Hemp seeds are a wonderfully versatile ingredient with a wholesome earthy flavour that compliments a wide range of dishes and recipes. The nuttiness makes them a perfect balancing flavour in sweeter foods (e.g. chocolates or fruit smoothie bowls) and an excellent harmonising addition to savoury mains (e.g. salads and roasted or grilled dishes).
Why you should eat more hemp seeds
Hemp seeds pack a huge nutritional punch. A single 20g serving (roughly 2tbsp) comes in at around 110 calories and 6.3 grams of protein. That means more than 25% of the total calorie count is from protein, making it considerably higher than chia or flax seeds. Hemp seeds also contain about 30% fats (the good kind, mostly polyunsaturated fats – not trans or saturated fats) and are rich in two essential fatty acids, linoleic acid (omega-6) and alpha-linolenic acid (omega-3). These omega fatty acids are key to maintaining balanced health, but can sometimes be difficult to incorporate into your diet. Hemp seeds provide an excellent plant-based source of these essential nutrients which play an important part in our healthy heart and brain functions. This is especially important as we age.
Hemp seeds at every meal
Here are some ideas for incorporating our fresh hulled hemp seeds into your favourite meal of the day. We recommend one or two servings per day – that’s plenty for you to receive the nutritional benefits of hemp seeds. Be mindful of your personal daily recommended calorie intake and make your hemp seed servings part of it.
Breakfast
Oatmeal
Basic breakfast foods really start to shine when paired with hemp seeds. Hot steaming bowls of wholesome porridge oats topped with your favourite fruits, brown sugar or maple syrup gain a hit of tummy-filling protein when you sprinkle a serving of hemp seeds on top. This adds a beautiful nutty flavour and a dash of sophistication to an everyday breakfast staple.
Try this low-carb Hemp Seed Porridge with Raspberries and Coconut by “Melt Nutrition”
Or this delightful baked version of Hemp Breakfast Oatmeal with Strawberries by “Nourished By Nutrition”
Smoothies
Smoothies and smoothie bowls are also a great ways to get your fruits and veggie count up at the start of the day and adding hemp seeds means enough protein and fats to create a full balanced meal.
Try this Super Green Hemp Smoothie Bowl by the “Minimalist Baker”
Or this amazing Banana Hemp Seed Breakfast Smoothie by “Allrecipes”
Lunch
Toast & Sandwiches
You can’t argue that sprinkling hemp seeds on top of… pretty much any dish makes it look incredible. Your run-of-the-mill open faced sandwich will make you the envy of the lunch room at work when topped with hemp seeds. For a nutritious and beautiful midday meal, try these sandwich or toast ideas:
Sourdough with roasted cherry tomatoes, crumbled feta and hemp seed sprinkle
Thick multigrain with hemp hummus, sliced avocado and hemp seed sprinkle
Bagel with smoked salmon, cream cheese, sliced cucumber, fresh dill and hemp seed sprinkle
Salads
Or for the more carb-conscious, try sprinkling hemp seeds on salads. We here at Total Hemp Co. love combining fresh greens with roasted vegetables and topping with a hemp seed oil vinaigrette dressing.
Try this gorgeous Roasted Vegetable Salad with Magic Green Sauce by the “Minimalist Baker” topped with hemp seeds
Or give this wonderfully aesthetic yet very simple Hemp Seed Salad by “In The Kitch” a go the next time you want to impress a lunch guest
Afternoon Snack
Bliss Balls
Come 3pm it’s pretty common to crave a pick-me-up. That’s why the fridge at Total Hemp Co. is always stocked up with some kind of healthy hemp protein balls or “bliss balls” to enjoy with afternoon tea.
Hemp seed bliss balls are a great snacking option because they contain healthy fats and proteins, real ingredients (not overly processed stuff), lots of fibre to help keep your gut healthy, and depending on your ingredient list, little bonuses like mood boosting cacao, antioxidant-rich dried berries or cleansing green tea.
Try these super yummy Matcha Bliss Balls full of hemp seeds by the “Minimalist Baker”
Or these rich and wonderful Easy Chocolate Hemp Protein Balls by “Oh She Glows”
Or these Hemp Seed & Apricot Energy Balls by “Little Big H”
Dinner
Crusted Fish
It’s just as easy to add flair to a main dinner dish with the addition of hemp seeds, and they don’t just go well with vegetables! Take a look at these fantastic fish mains with hemp seeds as the star support.
Fish Tacos with a Crunchy Hemp Crumb by “Food To Love”
Or this simple Hemp Crusted Salmon recipe by “Karen Malkin” on thewomensalzheimersmovement.org. Both salmon and hemp seeds are great sources of omega fatty acids which help promote optimal brain function.
Pesto
One of our favourite ways to make wholesome, gourmet dinner dishes with hemp seeds is by turning them into fresh, delicious pesto sauce. Swap out traditional pine nuts for our hemp seeds and you can use your homemade hemp pesto on pizza bases, on pasta, stirred through risotto or drizzled on Buddha Bowls.
We recommend this Vegan Hemp Seed Pesto recipe by Perth food blogger “Thermo Bexta”. It calls for a Thermomix, but any food processor will do.
Many vegan pesto recipes call for nutritional yeast to add that savoury cheesiness, but this one doesn’t. If you don’t have nutritional yeast handy, this recipe will serve you well. If you do have it handy though, toss a couple of tablespoons in! It’s only going to improve it, we promise. Plus for more of that beautiful hemp flavour you can use our hemp seed oil in place of olive oil in this pesto recipe!
There you have it! Some of our favourite tips for incorporating our hemp seeds into your daily diet, straight from the Total Hemp Co. kitchen. Once you get comfortable using hemp seeds in your cooking, baking and grab-n-go dishes you can start developing your own creations and modifying other recipes to include hemp ingredients. We encourage you to play around and have fun with it all.
We sure do…