It’s spring, the sun is finally out and I’m sure you’ll be have having lots of outdoor parties and Barbeques. Some of the most common party snacks we tend to buy ready and eat a lot, include spring rolls and samosas. They’re light, crispy and delicious, however, most of the times they are deep-fried and can be loaded with sodium and fat.

But if make your own, they can be healthy snacks. Instead of deep-frying, we want to oven bake. And the best part is, you get to choose what goes into your spring rolls and samosas. So my recipe will include lots of vegetables, high protein, complex carbs with very little oil.

So, let’s start by making my “Veggie Spring Rolls”. The ingredients you’ll need are:

Veggie Spring Roll

INGREDIENTS (Serves 16)
1) 16 Spring Roll Wrappers – 44Cals each
2) 200g Extra Firm Tofu – 180Cals
3) 100g Lettuce / Cabbage, shredded – 15Cals
4) 100g Carrots, shredded – 41Cals
5) 100g Zucchini / Cucumber, finely sliced – 17Cals
6) 100g Green Beans / Long Beans, finely sliced – 31Cals
7) 3 Garlic Cloves – 12Cals
8) 1 tbsp Sesame Oil – 135Cals
9) 1 tbsp Soy Sauce – 9Cals
10) ½ Egg + 1tsp water, lightly beaten – 39Cals
**For Vegan, you may replace the egg with corn starch

479Cals / 16 – 30Cals + 44Cals = 74Cals Each

STEPS
1) Let’s start by prepping all the vegetables. Finely slice the lettuce or cabbage. Then the green beans, remember to discard the edges. And the zucchinis. Then shred the carrots and finally, slice the firm tofu into very small cubes.
2) Heat ½ tbsp. of sesame oil under medium-high heat. Lightly stir fry the tofu cubes for 5 – 7 minutes until slightly brown. Then remove from heat and set it aside.
3) Next, heat the remaining ½ tbsp. of sesame oil under medium-high heat. Lightly stir-fry the garlic until golden brown. Then stir in the green beans and carrots. Stir all the ingredients very quickly for a minute before adding in the lettuce, tofu cubes and 1 tbsp of soy sauce. Cook for another 1 – 2 minutes until the vegetables start to soften but do not overcook them.
4) Transfer the spring roll filling into a bowl.
5) Next, preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius or 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
6) Now it’s time to assemble the spring rolls. Lay a piece of spring roll wrapper on a flat board. Take about 5 – 6 slices of zucchinis and place them close to the edge of the wrap. Then place about 2 large tablespoons of the filling.
7) Hold the corner of the wrapper firmly and fold it twice over the filling. Then fold in the left corner into the middle of the roll. Brush it with some egg to hold the wrap together. And fold in the right corner into the middle of the roll. Again, brush it with some egg.
8) Brush the egg at the edge of the wrapper and roll the sheet through. Finally brush the spring roll with some egg to make sure it is properly sealed.
9) Now repeat these steps with the remaining spring rolls. As you do it over and over again, your spring roll will only look better.
10) Once they are all done, brush the egg on the top surface of the spring rolls. This will help give a shine and make them slightly brown when baked.
11) Coat a baking tray with some cooking spray. Place half of the spring rolls on the tray and bake in the oven for 10 – 12 minutes until slightly brown and crispy.
12) As for the remaining spring rolls, you may choose to place them into a container and freeze them up.

These veggie spring rolls are super light and crispy. Each roll only has 74 Calories and you will not believe it has not been deep-fried!

Here’s a tip, good spring roll wrappers are usually found in Asian markets. They are thin and produce a light, crispy-crackly skin when baked. Avoid buying wrappers that looks like ‘pasta sheets’ as they are way too thick, which can be chewy instead of crispy.

As for my “Spicy Sweet Potato & Chickpeas Samosas”, the ingredients you’ll need are:

Spicy Sweet Potato & Chickpeas Samosas

INGREDIENTS (Serves 16)
1) 16 Spring Roll Wrappers – 44Cals Each
2) 200g Sweet Potatoes, diced into small cubes – 172Cals
3) 1 medium Onion, finely diced – 44Cals
4) ½ can or 120g Chickpeas, washed & drained – 145Cals
5) 100g Green Peas – 60Cals
6) 1 tsp Chilli Powder – 8Cals
7) 1 tsp Cumin Powder – 8Cals
8) 1 tbsp Olive Oil – 119Cals
9) ½ Egg + 1tsp water, lightly beaten – 39Cals

595Cals / 16 = 37.19Cals + 44Cals = 81.19Cals Each

STEPS:
1) The 1st step is to dice the sweet potatoes into very small cubes.
2) Heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil under medium-high heat. Stir in the onions and sweet potatoes. Lightly stir-fry for 5 – 7 minutes until fragrant and the sweet potatoes are tender.
3) Then stir in the chickpeas and green peas. Add the chilli powder and cumin powder. Stir all the ingredients for another 2 – 3 minutes and transfer the samosa filling into a bowl.
4) Next, preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius or 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
5) Now it’s time to assemble the samosas. Lay a piece of wrapper on a flat board. Fold up the pastry leaving about 1 inch space at the top. Place your finger in the middle of the pastry, fold the left corner to the right. Then fold over the right corner to the left and make a triangular point at the bottom.
6) Neatly tuck under the excess pastry at the top and you should have a small pocket. Carefully fill the pocket with 2 large tablespoons of filling. With your fingers, firmly push all the fillings into the pocket and gently flatten the samosa.
7) Brush some egg at the edge of the pastry and fold over to seal the samosa. Finally, brush a little bit more egg on the surface to make sure that it is properly sealed.
8) Now repeat these steps with the remaining samosas. Again, as you do it over and over, your samosas will only look better.
9) Once they are all done, brush the egg on the top surface of the samosas. Similar to the spring rolls, this will help give a shine and make them slightly brown when baked.
10) Coat a baking tray with some cooking spray. Place half of the samosas on the tray and bake in the oven for 10 – 12 minutes until slightly brown and crispy.

11) As for the remaining samosas, I’ll be placing them together with the spring rolls and freeze them up. Place a layer of plastic over the spring rolls as you do not want them to touch. Otherwise, they will stick together.

You can make a ton of spring rolls and samosas ahead of time because they freeze perfectly.

These samosas have a kick of spice, which is how I like them. The sweet potatoes offer a natural sweetness and they are slightly lower in calories in comparison to white potatoes. The chickpeas add a mild nutty flavor and they are also a good source of protein. Each samosa only has 81.2 Calories.

Party snacks tend have a bad rep for being high in calories, high in fat and loaded with sodium. With this simple and healthy recipe, you can serve them at a party and be proud that it has no added calories or unhealthy fat. So try them out and share your pictures with me.

 

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