Top 5 savoury snacks to have with your afternoon green tea

Adopting a healthy diet in your lifestyle doesn’t mean letting go of flavor. Now that we know how to make the perfect cup of green tea in the previous article, let’s explore the delicious snacks that you can have with your customary afternoon tea.

The focus will be on savoury snacks that pair well with green tea. Also, are healthy and tasty.

Green tea has a fresh, delicate vegetative or grassy flavour to it, which makes it the perfect accompaniment to mildly flavoured foods. You can enjoy it in the confines of your home or on-the-go easily.

Imagine a rich, spicy food paired with subtle green tea. It doesn’t quite work. You want something more full-bodied like a fizzy drink perhaps or strong Masala Chai at the end of the meal.

Green tea’s subtle flavor makes it an ideal companion for delicate food treats.

Here are my top five savoury snacks which taste great with green tea.

1. Cucumber Sandwich

Cucumber are a light, guilt-free and nutritious vegetable. Paired with wholewheat or multigrain bread and light cream cheese or butter, you have the perfect snack to bite into before enjoying your green tea.

The best kind of cucumbers to select are ‘English’ or ‘Hothouse’ cucumbers since they have fewer seeds and thin skin that you don’t have to peel.

How to make: Remove the bread crust, apply a thin coat of butter or cream cheese, place the thinly sliced cucumbers in-between two slices of wholewheat or multigrain bread, and enjoy!

2. Egg Sandwich

These sandwiches are ridiculously easy to make, delicious and super healthy.

How to make: Boil eggs and chop them. You don’t want to chop your eggs too fine else it looks too messy. Remove the bread crust. In a bowl, mix a dash of butter, low-fat cream cheese, salt, white pepper and your roughly chopped hard-boiled eggs well. Apply this mixture in-between two slices of wholewheat or multigrain bread, and enjoy!

3. Sprouts Salad 

This lean green mean salad is kind to your health and great for your waistline. It’s easy to prepare, super delicious and satisfying.

How to make: Soak overnight grams of your choice (whole green/ red/black gram) and boil them the next day with 1/2 cup of water for 1 whistle. Finely chop 1 small onion, 1-2 small green chillies, 1 cucumber, 1 carrot, 1 tomato or any seasonal vegetable of your choice and coriander leaves. Mix the chopped vegetables, boiled gram with salt, chaat masala and lemon as per your taste. Enjoy!

4. Chicken Sandwich

A light chicken sandwich is nourishing and fulfilling.

How to make: Combine boiled and shredded/chopped chicken, low-fat yogurt, olive oil, chopped carrots, roughly chopped dry fruits of your choice (raisins, almonds,cashews), lightly roasted cumin powder, curry powder, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Spread the chicken mixture on your bread, and garnish with cilantro. Enjoy!

5. Tuna Fish Sandwich

Seafood pairs excellently with green tea. Tuna or any fish is great for your brain, helping your memory stay razor sharp, and reduce your risk of heart attack. You should try eating fish at least twice a week.

If you are using canned tuna, opt for a low-sodium version. If you are using fresh tuna, you need to properly cook it by either baking or grilling. You should avoid frying tuna and adding excess salt.

How to make: In a small bowl, flake the tuna lightly with a fork. Mix low fat dressing such as fat-free mayonnaise or hummus or guacamole, with salt and pepper. Spread the tuna mixture on multigrain or whole-wheat bread with a layer of vegetables of your choice such as onions, tomatoes, olives, avocado, carrot, cucumber, or lettuce. Enjoy!

There are many other healthy savoury snack options such as wholewheat or multigrain toast or bun, Homemade vegetarian pizza, steamed or stir fry veggies, and more.

All you need is a solid will and loads of creativity to whip up some healthy and tasty food pairings to go with your afternoon green tea at home or work.

If you have any other snack options, please do write in the comments below.