Hemp is the latest superfood to rock the nation, with plenty of hemp-derived products hitting the shelves. In case you were unaware, hemp is one of the varieties of the Cannabis sativa plant. This is currently illegal to grow in the UK without a permit due to its association with marijuana. However, containing less than 0.3% THC, hemp is not at all psychoactive, meaning that its products are legal to possess and consume. We import much of our hemp from EU countries in order to create some pretty amazing products.
Why would you want to consume hemp in the first place? Well, the hemp stalk and leaves are packed full of cannabinoids such as CBD, which are reported to have some pretty amazing benefits for our health. Moreover, hemp contains antioxidative properties and plenty of essential nutrients and minerals, which is why it has earnt itself the label of ‘superfood.’ The seeds of the hemp are also super healthy, containing essential amino acids and packed full of yet more minerals and nutrients, including vital B-vitamins.
With so many healthy parts of the plant, we just had to include a variety of recipes. The first five recipes are super healthy CBD-infused meals and snacks to give you a lovely dose of cannabinoid goodness, while recipes 6 through 10 include hemp seeds instead so that you can add those essential nutrients into your diet. Without further ado, let’s get started!
1. CBD Overnight Oats
Overnight oats are an amazing, healthy breakfast meal – but they also work as a quick, energising snack! If you love porridge but just hate standing around stirring a pot all morning, then overnight oats are for you. Oats have some great health benefits, with an ability to help you lose weight, reduce blood sugar, and reduce your chances of developing heart disease. They will fill you up way more than breakfast cereal, preventing snacking and making sure your diet stays on track.
We have used blueberries in this recipe, which contain fibre, potassium, vitamin C, vitamin B6, and more to help you stay healthy. However, you can mix it up and try any fruits you like!
Serves: 1
Ingredients:
- ½ cup milk – plant-based milks can be used for vegans
- 150g rolled oats
- 35g blueberries
- CBD oil
- Other toppings such as chia seeds and yoghurt
Instructions:
- This recipe is incredibly simple. All you need to do is add your rolled oats to a container, then cover with your choice of milk. Add in your usual dose of CBD oil.
- Stir the mixture a little, then top with the blueberries and other toppings of your choice – get creative here!
- Place a lid on the top and place into the fridge. Leave it for a minimum of 5 hours, but preferably overnight, and you’re all done!
2. CBD-dipped Strawberry Pops
You’d be surprised how many people fail to get enough fruit and veg into their diet. With so many processed snacks to choose from, it’s easy to fall into the trap of snacking on something chocolate-y instead of picking up a banana. However, fruits are an amazing resource for your diet! Strawberries, for example, are packed full of vitamin C, fibre, and antioxidants. In fact, they are among the top 20 fruits for antioxidant content. Just eight strawberries provide more vitamin C than an orange.
Combine this with a generous serving of CBD, and you’re well on your way to a healthy lifestyle.
Serves: 1
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups chocolate (choose dark to be extra healthy!)
- ¼ cup CBD oil
- 15-20 strawberries with stems
- Straws
Instructions:
- Cut the straws in half and insert into the stemmed top strawberries – one each. You may need a knife to cut a small hole into the top of each strawberry in order to more easily insert the straws.
- Melt the chocolate together with the CBD in a micro-wave safe bowl, stirring every 15-20 seconds to avoid burning.
- One at a time, dip the bottom half of the strawberries into melted chocolate, dripping excess back into the bowl.
- Place on a wax paper-lined baking sheet to dry, and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving.
3.Chicken Salad with CBD-infused Lemon Dressing
For a light, healthy meal, salads are a great option. People often think of salads as boring and bland, but finding the right salad recipe to really mix things up just proves that this isn’t the case. For more substance in a salad, you can add meat like chicken to the mix. The combined benefits of all the veg, coupled with the protein in the chicken to help you build and repair tissues, make enzymes and hormones, and more, is a marvellous addition to your diet. Protein is the building block of life, which is why it is so essential.
To add a twist to a delicious salad, check out this one below, which features a CBD-infused lemon dressing.
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 chicken thighs – skinless and boneless, sliced
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 ½ lemons – zest and juice
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- CBD oil
- 2 cloves garlic – finely chopped
- 2 tsp clear honey
- 1 ripe avocado – finely sliced
- ½ cucumber – sliced
- Cherry tomatoes – sliced
- 100g radishes – finely sliced
Instructions:
- Rub 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the chicken pieces and season with salt and black pepper.
- Heat the chicken in a frying pan over medium-high heat for 10 minutes, turning regularly in order to cook them evenly. Once it is cooked, set aside to cool.
- Mix a tablespoon of Dijon mustard with lemon zest and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Add the mayonnaise and garlic cloves before infusing with CBD oil. Mix all together.
- Add the chopped vegetables to the dressing and stir in to coat them with the mixture. Finally, add in the chicken pieces and serve.
4. CBD Breakfast Burrito
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and that’s why we have yet another breakfast recipe! Breakfast burritos are a huge trend, and we can’t deny that they’re completely delicious! We haven’t included any meat in these burritos, but the beans contain a huge amount of protein to keep you feeling fuller for longer. Plus, without any meat, they are vegetarian friendly!
Serves: 1
Ingredients:
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• CBD oil
• 2 egg whites
• 2 whole wheat tortilla wraps
• ¼ cup cheese
• ¼ cup tinned black beans – rinsed
• Salsa – to taste
Instructions:
- Mix together the vegetable oil and CBD oil. CBD oil has a lower boiling point, which is why it must be mixed with another oil which is more appropriate for cooking. Heat this oil mixture in a frying pan.
- Scramble the egg whites and cook to your satisfaction. Add in the black beans and stir for a minute or so to warm them up.
