13 Healthy Plant-Based Super Bowl Snack Ideas

Super Bowl time is almost here, and you can be a super hero by eating and serving healthy plant based snacks and appetizers while watching the game this year. Take a look at some of my easy healthy recipes, and see if any of these appetizers/snacks appeal to you. 

Apple Nachos (link to recipe) with a chocolate date sauce.

Giggle Juice

It's party time!! I very seldom post an alcoholic beverage, but this giggle juice just needed to be shared! I think the name says it all to get a party going!

I saw the recipe on a blog called The Chef MiMi Blog and had an immediate attraction to it. It could actually be made as a mocktail too   without alcohol. 

Spring Green Salad With Mango Mint Dressing

Tired of the same old salad? 

This delicious spring greens salad made with spring greens and local spring organic strawberries and some freshly cut mango. It also contains a variety of salad greens as well as crunchy celery and cucumber. 

I dress it with a tasty, fruity, mango mint dressing that will delight your taste buds as well as boost your antioxidants! 

Chocolate Chia Pudding

Looking for a healthy tasty easy dessert with no sugar added? If you've tasted my no sugar added chocolate peanut butter pudding, you'll love this chocolate chia pudding just as much!

Creamy Strawberry Soup- Vegan and Gluten Free

I'm addicted to this light delicious chilled soup that I've been enjoying in this hot humid weather. I know there are many people who just can't wrap their finger around the idea of "chilled soup". I used to be one of them. I guess it's an acquired taste and concept. Call it a smoothie if you don't like the idea of "chilled soup."

Quick 2 Ingredient Ice Cream- No Machine

Creamy strawberry ice cream, made from fresh fruit and nothing else, can be whipped up in your food processor in just minutes! It's a rich refreshing dessert that is not only delicious, it is also good for you. If you want to restrict the amount of sugar that your kids (or you) eat, then this is a great alternative to store-bought, high sugar, dairy-rich ice cream.  

Which fruits have the most pesticides?

Do you know which fruits and vegetables are the heavily sprayed with lots of pesticides and potentially dangerous? 

Every year the EWG (Environmental Workers Group) publishes a list of the twelve foods that are most heavily sprayed with pesticides. They call it the Dirty Dozen. They also publish a list of the Clean 15.  I've included their suggestions in this post!

Strawberries Contain the Highest Amount of Pesticides!

The new list of dirty dozen fruits/vegetables just came out from EWG!

Strawberries were number one on the list for the fruit/vegetable with the highest amount of pesticides!

When I read the article , I was sad at how little the consumer really knows about what we are eating.
Can you imagine that with every bite of a red luscious strawberry we are eating more than we want in pesticides! It's bad enough for us , but what about our kids?

When it comes to strawberries, I guess it's one fruit that need to be organic! From now on, I'll buy organic when it comes to anything on the list from the dirty dozen. 
I already always buy organic apples, celery, and spinach. I often buy organic strawberries, cherry tomatoes, and grapes. I need to step it up a little!

The EWG has a list of what they consider the

Dirty Dozen= highest amount of pesticides


1. Strawberries

2. Apples

3. Nectarines

4. Peaches 

5. Celery 

6. Grapes

7. Cherries

8. Spinach

9. Tomatoes

10. Bell Peppers

11. Cherry Tomatoes

12. Cucumbers

CLEAN 15 based on the amount of pesticide exposure according to EWG.
These are the cleanest vegetables/fruit  * Look for non GMO vegetables

1. Avocado 

2. Corn 

3. Pineapple 

4. Cabbage

5. Frozen sweet peas

6. Onions

7. Asparagus

8. Mango

9. Papaya 

10. Kiwi

11. Eggplant

12. Honeydew

13. Grapefruit

14. Cantaloupe

15. Cauliflower

Americans eat nearly eight pounds of fresh strawberries a year – and with them, dozens of pesticides, including chemicals that have been linked to cancer and reproductive damage or are banned in Europe.

Strawberries tested by scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2009 and 2014 bore an average of 5.75 different pesticides per sample, compared to 1.74 pesticides per sample for all other produce, according to a new EWG analysis.  Bill Walker,

This is the beginning of the article on strawberries from EWG: Click to read full article

Pesticides + Poison Gases = Cheap, Year-Round Strawberries

By  Investigations Editor, and Sonya Lunder, Senior Analyst

Read their research and info : EWG 





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Chocolate -Dipped Strawberries or Figs- Easy Gluten-Free Party Dessert

Looking for an easy party dessert that looks elegant but takes just minutes to make? These chocolate-dipped strawberries or figs are the answer. Dipped in rich semi-sweet chocolate and coated with either ground hazelnuts or cinnamon, they’re a naturally gluten-free dessert that’s light, delicious, and perfect entertaining party dessert. 

A Dessert Born from a Storm

Sometimes the best desserts happen completely by accident. Case in point: Hurricane Irene. I was supposed to be in New York City with friends, sitting in a theater and enjoying a Broadway show. Instead? My plans were washed away—literally. All shows canceled due to the storm (we live 1 and half hours away).

Instead we ended up staying home and pulling together a last-minute get-together with neighbors. Which left me staring into my kitchen thinking: Okay, what can I whip up with whatever’s already here?

 I had just done a Trader Joe’s run the day before and had a container  of black mission figs and a container of juicy red organic strawberries. That’s when I remembered a recipe idea I’d seen in one in one of my cookbooks, Small Bites by Jennifer Joyce: chocolate-dipped figs. Perfect! I made them on the spot. I added a cinnamon version too. Let me tell you—chocolate plus cinnamon are a match made in dessert heaven.

Why You’ll Love This Chocolate-Dipped Fruit Recipe

• Quick and easy – Ready in about 15 minutes plus chilling time.

• Gluten-free and naturally sweet – Perfect for guests with dietary restrictions.

• Beautiful presentation – They add instant color and elegance to a dessert table.

• Versatile – Pair with coffee or red wine and any desserts.

.Ingredients:

Fresh Figs, washed and dried

Fresh strawberries, washed and dried

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips, melted

1/2 cup ground hazelnuts or cinnamon ( or dip in both)

Directions:

Wash and dry strawberries and figs, but do not take off greens or stems. Using a sharp knife start at the end opposite the stem and cut down the middle so all fruit is halved.Grind hazelnuts till well ground in a Vitamix or food processor.Put into a small bowl. Put chocolate chips into a microwave proof container and microwave for about a minute stir( check and it might need more) . If you are not happy using a microwave, put the chocolate chips over a double boiler until melted. 

Holding the stem, dip the tip of a strawberry or a fig into the melted chocolate and then dip it immediately into the ground hazelnuts or cinnamon.  Arrange on a plate, refrigerate for at least an hour and serve from the refrigerator.

Wash and dry figs and strawberries ( Must be very dry to dip)

When dry, slice strawberries and figs in half starting at the end opposite the stem



Grind 1/2 cup of hazelnuts in food processor or Vitamix ; put chocolate chips into a microwave proof dish

                         and microwave for about 1 minute until melted.


Dip fruit halves one by one into the chocolate and then the ground nuts or cinnamon and place on a parchment covered cookie sheet. Refrigerate for a minimum of an hour - 
Arrange on a dessert plate and serve.

Elegant and easy, these chocolate-dipped figs or strawberries are the perfect gluten-free dessert for holidays, parties, or special dinners.

My Notes:
I'm thinking about using other fruits as well such as sliced apples- yum . Have you dipped fruit for parties? What's your favorite?