Thanks to Jess from Itchin’ Kitchen
These tiny little seeds are absolute superstars – little powerhouses of nutrition!
They are one of the few sources of complete proteins in the plant-based world (that means they have all of the essential amino acids in them). Other seeds like chia and flax have about 16-18% of their calories from protein, while hemp clocks in at about 25%! They have a perfect ratio of omega 6 and 3 oils so they’re very heart healthy.
They’re a great source of vitamin E, so they’re terrific for your skin, especially if you’re an eczema sufferer. Hemp seeds are a great source of both soluble and insoluble fibres, so they’re good for your digestion and gut. They also contain magnesium, calcium, iron, phosphorus, potassium, zinc and more and are vegan and allergy friendly.
Plus…they are YUMMY! A gentle nutty flavour, a bit like pine nuts. So, how can you use them?
* Sprinkle them on your yoghurt
* Add them to your muesli or cereal
* Add a scoop to your smoothies
* Use them in bliss balls
* Add them into cakes and muffins
* Toast them with olive oil and sprinkle them on your veggies or salads
One of the ways we commonly use hemp seeds in our family is to add them in to our yoghurt dough when we make pizzas or scrolls (recipe to the left!). The combination of high protein, seeded yoghurt dough and our best pizza sauce makes for delicious, nutritious and filling lunchbox pizza scrolls!
RECIPE
Dough:
• 460 g plain flour
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp flaked salt
• 360 g unflavoured Greek yoghurt
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/3 cup hemp seeds
Using a food processor, process all ingredients together until it forms a dough. Bring together with your hands and roll out onto a floured surface. Form into a large rectangle about 1cm thick.
Note: If the dough is too sticky, add in 1 tsp of extra flour at a time and process to combine.
To make the scrolls, spread with our best pizza sauce and a layer of grated cheese.
Roll into a tight cylinder, cut into slices about 4 cm thick and bake in a pre-heated oven at 200 C for about 20 minutes.
You can also make 2 large pizza bases from this quantity of dough. Just add your pizza sauce and toppings then bake in a pre-heated oven at 200 C for about 15 minutes.
Need it gluten free? Replace the wheat flour 420 g GF flour together with 1tbsp psyllium husk
Need it dairy free? Replace the Greek yoghurt with a soy or coconut-based yoghurt. Use your favourite dairy free cheese inside the scrolls
Pizza sauce:
• 5 tbsp tomato paste, heaped
• A large handful of diced steamed pumpkin
• 400 g tin of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 6-8 fresh basil leaves
• Pinch of salt
Blend all ingredients together until very smooth.
Makes enough for 4 large pizzas or 4 batches of yoghurt dough scrolls.
Tip: Freeze any leftovers into ice cube trays for next time you need a quick pizza! Enjoy!
