Not sure what to make or take for your upcoming summer shindigs? With BBQ season here, we thought we’d share some of our favourite snacks – sweet and savoury - that we’ll be serving and celebrating with at GoodnessMe Box HQ this summer.
1) Mini Chia Puddings
The perfect party snack for a health conscious crowd, chia pudding is also super easy to make. This recipe makes six small servings, but you can easily double or triple the recipe. Gluten free too, for anyone who asks!
Ingredients
- ½ cup white chia seeds
- 3 cups almond or coconut milk
- 1 heaped tablespoon rice malt syrup or maple syrup (you may want to add a little more to taste)
- 2-3 drops good quality vanilla essence
- pinch cinnamon
- raspberries and/or blueberries (fresh or frozen), to serve
Method | Serves 6
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients excluding the berries, mix well until evenly combined.
2.
Cover and refrigerate overnight or for at least two hours, so that the chia seeds absorb all the liquid and the mixture thickens into a pudding.
3.
Once your chia pudding has set, divide it evenly and distribute it into six small serving dishes – glass is best so that you can see how pretty the pudding is. Stem-free wine glasses or shot glasses work well.
4.
Top each pudding with a handful of berries and serve. These are also delicious served with a dollop of coconut yoghurt or cream.
2) Melissa’s Peanut Butter and Sour Cherry Truffles
Sweet, salty and tart these truffles are always a hit. Serve them on a platter with fresh cherries, which are at their prime around Christmas.
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry-roasted peanuts
- 12 medjool dates, washed, pitted and halved
- 3 tablespoons natural peanut butter, salted
- 1/4 cup dried cherries (from health food stores)
- 1/4 cup desiccated coconut, for rolling - optional
Method | Serves 24
Add the peanuts to a good food processor (or blender) and pulse about 5 times, or until the peanuts have a rough, meal-like consistency (you don’t want to turn them into peanut butter!)
2.
Add the dates and peanut butter to the food processor. Process on medium-high speed until the mixture is evenly combined. You may need to prod the mixture around a few times with a wooden spoon and add a splash or two of water to get everything moving.
3.
Once the mixture starts becoming smooth (but not too smooth - I like it with a few chunky, nutty bits), add the sour cherries. Continue processing the mixture on medium-high speed for about 10-20 seconds, so that the cherries are roughly chopped and evenly dispersed.
4.
Using a spoon, scoop out the mixture and roll with your hands into about 24 truffle-sized balls. You can roll them in desiccated coconut if you'd like to make them look pretty. Simply sprinkle the coconut on a chopping board or dinner plate for rolling.
5.
Place the truffles on a baking paper-lined tray or container,cover and refrigerate for at least an hour, or until firm. That's it!These will keep in the fridge for a week but they’ll probably all be demolished the night you serve them.
3) Crudité and Chip ‘n’ Dip Cups
This ‘recipe’ is testament to the fact that sometimes simple works best.
Simply place 2 teaspoons of hummus onto the bottom of a shot glass and repeat for however many servings you need. Top each hummus-filled shot glass with 3-4 veggie crudités, depending on what the glass will fit. I like a mix of red capsicum, cucumber, carrot and celery – nice and colourful.
Move over chip bowls - You can also top the hummus ‘cups’ with chips. Try this with Simply 7’s Hummus or Lentil with Sea Salt chips, which we can’t get enough of at GoodnessMe Box HQ – made with either 50% chickpeas or lentils and trans fat free, these chips get our tick of approval.