Take a break from the sugary treats and indulgent dishes with these healthy holiday snack ideas. During the holidays, eating healthy requires extra effort, but we’ve got you covered with these better-for-you treats and bites that are not only delicious but also boost your immune system (something we can all use these days ;-):

The Classic Hummus recipe

Hummus, I just love it! It´s a delicious Mediterranean spread if you want something different on your bread or sandwiches, but it also works really well as a healthy dip with your raw veggies. Hummus is made from chickpeas, these pulses are real protein bombs. They also contain a significant amount of vitamin B, iron and zinc so pretty healthy all in all! And one of my favourite parts of hummus is that is it is just so easy and quick to make!

Ingredients:

• 2 cans of 400 g chickpeas, drained
• 10 tablespoons olive oil
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 2 large tablespoons of tahini
• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 2 teaspoon cumin

For classic hummus, put all the ingredients together with salt and pepper and 3 tablespoons of water in the food processor and blend until smooth; it’s that simple! The more powerful your food processor is, the smoother and creamier the hummus will be.

And then, pimp your hummus with beetroot, delicious!

Maybe not the most obvious combo, chickpeas and beetroot, but believe me, it´s super tasty! Beetroot not only gives the hummus a sweeter taste, it also causes a small detox in your body. These red tubers detoxify the liver and purify the blood. Beetroot therefore make the hummus extra healthy.

Prepare your hummus following the classic hummus recipe and then add 1 small raw beetroot (150 g), peeled and cut into pieces. Blend until smooth, that´s it!

Crispy parmesan garlic Edamame

I don’t necessarily need a recipe to enjoy edamame. It’s absolutely delicious on its own with a dash of sea salt. But there’s no harm in spicing things up a bit with a little flavour, right? This variation is finger licking good. The parmesan and the garlic give the edamame an extra bite, which is hard to resist. In addition to being a decent source of soy protein, edamame is rich in healthy fibre, antioxidants and vitamin K. A healthy snack, low in calories and it is sooooo easy to prepare!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups edamame (raw)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup parmesan (grated)
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1 pinch salt (to taste)
• 1 pinch black pepper (to taste)

Preheat oven to 200ºC. put a baking sheet on your oven tray

In a medium bowl, add parmesan cheese, garlic powder, salt and pepper, then mix together. Set this bowl to one side. In another medium bowl place the fresh (or thawed) edamame and add the olive oil. Toss the edamame well until they are well coated.

Pour the parmesan cheese mixture on top of edamame, then stir until evenly coated. Spread the edamame on the prepared baking sheet in an even layer. Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and browned to your liking.

Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

King Prawns Oriental Style

Prawns, my favourite food!! Super delicious, light, very easy to make (you really can´t fail with this recipe) and very healthy! Prawns are a rich source of selenium, one of the most effective antioxidants at maintaining healthy cells. They also contain high levels of Zinc, which is important to develop a healthy immune system. Eating prawns helps build strong bones because they contain phosphorous, copper and magnesium. And eating prawns is really no hardship as they are sooooooooo delicious!!

Ingredients for 3 – 4 servings (depending on the size of the prawns):

• 20 king prawns – raw and peeled
• A pinch of lemongrass, chili and ginger mix
• 4 dessert spoons of hot chili sauce
• 4 tbsp fish sauce
• 8 tbsp coconut milk
• 4 dessert spoons sesame oil
• Red onion
• Spring onion
• Bean sprout
• Thinly sliced courgette
• Coriander & chives
• Lime slices

Instructions:

1. Heat the frying pan and add the sesame oil to stir-fry the red onion for 1 minute, followed by the king prawns. Stir-fry for two minutes and turn prawns when they are starting to go pink
2. Add the lemongrass, ginger and chili, followed by the fish sauce, chili sauce and coconut milk. Also add the courgette strings and bean sprouts. Cook for another 3 minutes.
3. Garnish with coriander, spring onion, chives and lime slices

Sugar Free Cinnamon Roasted Almonds

For people with a sweeter tooth, these cinnamon roasted almonds will be your irresistible healthy snack. Nuts make up a key part of a healthy and varied diet. Their relatively long shelf life, portability and rich nutrient profile make nuts an ideal snack idea to help you maintain a healthy diet on the go. Roasted almonds benefit your health by boosting your intake of a few key nutrients.

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/3 cup Baking stevia
• 1 tsp Salt
• 2 cups Whole natural almonds
• 1 large Egg white, whisked

The estimated total time to make this recipe is 30-35 minutes.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking pan with foil and spray with cooking spray, (or you could use parchment paper or a silpat mat.)

In a small bowl, mix together the cinnamon, stevia, and salt. In a medium bowl, toss the almonds in the egg white, until the almonds are evenly coated. (The egg white is what binds the spice mixture to the nuts.) Pour cinnamon mixture over the top of the nuts and stir to coat evenly.

Spread nuts evenly over prepared baking pan and bake for 22-25 minutes, or until coating is no longer sticky or wet. Turn off oven and let sit in the warm oven for about 10 minutes. If the nuts are clumping together, break nuts apart.

Guilt-free cranberry granola bar

And last but not least this granola bar recipe satisfies your sweet-tooth cravings and leaves you feeling mischievous but totally guilt-free!

Ingredients:

• 125g of dried oats
• 100g of walnuts, roughly chopped
• 100g of toasted sunflower seeds
• 100g of dried cranberries
• ½ tsp of sea salt
• 60 ml of dissolved coconut oil
• 75ml of honey
• 1 tsp of vanilla essence

Putting it together:

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius and line a square baking tray with greaseproof paper
• Lightly toast the oats and walnuts (you can also add the sunflower seeds if they aren´t toasted) in a large heated frying pan with the sea salt for a few minutes, gently tossing every now and then so that they don´t catch
• While your oats and nuts are toasting, place the coconut oil, honey, and vanilla essence in a small bowl and heat in the microwave for about thirty seconds. This will make the mixing much easier
• In a large bowl, mix the toasted oats and nuts, sunflower seeds, cranberries and honey mixture in a large bowl until everything is nicely coated and sticky
• Pour the mixture into the baking tray and press firmly so that it´s packed nice and tight
• Bake for about ten minutes (until it starts to turn golden brown)
• Remove from the oven and, using a spatula or the back of a large wooden spoon, press down the mixture to pack it more firmly
• Let cool down, remove from baking tray, and cut into squares
• Store in an airtight container at room temperature

Enjoy your healthy holidays!!

Written by your SISter in Wellness Neel