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Hello my friends! I can not believe we are crossing over into February already. This means I am off to the Winter Olympics in South Korea for my commitments with Under Armour in just 2 weeks. I mean talk about excitement, but there is a lot of planning going on. Throughout these planning stages and running around I have managed to keep myself nourished, happy and energized and a lot of that is thanks to the super easy healthy snack recipes I have been creating. Whether I am traveling with them, in between shoots, or off to meetings they have made my life super easy to navigate.
In todays post I am feeling super happy, I know right…surprising, and giving you not one but two super easy healthy snack recipes. One is my take on making a really simple felafel. You amazing people have been asking for higher protein snack ideas, especially for my Vegan friends this is a really strong source of protein right here. For my friends who are not Vegans they are still a wicked snack and go great with some of those options that you favor too.
As I said I have two recipes for you in this post, but I also have a whole book, that is FREE, with more snack recipes for you! Click here, put in your email and it will come straight to your inbox 🙂
Is a Felafel Healthy?
Felafel’s can be healthy, now remember that word is also very subjective. The usual process of making felafel involves similarly what I teach you below in making the mix and then rolling them into balls, however traditionally they are then transferred to hot vegetable oil and fried. This is not exactly ideal for a number of reasons, but vegetable oil is not exactly the best thing for you, and doing so at high temperatures makes the affect on your body only worse. This makes a felafel being ‘healthy’ very skeptical. What I teach you below is not only a much easier process, and it removes the ability from splashing hot oil on yourself, but it is definitely not only healthier, but actually makes the felafel heathy! Read on for more…
Your Nutritional Breakdown…
Hummus:
Protein… 5g per serving
Carbs… 17g per serving
Fats… 28g per serving
Falafel:
Protein… 3g per serving
Carbs… 14g per serving
Fat: 10g per serving
Even more nutritional focus can be found for specific ingredients below this recipe!!
What Will I learn from this Super Easy Healthy Snack Recipe?
So as I alluded to you are going to learn an easy way to make felafel’s and do so with much more ease. The simple trick is…. cooking them in the oven first! Not only can you cook them all at once, but they are not swimming in super hot vegetable oil that only reeks havoc on your insides. I recommend getting a well respected Extra Virgin Olive oil like Cobram Estate, which was awarded the Healthiest Olive Oil in the world, and drizzling some over the top before they bake. They come out not only simply cooked but full of flavor. For the extra crispy edge roll them around in a frypan for a few minutes.
I look forward to hearing about you legends upping your snack game. I am preparing a number of nutritious options for Lindsey when she is up the mountain and between her events. Before I leave I have an event with the Almond Board of California, cooking for media in NYC, demonstrating all the things you can do with Almond Milk. I will be posting plenty of content from the night and the recipes related to this dairy free option will of course be coming your way.
Lots to update you on the TV, Restaurant and amazing partner front, but more on that later.
For now…
Stay Colorful
much love
xo DC
P.S. If you are after more Healthy Recipe Ideas I would love to give you my FREE ebook, click here and it will come right to your inbox
Recipe: Pesto Felafel with Butternut Hummus
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Cost: 7-10
Skill: Easy
Ingredients:
Butternut Hummus
1/4 Butternut Squash, Peeled & cut into small chunks (1/2 inch or or 1cm)
1/3 Cup Extra Virgin Olive oil
Pinch of Salt & Pepper
8oz (250ml) can of Chickpeas, drained
1/3 Cup Tahini
1/3 Cup Coconut milk
Pesto Felafel
1 Tbsp Miso
8oz (250ml) can of Chickpeas, drained
2 tsp Cumin, ground
2 tsp Coriander
2 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
1/2 White/Yellow Onion, finely chopped
Pinch of salt & Pepper
1/2 Cup Basil, roughly chopped
3 tsp Sesame Seeds
3 Tbsp Cobram Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Method:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. (205 C.) and line a baking tray with baking paper. Spread butternut pieces evenly on baking tray, drizzle with 2 Tbsp of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until soft and golden
- Combine the butternut and the rest of the hummus ingredients into a blender and blitz until smooth. Set aside for use (you may need to clean your blender at this point).
- For the pesto felafel, combine all the ingredients, except the sesame seeds together in a blender or food processor until combined. Wet your hands and role the mix into golf ball size balls, place on a baking tray. Sprinkle with sesame seeds
- Drizzle with olive oil and bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden. Note: You can twice cook them by adding oil to a frypan for a bit of an extra golden edge for 2 minutes on medium heat
- Serve Felafel on top of that super creamy and nutty Butternut Hummus.
For more Healthy Recipe Ideas check out my FREE ebook, click here
butternut squash: Butternut squash is amazing option this time of year when it comes to adding extra fiber, vitamins and minerals to your diet. Like other starchy vegetables, it does offer some protein, as well as an entire day’s worth of Vitamin A in a cup! Its sweetness pairs perfectly with the savory flavors in this hummus.
chickpeas: We all know chickpeas are one of those vegan protein sources that everyone, meat eaters included, can incorporate more of in an easy way. Whether you cook these up from scratch or buy the canned kind, they give you a great boost of protein (so important for muscle recovery and repair), at almost 40 g of protein per cup!
And in both our hummus and falafel…
olive oil: you all know I love Cobram Estate EVOO, which is a fantastic olive oil. We know olive oil is a great source of healthy fat, olive oil is a good choice when it comes to adding smoothness and richness to dressings and sauces, and to cook with. Olive oil as opposed to vegetable oil (like canola, grapeseed, and others) is rich in monounsaturated fats and antioxidants that your heart health can benefit from!
sesame seeds: Sesame seeds are amazing for unsaturated fats (monounsaturated fats are also great for brain health). They’re also high in vitamins and minerals, and are a great source of calcium! Grinding up sesame seeds gives us the tahini found in the hummus we are making in this recipe 🙂
miso: when it comes to miso, we know that miso is a fermented food and thus a source of probiotics! These are the good bacteria that colonize your gut and are amazing for digestion. if you’re wondering what else miso can be used for, it’s amazing added to soups for that “umami” flavor (or the meatiness found in mushrooms, meat, and parmesan). You can also make amazing dressings with it!
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