Healthy Chinese New Year goodies for the Whole Family

I have almost given up the idea of baking my own Chinese New Year goodies due to time constraint. Being a working mom with 2 young children can be quite overwhelming at times. However, the desire to create a festive mood through healthy foods proves unstoppable. So I got my four-year-old down to task and baked 3 snacks that are healthy enough for children and easy enough for her to do. They include reduced sugar wholemeal spelt digestive cookies (recipe here), gluten free seeded crackers and reduced sugar wholemeal pumpkin seed crisps. Together with oven-baked nuts (cashews, almonds, hazelnuts), dark chocolate balls (you can’t go wrong combining nuts with chocolates); cranberries (or any other dried fruits), they made up my perfect healthy Chinese New Year Goodie platter. Adults can indulge in them without guilt, while letting their children indulge in them without fear; they are a hit among the young and the old in my family!

I hope you would give these recipes a try as they are easy to prepare. The ingredients are simple and should be easily available; I have included alternatives in case you don’t have some of these at home. They are definitely a keeper, way beyond Chinese New Year and they make lovely snacks for children at school as well.

Pumpkin seed crisps

Ingredients (makes about 24 pieces)

• 230g pumpkin seeds (you may use flaked almond or sunflower seeds too)

• 35g brown sugar (plain sugar works too)

• 2 egg whites (From 50g size eggs)

• 25g olive oil / melted butter

• 30g wholemeal pastry flour (or use plain flour if that’s the only available flour at home)

• Vanilla extract (optional)

• Black and white sesame seeds for decoration

Method

1. Lightly toast pumpkin seeds / sunflower seeds / flaked almond for 10 minutes and cool. Otherwise, a quick stir on a pan with a stovetop works as well, if that is more convenient.

2. Preheat oven to 160oC.

3. Beat egg whites and sugar with a whisk till frothy.

4. Slowly sift in the flour and stir to combine. Do this slowly and gradually to prevent lumps. If lumps are formed, sift mixture through a sift for a smooth batter.

5. Add in oil/melted butter and mix well.

6. Incorporate seeds and mix well. Chill in fridge for 1 hour or overnight.

7. Stir and mix batter before distributing it evenly on the baking tray lined with a baking sheet/non-stick baking paper. It is crucial to line the baking tray for easy removal of the crisps, so please do not skip this step.

8. Using a chopstick or spoon, evenly spread the mixture as thinly as possible into a round shape. I tried to spread all seeds into 1 layer. Sprinkle with sesame seeds on top.

9. Bake for approximately 15 minutes till golden brown.

10. Remove and cool on a rack.

11. Keep in an airtight container or fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Gluten free seeded crackers

Ingredients (makes about 2 trays of thin crackers)

• 50g sunflower seeds

• 50g pumpkin seeds

• 70g flaxseeds

• 120g potato starch (can be replaced with corn starch or tapioca starch)

• 2 tablespoon olive oil

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 200ml boiling water

Method

1. Preheat oven to 150oC and line a tray with baking paper.

2. Combine all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl, stir to combine. Ensure the starch coats all the seeds and there are no lumps.

3. If you like spiced crackers, try adding some cumin powder, garlic powder, onion powder or chilli flakes to the mix.

4. Pour boiling water over the mixture and stir until combined. Mixture will start to thicken. Add oil and stir well to combine.

5. Pour half the mixture onto the prepared baking tray. Adjust the amount based on how thick/thin you want your cracker to be.

6. Place another piece of baking paper on top of the mixture and using a rolling pin, gently roll to evenly distribute the mixture to fit the size of the tray. Do this slowly to spread the mixture as evenly as possible.

7. Slowly peel back the paper and place the tray into the oven and bake for 10 minutes.

8. Remove from oven and using a knife or pizza cutter, carve the cracker piece into even sized squares or rectangles. Place back into oven and bake for about 1 hour (you may skip this step if you prefer to break the piece apart into uneven shaped crackers).

9. Turn the oven off and allow crackers to rest while the oven cools.

10. Once cool, break into pieces and store in airtight container or fridge for up to 2 weeks.