An Inspired Cook

If you are looking for the perfect snack for the big game this weekend, look no further that Red and/or Green Chile Chex Mix. Chex mix has always been a family favorite at our house and this year I decided to spice it up by adding some ground red and green chile. I got the idea when I picked up some red and green chile peanuts at our local Sprouts Market. The peanuts were roasted, salted and dusted in red and green chile spices which had a bold and spicy flavor. Using ground red and green chile seemed like the perfect solution to spicing up our traditional chex mix. I made one pan with red chile spices and one pan with green but it would be easy to make a Christmas chex mix by mixing equal parts red and green chile. A big bowl of each would be a crowd pleasing snack while watching the Superbowl this weekend. Enjoy the game!

I used a combination of corn, rice and wheat chex cereals, pretzel sticks and peanuts. I also assembled butter to be melted, lime juice and lime zest plus a spice mix. I made a red chile spice blend with dried ground NM red chile, onion powder, garlic powder and salt. The green chile spice blend included NM green chile powder, onion powder, garlic powder and salt.

Measure out the chex cereals, pretzels and peanuts into a large bowl. You can add different varieties of nuts, cheese crackers, bagel chips, rye chips, dry breadstick broken into pieces, or other bite sized flavored crackers. Just adjust the amounts to equal 10 cups total.

Melt 6 tablespoons of butter and add the spice mix.

Add the lime juice, lime zest and stir well.

Transfer the chex mix to 9″ X 13″ baking pans. Pour the melted butter and spice mixture over the chex mix and stir well.

Place in a preheated 250 degree oven and bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

Can you tell which is red and which is green? Actually it’s hard to tell until you taste it.

Order: NM Green Chile Powder

Red Chile Chex Mix

3 cups Rice Chex
3 cups Corn Chex
2 cups Wheat Chex
1 cup Pretzels
1 cup Roasted Peanuts
6 tablespoons Butter, melted
1 tablespoon Lime Juice
2 teaspoons dried NM Red Chile (I ground my own red chile from dried pods)
1 teaspoon Lime Zest
1/2 teaspoon Onion Powder
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Measure and combine the Rice, Corn and Wheat Chex cereal, pretzels and peanuts together in a large bowl. Stir well. Transfer the mix into a 9″ x 13″ baking pan.

Mix together the melted butter, lime juice, lime zest, ground red chile, onion powder, garlic powder and salt. Stir well then drizzle over the chex mix. Stir to combine.

Bake for 1 hour, stirring the chex mix every 15 minutes. Let cool. Store in gallon sized zip lock bag. Makes 10 cups.

Green Chile Chex Mix

3 cups Rice Chex
3 cups Corn Chex
2 cups Wheat Chex
1 cup Pretzels
1 cup Roasted Peanuts
6 tablespoons Butter, melted
1 tablespoon Lime Juice
2 teaspoons NM Green Chile powder
1 teaspoon Lime Zest
1/2 teaspoon Onion Powder
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Measure and combine the Rice, Corn and Wheat Chex cereal, pretzels and peanuts together in a large bowl. Stir well. Transfer the mix into a 9″ x 13″ baking pan.

Mix together the melted butter, lime juice, lime zest, green chile powder, onion powder, garlic powder and salt. Stir well then drizzle over the chex mix. Stir to combine.

Bake for 1 hour, stirring the chex mix every 15 minutes. Let cool. Store in gallon sized zip lock bag. Makes 10 cups.

Note: To make a “Christmas” Chex Mix combine 1 teaspoon ground red chile and 1 teaspoon green chile powder in the spice blend. Any 10 cup combination of Chex mix cereal, nuts, cheese crackers, bagel chips, rye chips, dry breadstick broken into pieces, or other bite sized flavored crackers can be used in the Chex mix.