for us, when we eat too much, we may be prone to weight gain. This trail mix has some nuts but also gets in some alternative crunch from roasted chickpeas and lentils, which also add a good source of protein. A hint of antioxidant-rich dark chocolate means this hits all the spots…

Ingredients (scale up to your liking):

50g dark chocolate (>70%) - either chocolate chips or a bar, chopped up into smaller bits
A handful of almonds (or another nut of your choice)
1 batch of crispy chickpeas (see below for recipe)
1 batch of crispy lentils (see below for recipe)

Method:

Mix all ingredients together
Store in an airtight container for up to 1wk

Crispy chickpeas ingredients:

1 can chickpeas
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper or paprika for something milder
Pinch sea salt
(Optional) 1 tbsp dried chives
(Optimal) 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Method:

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C
Drain the chickpeas and rinse
Allow the chickpeas to dry thoroughly by resting them and rolling them gently on kitchen towel
If you can, try and take off as many of the chickpea skins as possible. This helps them crisp up more
Spread the chickpeas out over a lined oven tray, making sure there’s plenty of room on the tray. Place in the oven for 30 minutes, tossing them every now and then
After 30 minutes, pour over the olive oil, nutritional yeast and seasonings. Mix well and then return to the oven for another 10 minutes
Remove from the oven and allow to cool before storing

Crispy lentils ingredients:

1 tin of lentils
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Pinch of salt
1/2 tsp chilli powder or paprika for something milder
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Method:

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C
Drain the lentils and rinse
Allow the lentils to dry thoroughly by resting them and rolling them gently on kitchen towel
Line a tray with baking parchment or a silicone sheet. Drizzle the oil over the tray, then add the lentils
Spread the lentils out over the tray, making sure there’s plenty of room on the tray.
Place in the oven for 20 minutes, tossing them every now and then
After 20 minutes, pour over the spices. Mix well and then return to the oven for another 10 minutes until the lentils are nice and crispy
Remove from the oven and allow to cool before storing