The holidays are such a busy time of year, with shopping for presents, decorating your house, and entertaining friends and family, so it’s important to make sure you’re eating nutritious foods that will keep you going.

An easy way to add more goodness to your favourite meals is to sprinkle on Manitoba Harvest Hemp Hearts! Hemp Hearts, Canadian-grown shelled hemp seeds, are a powerhouse food packed with 10 grams of plant-based protein, 10 grams of omegas 3 and 6, and a delicious nutty taste.

To inspire you to get started on your holiday cooking, here are five simple and delicious recipes filled with hemp hearts that will wow your guests and your taste buds!

Easy Appetizers

No holiday party is complete without some tasty appetizers! Try our Spinach Quinoa Hemp Bites. Even though they’re easy to make, your guests will think you spent hours in the kitchen whipping them up. Plus, they’re vegetarian so all your guests will be able to enjoy them.

Spinach Quinoa Hemp Bites

Ingredients:

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 4 big handfuls fresh spinach, chopped
• 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup Hemp Hearts
• 1/8 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 cup feta, crumbled
• pinch salt and pepper
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Add the quinoa and vegetable broth to a medium-sized pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes or until it is cooked and all the liquid has been absorbed. Set aside to cool.
3. In a large pan, sauté the onion in olive oil until softened. Then add in the spinach and cook until it’s wilted.
4. Add the quinoa to a large bowl and mix in the spinach and onion, Hemp Hearts, garlic powder, oregano, feta, salt and pepper, and eggs.
5. Spray a mini muffin pan with cooking spray or grease with coconut oil. Spoon about a tablespoon of the mixture into the pan and press it down with the back of a spoon.
6. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until it is lightly browned around the edges. Let cool and then remove from the pan using a butter knife. Serve and enjoy!

Simple Side Dish

Holiday side dishes don’t need to be complicated to be delicious. Try drizzling veggies like carrots, sweet potato, and parsnips with maple syrup and balsamic vinegar and roasting them in the oven. Then top them with Hemp Hearts for a boost of protein, omegas, and a delicious nutty taste and your side dish is good to go. Download our Free Comfort Foods for the Holidays eCookbook for our Maple Balsamic Glazed Vegetables and 10 other delicious recipes.

Superfood Soup

Since Hemp Hearts are packed with 10 grams of protein in just three tablespoons, they’re perfect for adding a superfood boost to any soup! On a cold day, warm up with a bowl of our Cauliflower Hemp Soup. It’s easy to make a big batch that’s great for sharing with friends! The recipe is also available in our Comfort Foods for the Holidays eCookbook.

Energizing Snack

If you’re looking for a sweet treat that will also help you power through your holiday shopping, then make a batch of our Peppermint Mocha Bites. They taste like your favourite coffee-shop drink but they’re packed with wholesome ingredients like raw almonds, Hemp Hearts, and Medjool dates. Expert tip: pack a couple in your purse to avoid getting hangry while waiting in those long lines at the mall! 

Peppermint Mocha Bites

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup raw almonds
• 1/2 cup Hemp Hearts
• 1 cup medjool dates, pitted
• 2 tbsp. cocoa powder
• 1 tsp. espresso powder
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp. peppermint extract
• 1/4 cup mini dark chocolate chips
• 3 candy canes, crushed (optional – for rolling the bites in)

Directions:

1. Add the almonds to a food processor and blend until they are finely ground but not turned into a flour.
2. Put the Hemp Hearts and dates in and blend until it forms a sticky dough.
3. Add the cocoa, espresso powder, vanilla and peppermint extract and blend to combine. Then add in the chocolate chips and pulse a few times so they are mixed in.
4. Scoop the dough by heaping tablespoons and roll into balls. You can roll the balls in the crushed candy canes or Hemp Hearts if desired.
5. Store extra bites in the fridge in an airtight container.

Decadent Dessert

Keep kids entertained during the holidays by making some Snowman Cupcakes. They’re just as delicious as they are cute plus they’ll wow guests at your holiday parties. We even snuck some Hemp Hearts inside our cupcakes for some extra protein and omegas! To make these, simply whip up a batch of your favourite cupcakes, ice them, and use marshmallows, pretzels, carrots and icing to make the snowmen come to life!

For more recipes and inspiration, download the Manitoba Harvest Comfort Foods for the Holidays eCookbook.