After catching up with Miriam Cooper of the popular food blog, Mimi’s Bowl, we were eager to learn more! What better than with some healthy after school snacks to keep your little ones going until the Summer holidays start.

Miriam has been kind enough to share her easy recipe for preparing Pea and Ricotta Toasts.

These make the perfect healthy after school snacks to keep little bellies satisfied until dinner time. This recipe also works well as a Starter for Date Night, or yummy party food!

The best part about these healthy after school snacks is that they can be made vegan too by swapping for dairy-free alternatives.

According to Healthline, green peas are a great source of nutrition containing protein, fibre, Vitamin A and K. They also help to regulate blood sugar levels, so are a great alternative to processed snacks which usually contain lots of sugar.

Here is the recipe for healthy after school snacks:

Pea and Ricotta Toasts.

Makes 8-10 toasts

Ingredients:

• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 shallot
• 1 garlic clove
• 150g peas
• 2 tablespoons ricotta
• 1 tablespoon Parmesan, grated (optional)
• 1 lemon, juice and zest
• pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 baguette
• fresh basil

Recipe:

• Preheat the oven to 170C fan oven. Cut 8-10 baguette slices and lay on a lined baking tray. Toast in the oven for 3-4 mins until crisp. Turning for 1-2 mins on the reverse side. Rub each toast with 1/2 garlic clove, then drizzle with olive oil and set aside.
• Sauté diced shallot in a tablespoon of olive oil for 3-4 minutes until softened, add 1/2 garlic clove crushed for 1 min more cooking, then set aside to cool.
• Cook the peas in boiling water for 3-4 minutes. Drain and plunge into ice cold water for 1 minute, to set the colour. Then drain again and set aside. Reserve 1-2 tablespoons of the peas, to finish the dish.
• In a blender add the cooled onion/garlic mix, cooked peas, ricotta, Parmesan (if using), juice of 1 lemon. Blitz to a rough consistency. Remove to a bowl and fold through the cooked peas (you reserved earlier), to add a bit of texture. Season to taste with a few grinds of fresh black pepper and a pinch of sea salt.
• Top each toast with a heaped teaspoon of the pea and ricotta mix. Repeat until the mix is finished. Garnish with fresh lemon zest, fresh basil and a final grating of Parmesan.

N.B. This recipe contains dairy, you can swap the yoghurt and cream cheese for vegan, or dairy-free alternatives

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Miriam is the founder of Mimi’s Bowl and a mum to two young children. She enjoys taking inspiration from seasonal ingredients to create healthy home-cooked meals for her family.

To find out more about Miriam, check out her Instagram page @mimisbowl or food blog: Mimi’s Bowl.

We caught up with Miriam earlier this year in our 10min catch up blog. To view more healthy after school snacks for kids, take a look at her full range of recipes.