Easy recipes for snacks - low carb, low calorie, high protein, low fat
1. Toasted Sunflower Seeds
Sunflower seeds are rich in essential fats (omega 6), minerals, vitamin E, protein and fibre.
Ingredients:
1 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup soy sauce
Method:
Toast the sunflower seeds over medium-low heat for 5 minutes, stirring.
Add the soy sauce and stir until sauce is absorbed and seeds are crispy.
This takes 3-5 minutes. Cool, and keep in an airtight container.
2. Savoury Baked Chickpeas (Garbanzos)
All beans are packed with protein, vitamins, minerals, fibre, and are low in fat.
Ingredients:
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon paprika or cayenne pepper
salt and black pepper to taste
Method:
Toss the chickpeas in the oil and bake at 150°C (300 °F) for an hour until crisp,
shaking them around in the tin from time to time.
Drizzle with lemon juice and sprinkle the seasonings on top.
Shake the chickpeas in the tin to coat thoroughly and then leave to cool.
Store in an airtight container.
3. Red Kidney Bean Dip
Apart from soya beans, red kidney beans contain more protein than any other bean.
Ingredients:
1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
5 spring onions, sliced
1 clove garlic, sliced
1 tablespoon dried basil
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon water (if necessary)
salt and black pepper to taste
Method:
Place all ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth.
Adjust seasoning.
Can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Try them served on savoury biscuits, topped with sprouts. (see below)
4. Hummus
Famous throughout the Middle East, hummus served with crispy bread and salad makes a delicious light meal. As a snack it can simply be eaten as a dip or spread on savoury biscuits and topped with sprouts. (see below)
Ingredients:
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons Tahini (crushed sesame seeds with sesame oil)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon water
salt and cayenne pepper to taste
Method:
Place all ingredients into a food processor.
Blend until smooth and adjust seasoning.
Decorate with a sprinkling of cayenne pepper.
Can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.
5. Alfalfa (lucern) seed sprouts
Alfalfa seeds are so small, they sprout very quickly. All you need to sprout seeds, beans or lentils, is a large glass jar, a piece of muslin (cheesecloth) and an elastic band. They are rich in protein, vitamins B, C and E, calcium and iron.
Method:
Wash 3 tablespoons of the Alfalfa seeds and place in the jar. Fill the jar with luke-warm water, place the muslin over it and fasten with the elastic band. Leave to stand overnight in a draught-free place. The next morning, pour off the water through the muslin and fill the jar again. Shake gently and drain thoroughly. Leave the jar on its side in a warm place but not in direct sunlight. The ideal temperature is 17-24°C. Rinse and drain the seeds 3x a day for 2-4 days. Remove the sprouts from the jar, rinse thoroughly and remove any ungerminated seeds. Place in a covered container and store in the fridge for 2-6 days.
About The Author:
(Read more posts by dim sum)
Posted in: Recipes by dim sum on May 13, 2012 @ 9:25 pm
Hello Dim Sum
I love your appetizer recipes. My children help out with this very easy recipe - a simple low fat appetizer. We call this dish "salmon and cream cheese pastry cups". They're so easy as they're made from little vol-au-vents.
1. Use purchased vol-au-vents. Get the littlest ones from the supermarket. They're morsel sized.
2. Use soft cream cheese like Philadelphia cheese. If it is too hard, warm it up a little and mush it with a fork. Fill each pastry shell with the cream cheese.
3. Cut smoked salmon slices into 1 inch squares and roll them into a little cone.
4. pop the base of the salmon cone into the filled pastry cup/vol-au-vent. The top will look like a little rose.
5. Sprinkle some cut chives over the top.
6. Arrange attractively on a platter.
7. I allow 3 - 4 per guest as an appetizer.
This is such an easy recipe that looks divine. The children get such confidence making this quite sophisticated looking appetizer and they're always complimented by our guests.
I hope you and your readers will enjoy this simple recipe.
All the best