Recently, I was asked what type of snacks we eat in our household. I know we’re different from some in that we don’t eat a lot of the empty calorie snack foods that flood the market.

For myself, it makes no sense putting something in my body that’s just going to be registered as “empty calories” with the lovely benefit of adding other negatives that my body most likely doesn’t need.

 

A few moments ago, I  combined all these ingredients to make a simple but delicious and healthy snack for my daughter. She loves it. I wonder if she’ll share with her mom? 😉

Pakoras are one of my all time favorite Indian snacks.

Who would think combining a few vegetables together, dipping them into gram flour (chickpea) and frying/baking could turn out such a delightful snack.  Of course I knew that you don’t need a lot of ingredients to make a delicious meal. Many of the foods I prepare use four ingredients or less.

In the past, the pakoras I’ve made have been (usually) pan fried. Since we don’t eat them often I’m not worried about packing on the excess poundage. Since pakoras have been on my brain for the past week or so, I do believe I’ll finally get around to making them today.

So… I guess you can add pakoras to my list of recent cravings that I’ve finally decided to make at home. I’ll be sure to post pictures.!

Last week, I made baked curried lentil burgers and vegan ranch fries to satisfy my food cravings. And this morning, I made  my modified version of V8 juice. Good thing I like  to cook, I rarely follow a recipe. I have more fun creating my own.

I prefer savory foods to sweets and so this morning I gathered some tomatoes, romaine lettuce and garlic from our garden and made them into a vegetable smoothie. The taste was similar to a V8 juice.

 

I could have added cucumbers and dark leafy greens like kale, collard or dandelion, but I didn’t feel like going outside to pick them. It had started raining. I combined everything (16 ounces of water, 3 tomatoes, 2 large cloves of garlic, ground raw pumpkin seeds, two handfuls of romaine lettuce and some added spices/seasonings)  into my Vita-Mix.

Within a few seconds I had my own vegetable smoothie. Similar to V8 juice, but without the high sodium content that (usually) runs rampant in that beverage.

And although the vegetable smoothie was simple, I must say it was packed with a variety of nutrients.

Health Benefits: Garlic

• Garlic can help reduce your cholesterol
• Garlic boosts your immune system
• Raw garlic eliminates some intestinal parasites
• Garlic boosts your immune system
• Garlic lowers your blood pressure

Health Benefits: Romaine Lettuce

• Romaine lettuce is a rich source of Iron, protein, Calcium, Omega 3’s, rich in B vitamins, A and K
• Romaine lettuce contains a lot of water

Health Benefits: Pumpkin Seeds

• Pumpkin seeds can reduce your risk of cancer
• Pumpkin seeds are antimicrobial and anti fungal
• Raw pumpkin seeds is used to expel internal parasites
• Great source of vitamins and minerals

Health Benefits: Tomato

1. Tomatoes are high in potassium, vitamin A, C and E
2. Tomatoes reduce the risk of heart disease
3. Tomatoes protects against thrombosis (blood clots in the blood vessels)
4. Tomatoes are high in fiber

References:

1. The Worlds Healthiest Foods:  What’s New and Beneficial about Garlic?
2. Mercola: Chemists Shed Light on Health Benefits of Garlic
3. SFGate: Benefits of Eating Raw Pumpkin Seeds
4. Science Daily: Health Benefits of Eating Tomatoes Emerge
5. World’s Healthiest Foods: Romaine Lettuce