hemp hearts 3 ways

Anyone who knows me and follows hot for food already knows that I use hemp hearts a lot! You've probably already fallen in love with my creamy herb dressing made from hemp hearts, or used them as an extra crunch on the creamy avocado pasta. Well, I'm here to share even more ways you can enjoy this super food throughout every meal of the day.

If anyone in your life is asking where you get your protein in your vegan diet, just direct them to this blog! Hemp hearts are rich in plant-based protein and have all 10 essential amino acids. So hah, no meat necessary!

I use Manitoba Harvest brand hemp hearts. They're high in protein and healthy fats.  In fact, compared to chia and flax seeds, hemp seeds contain twice the amount of protein and are lower in carbohydrates. You can add hemp hearts to every meal… and I often do.

They're great on top of soups, salads, or mixed into smoothies. Sprinkle them into your granola or oatmeal or stir into any homemade cookies as a secret protein boost! Hemp is a super plant – with hundreds if not thousands of uses. But, most people are unaware of, or have misconceptions about hemp foods. For instance, cause I know you're wondering... hemp is a species of Cannabis sativa but hemp is not the same as marijuana and hemp foods will not cause psychoactive effects.

Here are my fave ways to use hemp hearts at breakfast, lunch, and dinner! AND read through to the end for details on how to enter a special giveaway from hot for food and Manitoba Harvest!

loaded toast with hemp hearts, almond butter, banana, cacao nibs, and maple syrup

I pretty much exclusively eat toast for breakfast as you've seen in many What I Ate In A Day vlogs. It ranges from plain 'ol peanut butter and banana to avocado and lime juice, but the common denominator to all my breakfast toast is the addition of hemp hearts! This loaded toast is a little sweet, which I hope brings a smile to your morning. I've added raw almond butter, sliced bananas, cacao nibs, hemp hearts, and a drizzle of maple syrup. It's so yummy!

butternut squash soup with croutons and hemp hearts

For lunch, I usually have to keep things simple since I'm busy blogging and vlogging so a typical lunch is a ready made soup. I try to look for ones with low-sodium and no sugar added. This one is a tasty butternut squash soup that I topped with a quick garlic crouton and lots of hemp hearts. There's also some ground pepper, smoked paprika, and cilantro on top to bring out the flavor even more!

For dinner, I decided to give you an original recipe that's still super easy to make and incorporates the hemp hearts in a unique way.

hemp crusted tofu on a cobb-style salad with ranch

These are highly addictive... you've been warned. You might even consider making a double batch so you have scrumptious crunchy tofu on hand all week. I had a few pieces leftover and they were great cold as a snack! See how to make the hemp crusted tofu here.

You can serve these alone with a dip of your choice like my popular ranch dip or put it all on a cobb style salad. It made a satisfying meal! I included chopped romaine, corn, tomato wedges, steamed green beans, and avocado along with the ranch dip. Oh man, this was a hit and is my latest dinner obsession!

I hope you enjoyed seeing how I eat hemp hearts all day and you get some inspo for your own meal planning. If you do make any of these recipes or share your own ideas, be sure to tag @hotforfood so I can see your beautiful creations on social media and go to Manitoba Harvest's website to get even more recipe ideas with hemp hearts!

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Thanks to Manitoba Harvest for sponsoring this blog post and giveaway. The opinions expressed herein are my own and are not indicative of the opinions of Manitoba Harvest.