Tag Archives: healthy snack

Red Velvet Protein Bites {Recipe ReDux}

Red Velvet doesn’t have to mean cake and artificial food dye. Beets lend the most beautiful reddish-purple to these protein bites, along with an earthy taste. Keep these bites in the freezer for a healthy, nutrient-packed-but-treat-worthy snack!

red_velvet_protein_bites

I know you’re probably already celebrating, but tomorrow is National Nut Day!! On this joyous occasion what else would you want to do besides eat some nut-tastic foods? Well, the ladies of Recipe ReDux are equally as nerdy excited about nuts so they tasked us with sharing a nut-filled recipe for this month’s post.

And who doesn’t also love a delicious protein/energy bite? They are a great way to disguise nutrition as a dessert. Us dietitians love to pull that shit. Healthy dessert? Me? Nahhh.

beet_hands

Well, if there’s one thing I don’t want in my dessert or any of my food, it’s artificial food coloring. I don’t understand why we need it. I mean nature is full of amazing colors and flavors and I quite prefer the natural-ness.

Which is why I’ve never been a big fan of red velvet cake. While true red velvet cake utilizes beets for the red color, most bakeries take the shortcut and use red coloring. And sadly, I can guarantee you that many Americans would choose an artificially-colored red velvet cake over a beet-colored cake. [Sighhh]

This recipe relies on the nutritious and humble beet to provide both a sweet and earthy flavor as well as a gorgeous color. I mean, just look at the number the beets did on my hands ^^.

red_velvet_energy_bites

Red Velvet Protein Bites

Keep these frozen as they maintain their texture best that way. These only have 2 tablespoons of sweetener for the entire recipe but pack lots of protein and healthy fats from the almonds (almond meal and almond butter).

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup vanilla protein powder, such as Gold Standard Natural
  • 1/2 cup almond meal
  • 1/2 cup oats
  • 2 small beets
  • 2 Tbsp. honey, preferably local
  • 2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
  • 2 Tbsp. almond butter
  • 2 Tbsp. coconut milk
  • 1/2 tsp. sea salt
  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Wash beets well and chop ends off. Then, dice beets and spread on a baking sheet. Bake until soft.
  2. Add beets to a food processor and process until smooth. Then add all remaining ingredients EXCEPT for dark chocolate chips and process until well-mixed.
  3. Line a tupperware container with plastic wrap, then pour beet mixture into the container.
  4. Heat chocolate chips in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds until melted.
  5. Using a fork or spoon, drizzle chocolate over beet mixture. Stick the container in the freezer for 30 minutes, then cut into 1″ squares and store in freezer.

For more deliciously nutty recipes, check out these Cookie Dough Protein Bites, Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Hazelnuts or one of my all-time favorite nut butter recipes, Toasted Coconut Cashew Butter.

Oh, and did I mention all the amazing nut-filled recipes from fellow ReDuxers? Click the link below for those (and look for even more tomorrow)! 

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6-Ingredient Miso Honey Roasted Chickpeas {Recipe ReDux}

Do you ever rummage through your fridge or pantry and think, ‘I really have to use up x before it goes bad’? It could be a random spice at the back of your spice cabinet, a condiment on your fridge door, a special kind of grain you only needed once (hello, arborio rice!), etc. Well, it’s spring which means it’s spring cleaning time! And spring cleaning should definitely involve food items too — which is why we’ve been tasked with doing just that for this month’s Recipe ReDux:

Spring cleaning: Go through your pantry, cupboards, freezer, or fridge; what ‘treasures’ have you found? Pick an ingredient/spice/condiment that’s been hanging out for a while and give it the attention it needs. Share a healthy recipe made using your new-found pantry prize.

Roasted_Miso_chickpeas

I had almost too much inspiration this month so I decided to combine two neglected ingredients into this recipe, which I have to give myself kudos for since this recipe only involves six ingredients total (for all you math nerds, that means 1/3 of the ingredients).

