THE BEST: Picks for Top Healthy Gourmet Snacks of 2020

2020 TOP HEALTHY GOURMET SNACKS

The world is full of fantastic, delicious, and innovative healthy gourmet snacks. That’s why we’ve tasted some of the best, and here’s what we found.

The 6th Annual Snack Awards selects and rewards the Top Healthy Gourmet Snack creations of the Year.

Products from across the country entered into this competition, and were sent to a select jury panel of food & wine media and industry judges located throughout North America. This panel tasted, reviewed and voted on which they consider to be the “Top Healthy Gourmet Snacks of the Year” by the TASTY AWARDS panel, the Academy of Media Tastemakers

The Healthy Snack Awards look for the tastiest, most appealing , and healthiest snack choices on the market. It doesn’t matter if it’s a bar, a chip, popcorn, or nuts, as long as it looks good and tastes good and is good for you then it has the chance of making the list. Gluten Free, Sugar Free, or just made with fresh and natural ingredients, the bottom line is that they have to satisfy your urge to munch.

The judges and reviewers for this year’s selections come from a panel of gurus from the Academy of Media Tastemakers. Here are their favorites

OUR TOP PICKS FOR GREAT HEALTHY & TASTY SNACKS

GOODTO GO Snacks Strawberry Macadamia Nut Snack Bar

“Tastes like something you have to keep checking the package to make sure it’s actually healthy. But it is!”

Kathies Kitchen: SuperSeedz Dark Chocolate & Sea Salt Gourmet Pumpkin Seeds

“Be ready to maintain a bit of portion control, it’s easy to keep munching on these tasty Salted pumpkin seeds in dark chocolate”

Nature’s Path Love Crunch Dark Chocolate & Red Berries Granola

“So cool to see a granola that adds unique ingredients and seasonings like red berries, healthy dark chocolate, and organic coconut”

Mary’s Gone Crackers – Super Seed Classic

“Fully plant-based gluten-free protein, these crackers can be eaten alone or paired with a topping such as cheese, avocados, or even peanut butter”

MadeGood Food Red Velvet Soft Baked Mini Cookies

“If you have a taste for red velvet, you’ll like these, but because of their size and healthy ingredients you won’t feel too guilty about having them”

Barebells Protein Bars – Crunchy Fudge

“The snack bar with no added sugar that you want to take with you to the gym or before a good run. “

Recipe for Grilled Tajín & Maple Chicken Wings by Chef Dennis Prescott of NETFLIX

A once struggling musician living in Nashville, Dennis Prescott is now a celebrated Canadian chef and cookbook author, with almost 600,000 Instagram followers.

His bestselling cookbook, Eat Delicious: 125 Recipes For Your Daily Dose of Awesome was published in 2017. Currently he is the resident chef of Netflix‘s series, “Restaurants on the Edge“.

For this season, Chef Prescott has created a delicious recipe for Grilled Tajín & Maple Chicken Wings.

Grilled Tajín & Maple Chicken Wings

For the Chicken Wings

2 pounds chicken wings
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons TajIn

Glaze & Garnish

¼ cup pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice
1 teaspoon Tajín

To Serve

¼ cup minced cilantro leaves, to garnish

Extra lime wedges, to serve

When ready to cook, preheat a grill to medium-high heat.

In a large bowl, combine wings, olive oil, Tajin, and toss until the chicken is completely coated in the mixture. (Note! This step can be done up to 4 hours before grilling – the longer the wings marinate in the Tajín mixture, the better.)

Transfer the wings to the grill, placing directly on the grill grates in a single layer. Cook for 15 – 20 minutes, turning halfway through, until golden on the outside and cooked through on the inside (and the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees F).

Meanwhile, combine maple, lime, and Tajín in a large bowl and mix well. When the chicken wings are done, immediately transfer them to the maple glaze bowl and toss well to coat entirely in glaze.

Transfer chicken wings to a serving platter and sprinkle over the cilantro. Serve immediately with extra lime wedges.

