Show me someone who says they don’t love to snack, and I’ll show you a liar! Healthy lunches and dinners are well and good but when it comes to snacking, most of us inevitably tend to forget our vows of healthy eating. Boredom and stress often drive us to the fridge between meals and at odd hours of the night. But there’s no need to despair! Snacking and healthy eating don’t always have to be mutually exclusive.
It’s always a good idea to stack your kitchen with healthy snacks that taste yummy and satisfy your cravings without adding inches to your hips. These recipes are packed with nutritious ingredients and will help you stay on track with your dieting goals without depriving you of your snacking needs! Most of them are high protein, keeping you fuller for longer, and all are gluten free!
Delicious Gluten-free, Healthy Snack Recipes
Falafel with Tahini Sauce
Unlike most falafels, these are baked not fried – reducing the fat and calorie content big-time! A healthier version of the popular middle-eastern snack, these beauties are packed with herbs and spices and full of flavour.
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups dried chickpeas (NOT boiled)
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 1 small onion, quartered
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- Scant teaspoon ground red pepper
- 1 cup chopped, fresh parsley
- 1½ teaspoons salt (add more to taste)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup tahini
Directions
Pre-prep: Soak the chickpeas in 3-4 inches of water for up to 12-24 hours. Drain them and dry them before using.
- Heat your oven to 205°C
- Place the chickpeas in a food processor. Add: garlic, onion, cumin, red pepper, parsley, pepper, baking soda, lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of salt
- Pulse until everything is minced, stop mixing before the mixture becomes pureed
- Coat a large baking tray with 3 tablespoons of oil (you can use less oil than specified, depending on the size of your tray)
- Form the chickpea mixture into small balls, roughly 1 inch across in diameter
- Place the falafel balls on the baking tray and brush the tops with the remaining oil
- Bake until the falafel is golden-brown all over. Flip sides after 10-15 minutes.
- Tahini sauce: Mix the tahini with equal parts water. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and a little bit of lemon juice.
- Drizzle the tahini sauce over the falafel before serving.
Sweet Potato Cutlets
How can fried potatoes be healthy? When you use the vitamin-packed sweet potato and sneak in healthy portions of spinach and corn. These cutlets taste as good as traditional aloo kay patties but pack a much better nutritional punch, provided you shallow-fry them in minimal oil.
Ingredients
- 3 cups mashed sweet potatoes
- 4 green onions
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoon cornmeal
- 1 cup corn (either canned or fresh)
- ½ cup chopped spinach
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper
Ingredients
- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, mixing well. Mix in the corn last.
- Using a ¼ measuring cup, scoop out portions of the mixture. Press and roll each portion into patties, about ½ inch thick.
- Coat a non-stick frying pan lightly with oil and heat over medium heat.
- Cook the cutlets until slightly browned, flipping sides after about 5 minutes.
Freeze the cutlets for later use, if desired.
High protein, Gluten-free Blondies
These sneaky, more-ish blodies are a fabulous low-carb, high protein way to satisfy your sweet tooth. The secret ingredient is chickpeas – which provide texture and protein (which keeps you fuller for longer) without adding any veggie flavour. The predominant flavours in these treats are vanilla, peanut butter, honey and chocolate. Simply delicious.
Ingredients
- 15 oz. chickpeas, soaked, boiled and drained
- ½ cup peanut butter
- ⅓ cup honey
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅓ cup + 2 tablespoons chocolate chips
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 175°C
- Spray an 8×8 inch baking pan generously with nonstick cooking spray (or line with a baking sheet to make it easier to remove the blondies later)
- In a food processor add: chickpeas, peanut butter, honey, vanilla extract, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Pulse until creamy, smooth batter forms.
- Move the batter to a bowl. Mix in ⅓ cup chocolate chips. RESIST URGE TO EAT BATTER.
- Spread the batter evenly in the baking pan.
- Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top
- Bake the blondies for 20-25 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool to room temperature before cutting and removing from pan.
* The blondies may appear too wet or underdone. However, don’t over-bake, as you don’t want them to dry out!
Veggie Bites
These little nuggets of veggie goodness are gluten-free, low fat and full of nutrition. They have a lovely crunchy topping and are baked not fried, making them the perfect guilt-free indulgence.
Ingredients
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- ¾ cup rolled oats
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
- ⅓-½ cup egg whites
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 190°C
- Coat a muffin tin well with olive oil.
- Combine all the ingredients in a food processor, except for egg whites. Pulse until well mixed.
- Begin to add the egg whites, starting with ⅓ cup. Add more gradually to thin the mixture, if it seems to think. The mixture’s consistency should be similar to that of thick pancake batter.
- Divide the mixture evenly amongst the compartments of the muffin tin. Each compartment should be about ⅓ to ½ full.
- Bake 12-15 minutes, or until the mixture sets.
- Cool to room temperature before removing the nuggets.
