Snacks for your road trip needn’t be unhealthy, overrun with preservatives and added sugars. Keep nutrition in mind with these easy-to-prepare alternatives

HOME-MADE MIX

Serves 10–12
Prep time 2 min
Cooking time 10 min, plus time for drying out
Difficulty Easy

Ingredients

• 1 pineapple, peeled and sliced into thin rings
• 250 ml pretzels
• 50 ml raw honey, warmed
• 10 ml sea salt flakes
• 125 ml coconut flakes
• 125 ml almonds, toasted
• 125 ml Brazil nuts, toasted
• 125 ml pumpkin seeds, toasted
• 125 ml goji berries

Method

1 Preheat oven to 100ºC.
2 Put the pineapple on a sheet of silicone paper, or a silicone mat, and roast in the oven for about one hour, or until dried out.

3 Increase oven temperature to 160ºC. Toss the pretzels in the warm honey and salt and spread out on a baking tray. Bake the pretzels for approximately 30 minutes, or until the honey has dried nicely and the pretzels are crispy.

4 Mix the rest of the ingredients together. Once the pineapple rings have dried, cut into pieces and also mix through. Lastly, once cooled, add the pretzels.

RAW COCONUT BARS

Makes 20 bars
Prep time 2 min
Chilling time 30–40 min
Difficulty Easy

Ingredients

• 180g desiccated coconut
• 100 ml maple syrup
• 80 ml coconut oil, melted
• 5 ml vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Method

1 Place all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix well.

2 Grease a square 20 cm baking tray and firmly press the mixture into the tray. Chill in the fridge for 30–40 minutes. Cut into bars of 5 cm×7 cm.

LAYERED ASIAN NOODLE SALAD 

Serves 6
Prep time 10 minutes
Cooking time 25 minutes
Difficulty Easy

Ingredients

• 500g egg noodles, cooked and rinsed
• 100 ml rice wine vinegar
• 100 ml extra virgin olive oil
• 50 ml sesame oil
• Juice of 2 limes
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 nori sheets, thinly sliced
• 1 cucumber, sliced
• 2 mangos, cubed
• 500 ml red cabbage, shredded
• 2 avocados, cubed
• 125 ml spring onion, thinly sliced
• 125 ml cashews, toasted

Method

1 Place the cooked noodles in a large mixing bowl. Whisk together the rice wine vinegar, olive oil, sesame oil and lime juice. Season to taste and pour over the noodles. Set aside to marinate for 15 minutes.

2 Assemble the salad by layering all of the ingredients in glass jars or plastic containers, starting with the noodles. Top with the spring onion and cashews.

BAKED BULGUR MUFFINS WITH PEPPERS AND FETA 

Serves 6
Prep time 10 minutes
Cooking time 20 minutes
Difficulty Easy

Ingredients

• 2 red, orange or yellow peppers, cubed
• 1 red onion, coarsely chopped
• 10 ml olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 750 ml bulgur, cooked and rinsed
• 500 ml baby spinach, shredded
• 20 ml dill, finely chopped
• 20 ml basil, finely chopped
• 20 ml mint, finely chopped
• 4 eggs
• 10 ml baking powder
• 125 ml creamy feta

Method

1 Preheat oven to 200ºC.

2 Toss the peppers and red onion in the olive oil. Season to taste and place on a baking tray. Roast for 15–20 minutes until slightly charred.

3 Place the bulgur, spinach and herbs in a large mixing bowl and mix together. Whisk together the eggs and baking powder, and add to the bulgur. Pop in the roasted veg and quickly stir through the feta. Season to taste.

4 Decrease the oven temperature to 180ºC. Scoop spoonfuls of the mixture into a greased muffin tray and bake for 10–12 minutes.

Recipes & styling lisaclark.co.za

Photography Juliette Bisset/HMimages.co.za, Gallo/Gettyimages

(This article was first published in the autumn 2016 issue of AA traveller magazine)