Happy Snacking

The holidays are upon us and it’s that time of year when cookies and sweets take the place of our normal daily snacking routine.

Let’s admit it though, while cookies and sweets are delicious and so satisfying in the moment, they don’t always leave us feeling full and energized after the sugar rush wears off. One of the best ways to prevent loading up on sugary treats this time of year is to have healthy snacks handy in the house.

Eat Your Veggies

One of my favorite go-to healthy snacks is veggies with hummus. It’s a classic combination, and for good reason too. Eating raw veggies is frankly not that enjoyable without a delicious dressing or dip (if you ask me). Hummus is the perfect dairy-free, sugar-free, and gluten-free pairing for some sliced carrots, cucumber, tomatoes, or whatever veggies you like best!

Not only does hummus taste delicious, but it is also full of fiber, healthy fat, and plant-based protein. A squeeze of lemon at the end tops it off with some zesty vitamins and antioxidants too.

DIY Hummus

Hummus is also super easy to make at home - if you have a food processor or even just a decent blender, you can make your own. The best part about making hummus at home is that you can add whatever additional ingredients you want to change the flavor profile.

For this hummus recipe, I used kalamata olives, green chiles, and rosemary. It might sound like an odd flavor combination, but it seriously tastes delicious. That’s the beauty of DIY hummus - coming up with new flavors you wouldn’t find at the grocery store.

Here are some other flavor combo ideas:

• Holiday Hummus - beets, cranberries, cinnamon, and rosemary

• Cowboy Caviar Hummus - black beans, organic white corn, bell pepper, jalapeno, lime

• Classic Hummus - tahini, olive oil, lemon, sea salt

Creamy Kalamata Hummus - Sesame-Free

Ingredients

*Note: I recommend using organic ingredients whenever possible

• 1 cup garbanzo beans, cooked or canned and rinsed

• 1/4 cup kalamata olives, pitted

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for topping

• 1/4 cup water

• 3-4 tbsp lemon juice

• 2 tbsp fire-roasted green chiles

• 3 sprigs fresh rosemary (about 1 tbsp), or 2 tsp dried rosemary, plus more for topping

• 1/4 tsp sea salt

• Pine nuts, for topping

• Dash of chili powder, for topping

Instructions

• Add garbanzo beans, 1/8 cup olives, olive oil, water, lemon, 1 tbsp chilis, rosemary, and sea salt to a food processor or high power blender. Blend until smooth.

• Add remaining olives and pulse until olives are mixed in but not fully blended.

• Transfer hummus to a bowl and top with a swirl of olive oil, remaining green chilis, pine nuts, rosemary and chili powder.

• Serve with fresh-cut veggies and enjoy!