Party Mix…from a Slow-Cooker? Yes Indeed!

As any of my regular readers already know, I am a big fan and recent convert to using a Slow-Cooker for all kinds of main dishes, stews and soups.

But did you know that you can use a Slow-Cooker for making recipes like: granola and party-mix too?

Well I didn’t until I recently received a copy of Robin Robertson’s: Fresh From the Vegan Slow-Cooker as a gift.

After scanning through all the great recipes in this new cookbook, I knew I’d have to give the: Life of the Party Mix a try first. It came out great! So delish and not too salty (great to be able to control that when you make this mix at home).

Some minor tweaks I made:

After the initial 2 hours on high heat, I found the texture to be just right and the flavours well-developed, so I stopped the cooking process and just let the mix cool completely before storing. Not that it was stored long! The photo above is from Flickr ’cause I didn’t manage a photo here before it was all gone LOL. 😉

A couple of other things: I omitted the onion powder and cayenne and bumped up the Tabasco to 1 teaspoon. I didn’t add any salt as the nuts and pretzels I used were salted.

If you’re starting to think about party fare with the holidays just around the corner, you should definitely give this recipe a try. And what a great way to use your slow-cooker! 🙂

See page 2 for complete recipe.

Recipe used with permission: Excerpted from “Fresh from the Vegan Slow Cooker” by Robin Robertson, 2012, Harvard Common Press, $19.95

Photo courtesy of Flickr

Life of the Party Mix

Some things never get old, like the retro appeal of party mix. Use your slow cooker to make a batch of this favorite snack food without worrying about it burning on top of the stove. A larger, shallow slow cooker works best for this recipe, as it allow you to stir the ingredients together much more easily. If you don’t want a spicy mix, leave out the Tabasco and cayenne.

Makes about 10 cups

Slow Cooker Size: 5- to 6-quart

Cook Time: 2 hours and 15 minutes on High plus 2 hours on Low

Gluten-free Option

Soy-free Option

Ingredients

¼ cup vegan butter
2 tablespoons vegan Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon Tabasco sauce
5 cups Rice Chex cereal (or similar cereal)
1½ cups small pretzel sticks or other small pretzels
1 cup unsalted roasted peanuts or almonds
1 cup unsalted roasted cashews
½ teaspoon seasoned salt
½ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions

1. Melt the butter in the slow cooker on High for 15 minutes. Stir in the Worcestershire and Tabasco, then add all of the remaining ingredients and mix gently to combine and coat.

2. Cook uncovered on High for 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to Low and cook for another 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

3. Spread the mixture in a single layer on a baking sheet and set aside to cool completely. Store in an airtight container until ready to use. The party mix will keep for several weeks.

Note: If using salted nuts, omit the seasoned salt. For gluten-free, use gluten-free pretzels. For soy-free, use a soy-free vegan butter, and omit the Worcestershire sauce and use a soy-free sauce (purchased or homemade, page 35) or add some soy-free vegetable broth base or additional salt.