Watch the Trailer for Netflix’s Restaurants on the Edge

Finally, a Bolognese Sauce that is 3 in 1: Delicious, Versatile and Healthy

A thick and rich tomato Bolognese sauce is a gift for the home chef. That is because it is so versatile. A new sauce we have discovered is Otamot, and its versatility is perfect for these challenging times.

This organic sauce is made from vine ripened tomato, carrots, red bell peppers, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, spinach, red beets, sweet onions, garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, and shiitake mushrooms. Otamot is also certified as vegan, gluten-free, and GMO-verified.

We have used this sauce on everything from pastas such as tortellini and ravioli, to the base for deep dish pizza, to meatball sandwiches. It has yet to fail us!

Based in Brooklyn, the brand was founded by a dad Andrew Suzuka, who wanted his daughter to be able to eat healthier while enjoying her meals. As Suzuka says, “Tomato sauce CAN be packed with vegetables, vitamins, antioxidants and have no added sugar or preservatives.”

Find it at https://www.otamotfoods.com

A Taste for Travel? Try this Serrano Ham and Cheese Sandwich

Food and travel go hand-in-hand. You simply cannot visit a place without tasting at least some of its cuisine. Fortunately, even when you are not traveling you can still experience some of that cuisine at home.

For example, if you are thinking about Spain then you might enjoy a little snack to enhance those memories, such as the recipe for this open-faced Spanish style sandwich. It is simple to make. The ingredients are premium Serrano ham, a choice of Brie, Camembert, or a soft cheese from Spain, a bit of extra-virgin olive oil, and some slightly toasted bread, such as sliced sourdough.

Simply toast the bread, add a bit of cheese, lay a piece of Serano ham across it, and lightly drizzle with olive oil.

Enjoy with your beverage of choice, such as a glass of Rioja, or even a California Pinot Noir or Chardonnay.

Find Serrano ham online at the Spanish Table, and olive oil from Wild Groves.

RECIPE: One Pan Oven Baked Chicken Thighs with Potatoes and Asparagus

One pan dishes are wonderful because they are usually fast, easy and with minimum cleanup. They are also popular because they are delicious. This tasty recipe for chicken thighs is a good example of all facets.

Ingredients

5-6 medium potatoes
1 bunch of asparagus (or Brussel sprouts)
4-6 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
1 tablespoon Garlic powder
1 tablespoon Oregano or rosemary
1 tablespoon Salt
1 teaspoon Pepper
1/2 lime
Optional: 1 tablespoon of Mola Foods spice blends (any)

Instructions

Take 5-6 medium sized potatoes and dice into large pieces. Cut woody bottoms off of asparagus stalks, then cut each stalk in half.

Add 3-5 Tablespoons of olive oil to oven safe skillet or pan, sprinkle into oil 1 tablespoon of garlic powder, 1 tablespoon of salt and pepper, 1 tablespoon of rosemary or oregano, and 1 tablespoon of remaining spices. Lightly stir slices to distribute, then turn stove to high to heat olive oil.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Add thighs to heated oil in pan with skin down and cook for 5 minutes until skin is crispy.

Remove thighs from skillet.

Add diced potatoes and asparagus to bottom of pan.

Place thighs skin up on top of vegetables so they do not touch skillet

Add 1/2 to 2/3 cup of water to skillet. Make sure water level does not reach chicken thighs perched on top of vegetables.

Optional: add 1/2 of lime or lemon to center of pan, cut side down

Place skillet in oven, then cook for 45-55 minutes

Remove from oven, squeeze lime juice from roasted lime into broth

Serves 3-5

ROSE OF THE DAY: Handley 2019 Pinot Noir Rose

Our Rose of the Day pick is the HANDLEY 2019 PINOT NOIR ROSE. The reason is simple, the TasteTV wine reviewers love it! The taste is light, crisp, and bright, with a slight sweetness and traces of citrus fruits and yellow stone fruits like nectarines.