The first: chickpeas. I pretty much always have either canned or dried chickpeas — AKA garbanzo beans — in my pantry. For the most part, I end up hummus-izing them (yep, I just invented a new word). But then I found miso hanging in the fridge and thought, ‘hey, these could go together’.

Miso has such an amazing, umami flavor and adds a really interesting depth to recipes. I personally like to hit as many different taste buds with my recipes as possible, so added some sea salt, honey and citrus (lemon) to round things out.

This recipe’s beauty comes not just from its taste but also from its simple ingredient list and very hands-off preparation. Hope you enjoy!

miso_honey_roasted_garbanzo_beans

Miso Honey Roasted Chickpeas

These roasted chickpeas get super crunchy — almost like nuts or croutons — and make a great topping for salads and stir fries and are equally as delicious on their own!

miso_honey_garbanzos

Ingredients:

  • 2 cans chickpeas (about 4 cups), preferably organic, no salt added
  • 2 Tbsp. Miso (use a soy-free, chickpea-based version like the one pictured above if you want to go soy-free)
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil, preferably unfiltered, cold-pressed
  • 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp. honey
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 425. Add miso, olive oil, lemon juice and honey to a bowl and whisk until well combined.
  2. Add chickpeas to the miso mixture and toss to coat. Lay on a baking sheet and sprinkle with sea salt.
  3. Roast for 30-40 minutes or until chickpeas are crunchy. (I like mine nice and charred as you can see from the photos). Note: the chickpeas will continue to harden after you take them out of the oven.

Warning: these are extremely addicting so try to control yourself when they come out of the oven. If you can’t, though — no worries. They’re not exactly junk food. 😉

To find out how other Recipe ReDuxers use buried food “treasures,” click the link below. Happy eating!

Toasted Maple and Smoked Sea Salt Almonds {Recipe ReDux}

Smoking is so in right now. It seems like everybody’s doing it — from young to old.

……………………..

No, silly — I’m talking about SMOKED FOODS. There are herbs and spices, sea salts, proteins, vegetables, butters and even cocktails that use smokiness to lend a unique and deep flavor to foods and drinks. I have been a fan of smoky foods for some time now (I know, I’m like SO ahead of the trends!) and was thrilled when I found out the theme for this month’s Recipe ReDux, “Start Smoking in the New Year:”

The New Year is heating up with smoke and spiciness. From boldly flavored smoked salts to actual smoking techniques, subtly smoked food is on-trend. The same can be said for spice as we savor heat from harissa, sriracha and smoked paprika. Show us the healthy dish you’re heating up with smoke and/or spiciness.maple_smoked_salt_almonds

I contemplated trying to create a small home smoker for a hot minute but decided my tiny, poorly ventilated kitchen would probably not be the best environment for said cooking technique.

I do love smoked paprika, but I thought I’d use something that isn’t already part of my cooking repertoire: SMOKED SEA SALT. This stuff is amazing and truly elevates any recipe, turning it into a sultry, smoky, savory, seductive dish of the gods.

And who doesn’t love a salty-sweet combo? Add smoky into the mix and it’s divine. Thus, I bring you Toasted Maple and Smoked Sea Salt Almonds. These contain five ingredients and come together in less than 20 minutes. Just watch yourself — they are seriously addicting.

Toasted Maple and Smoked Sea Salt Almonds

These almonds make a great snack, or try them sprinkled on a salad with dried fruit. If you want even more flavor, these would be great with chili powder, dried rosemary, curry and/or cumin added to the mix.

maple_salted_almonds

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. raw almonds
  • 2 Tbsp. egg whites
  • 2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
  • 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
  • 1 tsp. smoked sea salt

maple_smoked_salt_almonds_ingredients

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350
  2. Add almonds, egg whites, maple syrup and smoked sea salt to a large bowl. Toss to coat almonds in the mixture
  3. Spread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and sprinkle with brown sugar
  4. Bake for 5 minutes, then toss the almonds and bake for another 5-10 minutes, until toasted

raw_maple_salted_almondstoasted_maple_salted_almonds

For more “smoky” recipe inspiration from fellow Recipe ReDuxers, click on the link below!