The Continuation of "Veganuary" & Vegan Snack Recommendations
#76: Winter Happenings @ Featherstone Garden
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Eating Plant-Centered Foods & the Continuation of “Veganuary”
By Renee S.
As we briefly highlighted in last week’s newsletter, eating a plant-centered diet can have many benefits for both your health and the environment. Plant-based foods are often rich in essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, and can help lower the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers. Additionally, a plant-centered diet can be lower in saturated fat and cholesterol, which can help improve heart health, and is often more environmentally friendly since the production of plant-based foods typically requires less land, water, and other resources compared to animal-based foods. Interested in learning more? You can read some additional benefits via this Healthline article.
As we continue our “veganuary” challenge for this month, I’m sharing a few snack recommendations to help keep you satiated between meals. Having healthy snacks throughout the day can make it easy to stay on track with a plant-centered diet and ensure you’re getting the nutrients your body needs. Plus, vegan snacks can be delicious and satisfying, with a wide variety of options available, from fruits and vegetables to nuts, seeds, and plant-based protein bars if you’re on the go. Continue reading below to find links to some of our snack recs.
Plant-Based Snack Recs: Roasted Red Pepper Hummus & Quick Pickled Beets
Both of these snacks require some forethought, so my suggestion is to make a batch over the weekend and enjoy throughout the week. Homemade hummus is one of my go-to snack options because the recipe is flexible enough to try different variations (i.e. try subbing white beans for chickpeas, toss in chopped rosemary for a different flavor profile, etc.). It’s also high in protein and fiber, which can help keep you feeling full and satisfied between meals. A quick recipe tip: to save time, grab a jar of roasted peppers from the store rather than roasting them at home as our recipe suggests.
If you’re into pickled snacks, our Quick Pickled Beets recipe is a nice introduction to the art of fermentation. A quick pickle isn’t quite the same as full on fermenting, and the main difference between the two is that quick pickling is a method of preserving vegetables using vinegar or brine solution, while fermentation is a method of preserving food using beneficial bacteria.
If you’re interested in trying out either of these recipes, find them linked below, along with a couple other vegan snack recipes from the archives of our Garden Goodness blog!
Recipe Links:
Plant-Based Snack Recs: Chia Seed “Yogurt” Snack Cup & Fresh Berries w/ Creamy Cashew Cultured Yogurt Alternative
Lastly, we have a snack recipe that could also pass as a healthy dessert option. Pairing fresh fruit with yogurt and other nutrient dense foods, such as peanut butter and chia seeds, is a nice way to bulk up your yogurt cup. Of course yogurt isn’t vegan, so for these recipes, I’m suggesting this Creamy Cashew Cultured Yogurt Alternative that I found at Trader Joe’s. If you want to keep it simple, add berries to a bowl of the cashew yogurt and top with maple syrup to sweeten it up. You can also add a handful of our Miso Sesame Turmeric Granola for an extra crunch.
Recipe Links:
Enjoy!
Thanks for reading!
For more about our garden, check out our website and follow us on instagram (@featherstone.garden). Feel free to email us or comment below with any questions or suggestions.
Have a great week,
Annie, Aaron, Renee + Chili & Bean (our farm cats ₍˄·͈༝·͈˄₎◞ ₍˄·͈༝·͈˄₎◞)
