High Protein-Rich Snacks for Vegetarians

Well, a lot has been written about the necessity of proteins. While you can read about the Importance of proteins here, I wanted to ask you all, how much do we really emphasize as per the RDA shared by WHO? Do we intake Protein-Rich snacks and foods?

If you are a vegetarian like me, then you need to read this post further. Recently, my mom in her late 50’s started facing lots of issues wrt body pain, hair fall, muscle mass. In her complete body checkup, the major reasons which came out were Protein deficiency (along with Vitamin B and Calcium). She is a woman who takes care of her health and nutrition to a much higher extent, yet she was lacking in her RDA for protein intake. And not just her, protein deficiency is quite common in Indian women, more so those who follow vegetarian diets.

Though there are ample Plant-based resources, rich in proteins, we all lack in including those sources in our diets “regularly”. Lots of green veggie salads daily can certainly sound spiritless, but small twists, with added variations, can add a zing to it.

Keep on having foods like Spinach, Kale, Nuts, yogurt, soy, chickpeas, Oats, pulses on a daily basis. Just one diet will not fulfill the daily requisites for protein (even for kids), hence here are some interesting suggestions.

Protein-Rich snacks/dishes for kids and adults:

1. Quinoa Salad with pecans, nuts, mint, and pomegranate :

Crunchy, roasted and spiced pecans and nuts into fluffy Quinoa, add an absolute flavor to this salad. Quinoa is a superfood, very rich in protein and adding pecans, nuts (almonds, walnuts), makes it more nutritious and flavourful. Pomegranate adds that soft sweetness and brings out a lovely texture as well. All you need is to either steam cook Quinoa or boil it until it absorbs all the water. Allow it to become fluffy and while it cools, mix nuts, pecans, freshly cut Mint and parsley, salt for taste, Olive oil. Pour the dressing over the fluffy quinoa and add pomegranate to it. Simply leave it for an hour (you can also refrigerate for 20-30 minutes) so that the flavors get absorbed well in Quinoa.

Your protein powerhouse is ready to relish.

2. Baked Tofu Nuggets: Perfect Protein-Rich snacks for kids

Well, do you love Paneer {cottage cheese) Pakoda’s with some masala and Mint Parsely chutney? If yes, then its a more protein oriented baked and healthier version. Tofu, made out of Soybean, is extremely rich in protein. Soy is one plant-based source which has all 9 essential Amino acids. Hence it should be consumed in some way or the other daily.

All you need to do here is, Cut tofu into squares, and toss it with olive oil, onion garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Now toss it into cornstarch and flour (just like paneer Manchurian), and sprinkle onion garlic powder, and pepper on top. All you need to do is, bake it for 25-30minutes and serve it with pesto sauce or even hummus. Even honey mustard sauce works great here and it is my son’s favorite snack, full of protein

3. Black bean hummus wrap:

Well, this is a family favorite and often we also add up Feta cheese at times to make it richer in protein. Red hummus and black beans, both are super rich in protein. Not just beans, you can also add diced veggies in this wrap, like corn, tomatoes, and more as per your flavor. You can add up sliced avocado as sides for this main dish, which will give it a bigger boost. 

I bet, your kids and family will love this dish and you’ll be happier as it has ample proteins.

4. Black Bean and chickpea salad with feta cheese:

An easier option to the wrap is this bean and chickpea salad. We make this salad twice a week. All it needs is boiled and well-drained black beans, chickpeas, diced onions, tomatoes, fresh mint, parsley, lemon juice, salt and pepper for taste. You can also sprinkle olive oil to it and add feta cheese.

Mint and parsley give it an amazingly fresh taste and you’ll relish this powerhouse salad.

5. Quinoa Pasta:

Kids and Pasta/Noodles, well you can’t ignore it anytime. So, try to give it a twist, by cooking quinoa in Pasta sauce, with lots of cheese to it. You can also add diced veggies, like beans, carrots, corn to it to make it healthy and hearty.

6. Creamy Bean and Spinach pasta:

Another twist to the regular pasta is black beans and spinach pasta which gives around 17grams of protein per serving. I usually add tomatoes and even corn to this bean and spinach pasta, loaded with cheese. 

While these high Protein – Rich snacks need time to cook, you should always keep the below-mentioned things ready for consumption, on a daily basis :

• Seed Mixture:

No roasting, no adding spices. Simply mix Fennel seeds, flax seeds, sunflower, pumpkin seeds, and sesame seeds. Add rock sugar (Known as Mishri in India, or few granules of brown sugar to it). Mix it and keep it as a ready to eat the mixture. Consume one spoon twice a day, after lunch and after dinner.

• Nuts mixture:

Nuts are not just rich in proteins, but also rich in many vitamins. Soak Almonds, walnuts, peanuts, raisins daily in the night. Drain the water and eat this mixture along with your breakfast. You can also add figs and pistachios’ to it.

With these additions in your diet, you can be assured of having sufficient protein required by our body. These suggestions are in addition to your daily diet of Green veggies, curd, lentils, pulses intake. Get your hands on these high Protein-Rich snacks.