It’s football season and Game Day snacks are a must! But picking out snacks at the store nowadays can be a task. An entire aisle is dedicated to snacks! So many of them have dairy (hidden) in them and those weird ingredients that kinda freak me out. I used to love chex mix so I wanted to recreate something similar that was sweet with a little kick. I roasted pretzels, pepita (pumpkin) seeds and almonds in a sweet and spicy sauce mixture then added Skinny Pop popcorn at the end and it became the perfect little homemade snack. It’s also quite addicting. Watch out!
This Game Day Sweet and Spicy Snack Mix recipe is not overwhelmingly spicy, you can definitely add more cayenne pepper if you like super spicy but the flavor is tolerable, especially by the handful. Some other favorite snacks of mine to make on game days are my Spicy Veggie Bean Chili with tortilla chips, Skinny and Spicy Buffalo Dip with veggies, Sesame Crusted Tempeh Sticks and even Smashed Rosemary Potatoes because they are always a win. 
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Easy, vegan, no fuss homemade snack mix with a sweet and spicy kick.
Ingredients
- 3 cups pretzels
- 1 cup almonds
- 1 cup (pepita) pumpkin seeds
- 4 tablespoons tamari (soy sauce) or liquid aminos
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more if you want super spicy)
- 2 cups of your favorite popcorn (I like Skinny Pop)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment/wax paper.
- Combine the pretzels, almonds and pepita seeds in a large bowl.
- In a separate small bowl, combine the tamari, maple syrup, paprika, garlic powder, sea salt and cayenne pepper. Mix until combined. Pour mixture over the pretzel mix and mix around until all snacks are fully coated. Pour the mixture onto baking sheet and spread out evenly.
- Bake for 10 minutes, stir and bake for about 8-10 more minutes. Careful not to burn it!
- Remove from oven and allow to cool about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl, add the popcorn, mix and serve! Enjoy!
I made these snacks for the Purdue vs. Notre Dame game this past Saturday and I think Marty enjoyed them because he couldn’t stop reaching for more, sort of like a robot ha. On Sunday I went to the Be Healthful Retreat in the city with my bestie and I was so impressed! Did anyone else attend!? I didn’t recognize any faces but there was quite the crowd. I started following Sarah Baker (the founder of the event) on Twitter and she was kind enough to invite me and a friend. I will be writing more about it on Wednesday with pictures but we enjoyed healthy cooking and ayurvedic detox classes, plenty of healthy juices/snacks and even a barre class! More to come!
By the way, is anyone else awaiting the arrival of the ohsheglows baby?! I’ve been following along on her baby posts since day one and I know I am years and years away from becoming a mama but I’m so excited for her! I just love babies 🙂 They will have the cutest little fam. How was your weekend?! I’m not embracing the cold by the way. I become a hermit in the winter.
Get ready for soup recipes, yummy fall dishes and warming treats!
I really like what you guys are up too. This kind of clever work and exposure!
Keep up the fantastic works guys I’ve incorporated you guys to my personal blogroll.
What an awesome idea 🙂 It looks so cute!!!!!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE snacks made at home with different nuts and seeds! YAY!
I wanted to let you know of a VEGAN Blog Giveaway I’m doing at my site http://MyBlissfulJourney.com TODAY and TOMORROW as a part of my Vegan MoFo posts 🙂
Thank you Jennifer, I will check it out!
This is such a cute idea and I love how it looks in that jar. This would be great to bring to friends and family houses for football games! I am jealous of everyone having fall weather and enjoying all the fall goodness. We decided to stay here until spring and not rush to move since it is going to be a huge move and our lease here isn’t up until April. Looks like I will have to suffer though this 100 degree September lol
Thanks love! Oh no!! 🙁 well I guess you won’t have to deal with a polar vortex this winter ha. But yea the fall weather is a nice change from the heat. And congrats on your new puppy! Now Kingsley has a little friend. It’s so much fun with two. After we got Taz, they became best buds and now follow each other everywhere. I hope we can meet in the spring then!