Healthy Nibbles: 4 Protein & Fibre-licious-Based Snacks [Vegan, No Added Sugars & Gluten Free]

With an early Easter looming around the next corner, we are probably all considering not only what sort of ‘treat’ we ‘might’ be giving as gifts when we make our holiday visits or are looking at buying or preparing for ourselves.

Well…with our permanent and healthy lifestyle changes now in full swing, we should all know that planning is everything, particularly when trying to eat healthily on more days than none. Meal prepping and planning healthy meals and snacks ahead of time can help us avoid temptations and overdoing it on sweet/salty/high calorie options.

Healthy snacks, especially ones that contain a good source of lean protein and/or fibre are great for filling us up and giving us that lovely dose of satiety; breeding the confidence that we need to fight off sugar cravings and reach our goals.

So as we love you all so much and always want to help assist you in living a healthy, happy and nutritious lifestyle, we’ve prepared four lovely snacks that you and your family and enjoy over this long weekend and even beyond Easter! We only hope that you enjoy them as much as we did.

Happy cooking (and snacking) everyone! 😀

 

4 Healthy Protein & Fibre-licious Based Snacks!

 

Roasted Chickpeas

Serves: 3-4
Prep: 10 mins-2 hrs (*Depends upon how long you want to marinate your legumes.)
Cooking: 30-40 mins

Now there are lots of roasted chickpea recipes floating about, so is not a new recipe, or even very original, but it’s definitely one that is effortless (really anyone can make it); it’s a tasty, filling, versatile and cheap snack! The types of things you can use to flavour chickpeas are endless but some ideas include: curry paste (or your favourite type of ethnic paste) or other condiments (tahini, horseradish, vinegar or tamari would work well!), ground spices mixed with oil, a little oil with some plain old salt and pepper or even fresh herbs. For this batch one of our key ingredients was some delicious harrisa paste (which is why the chickpeas look so dark!). If you have the time, marinate some chickpeas overnight for an extra flavour boost!

Keep them in a nut dish for family and friends to nibble on, swap them for your typical high calorie movie snacks, or even keep them in your purse (in an air-tight bag) for when you (or your family) get the munchies on the go. For the extra keen, try roasting a variety of cooked beans (or even nuts) for a tasty Easter ‘pick-a-mix’ that won’t cause cavities or fuel sugar cravings (well, we can hope)! 

 

Silken Tofu Caprese Salad

Serves: 4-8
Prep & Assembly:≤ 10-15 mins

So when some people may think of what constitutes a high protein snack, they may think about cheese, particularly those that do not exclusively follow a plant-based meal plan. Well, many, many, many years ago I used to enjoy the occasional bit of salad tomato with buffalo mozzarella. I think it was the way the combination of the fresh and juicy tomato (and basil) tasted with the ‘texture’ of the cheese; I can’t really remember but my tastes and preferences have moved on since then.

We had the idea of using silken tofu, because it’s kind of soft, delicate and squishy like cheese…. and then our silken tofu caprese salad recipe came to fruition! We‘ve seen recipes that salt ‘firm’ tofu to create a similar dish, but no one needs lots of added salt in their lives. This is an extremely simple salad recipe that requires no cooking, takes minutes to prepare and can be served as a snack option. It’s best when made using ripe and ready tomatoes, which unfortunately are not available on our doorsteps this time of year (so many apologies for increasing your carbon footprint!)… but you might have to make one exception in this case! Serve this alongside a plate of multi-grain crackers, oat or brown rice cakes or crisp breads for a light, tasty and filling snack.  

 

Carrot and Houmous Pots 

Serves: 4
Prep & Assembly: ≤10 mins

Ok so this recipe idea is actually courtesy of ASDA (thanks guys)! Everyone (well probably almost everyone!) has eaten houmous and crudities at some point in their lives… and why not?! Fresh vegetables are ace and when served with freshly made houmous, you couldn’t ask for very much more from a snack!

It’s a wonderful, quick and healthful convenience food that is packed with carbohydrates, protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals; just perfect. The theme of this carrot and houmous pot is based around Easter and a cute little vegetable patch! If you’ve never tried houmous, it’s never too late and/or if you are looking for a recipe that requires no cooking… or need a darling idea to help your little ones to eat their veggies, this might do the trick. 😉

 

Protein Packed Blinis w/ Horseradish Sauce, Roasted Red Pepper and Dill

Yields: 66-68 Blinis
Serves: 16
Prep & Resting Time: 30-60 mins
Cooking: 20-25 mins

Some of you may know that we are not really pancake lovers, particularly sweet ones, but when it comes to blinis (aka little, savoury and bite-sized pancakes), well THAT is another story! This is not a traditional recipe, but it is delicious, full of protein (from soya milk, garam flour and flaxseed, just to name a few!) and ideal for those following alternative diets! 

These are perfect if you want to serve a variety of ‘tastes’ with something other than crackers to your guests and/or family. Our lightly ‘crisped on the outside and fluffy on the inside’ blinis have the right balance of seasoning, durability and flexibility. Make these bite-sized morsels in advance (because they freeze really well!) and serve with an endless amount of toppings. We used a delicious combination of spicy horseradish sauce, roasted red pepper and a tiny sprig of dill; the taste is wonderful and the colours are so inviting, don’t you think?! So get as creative as you like, the world is your oyster (although we wouldn’t personally recommend that as a topping!)

 

Delicious! If you are looking for some further recipe inspiration to help get your snack on, check out these other ideas from our recipe index:

• Some other mindful and savoury snack inspiration includes: our savoury flat bread, baked mini tofu, quinoa and veggie frittatas, baked falafels, kidney bean, broccoli and spinach burgers, almost! dolma and a variety of savoury dips!

• Some sweeter, healthful and mindful snack varieties include: our delicious banana bread, homemade and freefrom flapjacks, banana and berry soya muffins, almost! fig newtons, and cacao, avocado and nut butter pudding.

 

If you fancy any of the new (or old recipes), just contact us for an easy-print PDF! 🙂