Utopea

NEWSFLASH: T. Colin Campbell, author of The China Study, will be on the HBO TV show Real Time with Bill Maher, live, Friday July 15th with repeat episodes throughout the week.

Have you ever walked around a grocery store looking for a "healthy" convenience snack that wasn't overly caloric, overly fatty, overly salty and/or overly sugary and that fulfilled your desire for something crunchy and salty or sweet? I know that I have, and I walked away from the experience empty handed. Even at Whole Foods, this magic snack does not exist as far as I can tell.

That's why I was so intrigued when my friend, Ilana Wolfson, brought me a bag of goodies on Tuesday night. It seems she has been hard at work for the past year perfecting recipes for Roasted Chick Peas in a variety of flavors that are shelf stable with excellent nutritional profiles. Really high in fiber and protein, while low in fat, chick peas may very well be the perfect food.

"Utopea, The New Chick in Town." I love that name!

Yeah! Little packages of yumminess.

My favorite flavor so far was a cluster of roasted chick peas, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds with a touch of agave. I'm hoping that Ilana will test a recipe with maple syrup real soon--you know my feelings on agave! My 6 year old and 3 year old gobbled these up, which is shocking. Can't wait to get more for them!

The most decadent was also a winner-chick peas and dried fruit held together by very good chocolate. Yum.

There are also savory flavors like Smokin' Hot, Asian Sesame and Indian which would be great thrown over a salad.

Contact Ilana directly if you would like more information on her products.

Have you found a snack food that you can feel good about?

How much do you want to try Utopea's Roasted Chick Peas?

Have you ever roasted your own chick peas? I know that it's on my to do list. What has your experience been?