Snacks — Page 3

Chickpea Chocolate Chip “Cookie Dough” Bites

May 5, 2014 by Nicole 14 Comments

These chickpea chocolate chip cookie dough bites are proof that clean eating can still be delicious…and make you fat (I dare you to not eat the entire batch of these in one day). 😉

I needed something to help wean me off my ridiculous Starbucks cake pop addiction (I’m on week three of cake pop sobriety; working the 12 steps; taking it one day at a time; feeling great), so I decided to experiment with vegan, gluten-free, bite-sized treats using no added sugar. It took a few rounds of tweaking—the first batch tasted like…chickpeas—but I think I finally nailed this one. I got the idea from this chickpea cookie dough dip recipe I kept seeing on Pinterest.

If you’re looking for more of a snack versus dessert, skip the outside chocolate coating. If you’re trying to satisfy a sweet tooth, go for the gold—dip your bites in melted chocolate, pop in the refrigerator to let the outer shell harden, and then say hello to your new favorite food.

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I get back from Mexico late tonight so tomorrow is the last of my pre-vacay scheduled posts. I’ll be tan, bloated, in need of a green juice and a workout, but ready to respond to all the comments and emails you’ve left while I was gone. 🙂

P.S. Sorry I went completely overboard with pictures of these guys. I felt like a mom picking a favorite child—I just couldn’t decide!

Filed Under: Dairy-Free, Dessert, Gluten-Free, Recipes, Snacks, Vegan

Apple Banana Quinoa Breakfast Cups

February 11, 2014 by Nicole 162 Comments

This post is possessed! It published itself yesterday, then deleted itself, then rescheduled itself to be posted in 2015. What the what?? Let’s try this again…

Normally, when bananas are about to go bad, I’ll peel them, slice ‘em up, and put them in a Ziploc bag in the freezer to use in smoothies. But lately my smoothie fuel bag has turned into bags, and I needed to find another way to prevent my browning bananas from going to waste.

These quinoa breakfast cups are delicious and filling—each one is dense, so it only takes one (or, ok, maybe two) to satisfy morning hunger. You can eat them like a muffin, or break one up in a little bit of warm almond milk and eat it like oatmeal (I did this one morning and loved it!).

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Make a batch and eat them all week for breakfast or as a post-workout snack. They’re definitely best warm, but can also be eaten cold on the go. 🙂

What’s your favorite way to use over-ripe bananas?

Filed Under: Breakfast, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Recipes, Snacks

Zesty Lemon Artichoke Hummus

April 22, 2013 by Nicole 17 Comments

I’ve always enjoyed hummus, but since switching to a low-dairy diet (you can read more about that here), I’ve really come to love it. I use hummus on sandwiches instead of cheese, and when it comes to dips and cracker toppers, I don’t even miss dairy as long as I have a bowl of hummus. This lemon artichoke hummus is a current favorite!

For search engine optimization, I’m supposed to talk for 300 words about this hummus but … how?! I truly don’t know how food bloggers do it. I guess I’m just not a foodie? Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoy cooking and coming up with these recipes, but I just can’t talk about food for more than a couple sentences. This hummus is yummy. If you like lemons and you like artichokes, you’ll enjoy it. Here’s the recipe lol.

This zesty lemon artichoke hummus recipe packs a big punch with the flavor profile—we’re talking garlic, lemon and cayenne pepper. It’s amazing. But if you prefer a milder taste, just use 1 garlic clove instead of 2 and 1/8 tsp of cayenne pepper (or none at all). You could also use 4 tbsp lemon juice instead of 6, but may need to add more olive oil to counter the texture. After doing some Internet recipe research, I adapted mine from this one and this one.

If you’re looking for more hummus recipes, I’ve got a plethora! Here are some of my favorites from the archives:

Sweet Potato Hummus – Also love it on my favorite sandwich recipe.
Roasted Carrot Hummus
Roasted Beet Hummus

I like making a batch of hummus at the beginning of the week to have on hand as a quick snack. Baby carrots are my go-to hummus vehicle. But this lemon artichoke hummus would be great with pita chips, crackers or other veggie sticks.

xo Nicole

Filed Under: Appetizers & Sides, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Recipes, Snacks, Vegan