3 High Protein And High Fiber Snacks Using The “It Girl” Vegetable On TikTok
Hint: green
by The Candidly Team
No offense to the sweet potato but we’d rather eat scrambled eggs on toast for the 4th night in a row than learn a new way to prepare a sweet potato. Ditto cottage cheese. Ditto tinned fish. We were so ready for something surprising and new and gloriously nutritious to work with in the kitchen, and well, TikTok kinda came through this time.
So what is the magical, high-protein, high-fiber vegetable we’re all apparently missing out on?
IT’S PEAS!
We know. Peas sound like the boring side dish on the dinner table of every 1950s-set TV show. But they’re also sweet. They’re substantial. They have bulk. They have bite.
And here’s the big news.
One cup of them has 8 grams of protein. You know how everyone and their mother is saying how eating more plant protein is correlated with longevity? So, yes, that kind of protein. It also has 9 grams of fiber and gives you a boost of vitamins A, K, and C as well as iron and folate. And that same cup is only 134 calories!
Fiber and protein are the key elements that ensure we get full from our calories, so having an actual big portion of something this healthful and satiating for this few calories does make us wonder why we ignored peas for so long.
It also made us realize the full potential of making peas a key ingredient to our late afternoon snack, because that’s when we get sluggish and start mindlessly eating anything around. We tried 3 viral TikTok recipes involving peas. And, inevitably, this happened:
But then, we got our sh__ together and whipped out 3 recipes… whish, whish, whish. 10 minutes of prep. Minimal effort. Only 2 smashed peas between the toes 🤢🤢.
And here’s how they turned out.
1. The Mason Jar Pea And Chicken Salad
What You Need:
All this recipe entails is a heaping cup of frozen peas (heated up any way you like), a half cup of shredded chicken breast, 2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese, seasoning such as garlic powder, onion powder, chili flakes, salt and pepper. Can you add a tablespoon of light mayo or olive oil? Yes. A dash of lemon? Of course.
But the base recipe comes out to about:
370 calories
47g protein
11g fiber
We actually modified with one of those tinned fish we said we were sick of and used a can of tuna instead of chicken. We also added a teaspoon of good mustard, a tablespoon of light mayo, and a squeeze from a lemon slice. We shook it all up in a sizable mason jar, and the result was a spectacularly hearty snack/meal with:
325 calories
40g protein
9g fiber
Here’s how it looked pre and post shake (not super pretty but just to show you the hefty portion we’re talking about here):
What We Thought:
This is an incredible amount of food for the calories - more like a meal than a snack, and it kept us full for hours. The sweetness of the peas made the tuna much tastier, more textured, and more satiating. We can see ourselves adding cucumber, celery, red onion, green apple, and other crunchy, nutritious things next time just to round it out even more.
Wait, did all of this end up being a long-winded way of saying put peas in your tuna salad? Maybe so. And if that’s the case, should we all just go make Matthew McConaughey’s insane, viral tuna recipe? Why not? But at least add extra peas.
2. The Pea Pesto That Tastes Good On EVERYTHING
What You Need:
Toss one cup of peas, 3/4 cup of low-fat cottage cheese (yes, we know we said we’re also tired of cottage cheese but it is beyond creamy and delicious in this recipe), 1/2 cup fresh basil, 2 tablespoons of parm, 2 tablespoons of pine nuts, 1 teaspoon of olive oil, and the juice from a quarter wedge of lemon in your food processor or blender. Add a little salt and pep and crank it up. That’s it. Done! The entire bowl of creamy pesto has roughly:
452 Calories
34g protein
10g fiber
The Consensus:
It’s something between the freshest, creamiest, high-protein pesto and an incredible green goddess dip. We dip raw and cooked veggies in it, spread it on toast and pita, and it fills up up 3x more than any other dip, pesto, hummus type thing.
3. The Air-Fried Peas For Those Who Need Crunch To Feel Joy
What You Need:
This is the thrill of this recipe. A cup or two of peas (or more to store for later?) tossed into your air fryer (or oven at around 350), coated only in a splash of oil. We used olive oil. Sprinkle on some cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper (or whatever seasoning suits your fancy. Maybe Trader Joe’s Everything Bagel? A little nutritional yeast for that cheesy parmesan flavor?) Give it a shake and put it in the air fryer at 350 for 10-12 minutes, et voilà, you’ll have the crunchiest, on-the-go snack that doesn’t come with 14 highly processed, chemical ingredients.
Assuming you use a 1/2 teaspoon of oil per cup of peas, one serving will run you about:
154 calories
8g protein
9g fiber
The Consensus:
This is a real treat for the lazy, snacky, sloth-like creatures we become everyday at 3:22pm. Both the preparation and the grabbability (new word?) are blissfully mindless, and we viscerally feel like we’re getting a junky, salty, crunchy snack, while simply eating a seasoned vegetable.
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