- Warm up the tortillas for 30 seconds in the microwave, then add in the scrambled eggs and black beans. Sprinkle cheese over the top and add in your salsa, then wrap together and enjoy!
5. CBD Shrimp & Pasta
Seafood has some pretty killer benefits. Shrimp in particular contains an array of nutrients alongside a punch of protein, including selenium, vitamin B12, phosphorus, and more. It has a lot of health benefits, including anti-aging properties and anti-inflammatory effects. Combine this with a carby pasta for energy, throw in some CBD, and you’ve got one healthy meal on your hands!
Serves: 3
Ingredients:
• 340g angel hair pasta, linguine, tagliatelle – whatever the pasta of your choice
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• CBD oil
• ¼ tsp sea salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 450g medium shrimp – peeled and deveined
• 2 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• 280g baby spinach
Instructions:
- Cook the pasta according to packet directions, then drain and return to pot.
- Rinse the shrimp in cold water and pat dry. Combine the CBD oil and vegetable oil together, then heat in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shrimp, lemon zest, salt, and pepper.
- Toss and stir often for around 4-5 minutes until the shrimp is opaque throughout.
- Add the cream to the pasta and stir until slightly thickened, which should take 1-2 minutes.
- Add the shrimp and spinach to the creamy pasta and toss to combine. All done!
6. Hemp-encrusted Sea Bass with Hemp-Basil Oil
Time for a delicious hempseed recipe now, featuring yet more seafood. If you’re environmentally conscious, make sure you buy your seafood from an eco-friendly, sustainable source. You can check what seafoods are eco-friendly in your local area online. In this recipe, we’re using sea bass, but you can substitute any white fish. White fish contains tones of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D, which is really good for you. Hemp seeds also contain these fatty acids, so you’ll be getting more than enough of something that people often exclude from their diet!
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup bread crumbs
- ¼ cup hemp seeds – hulled
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground pepper
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar
- Juice of ½ lemon
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup hemp oil
- Coconut oil
- 4 (4oz) sea bass fillets
Instructions:
- Combine bread crumbs, hemp seeds, cheese, salt and pepper in a food processor. Process until the seeds are well chopped and everything is well mixed. Set this aside.
- Combine basil, garlic, vinegar, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, hemp oil, and salt and pepper in the food processor. Process until the basil and garlic are well chopped and everything is well mixed – it should make about ¼ cup.
- Preheat a sauté pan on medium heat. Add around 3 tbsp of coconut oil to coat the bottom.
- Press the fish fillets firmly into the bread mixture, coating on both sides. Sauté each for 5 minutes on each side, or until done. To serve, drizzle the hemp oil basil mixture over the top.
7. Tofu Rice Wraps with Hemp Garlic Sauce
Veganism is another health trend lately. Some experts recommend incorporating a few vegan meals into your diet each month, with trends such as “Meat Free Mondays” taking place. Not only is this better for the environment, as meat farming is a large contributor to global warming, but it might also be better for our bodies, as going meat and animal product free every now and then might help to cleanse our bodies of the harmful components of meat. Red meat in particular can be harmful if consumed excessively, which is why plant-based proteins are taking over! If you want to hop on the train and attempt a vegan meal every now and then, try out these tofu rice wraps as an appetiser!
Serves: 8
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup hemp seeds – hulled
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 clove of garlic
- Salt
- Pepper
- 4 tbsp fresh cilantro – chopped
- 1 packet firm organic tofu (approx. 0.5kg), not silken – drained and patted dry
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- Coconut oil
- 8 large rice wraps
- 8 whole lettuce leaves
- 2 carrots – shredded
- ½ cup red onion – thinly sliced
Instructions:
- Combine hemp seeds, lemon juice, garlic, ¼ tsp salt and cilantro in a food processor. Blend until smooth – add a tablespoon of water if necessary to liquefy.
- Cut the tofu into four ½-inch-thick pieces, then cut each piece in half length-wise. You should end up with eight 4×1/2-inch pieces. Season the tofu on both sides with ground cumin and salt and pepper to taste.
- Heat a griddle or frying pan over medium-high heat, with enough coconut oil to cover the bottom. Sauté the tofu until golden brown.
- Soak the rice wraps in water for 20-30 seconds to soften.
- Place a softened rice wrap on a cutting board. Layer with lettuce leaf, shredded carrots, a few onion slices, and one piece of tofu in the centre. Drizzle with the hemp-garlic sauce. Fold in the sides of the rice wrap, and then fold the bottom up. Roll to the top so all ingredients are tightly secured.
- Complete the above step for all other wraps. Serve cold.
8. Hemp and Lemon Humus
For a wonderful snack, try a delicious hempseed humus. You can pretty much add this to anything you like – dip in some chopped carrot sticks, spread it on a cracker, fill some celery… tuck in however you prefer! You could even add it to a salad. The hemp seeds are the essential part of this humus, adding in a dose of all those essential fatty acids and nutrients we all need.
Serves: 8
Ingredients:
- 250g cooked chickpeas
- 75g hemp seeds
- 2 large garlic cloves
- 2 lemons – juiced
- ¼ tsp lemon rind
- 6 tbsp tahini
- 2 tbsp hemp oil
- 4 tbsp water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground coriander
Instructions:
- Crush the garlic and juice the lemon, then finely gate the lemon rind.
- Blend all the ingredients together in a blender or food processor until creamy or smooth.
- You can add some whole chickpeas and sprinkle herbs on the top, but this is optional. It’s that easy!
9. Hemp Seed Oat Flapjack Bars
Flapjack is a UK favourite. However, it usually contains a lot of sugar and syrup, which is what makes it so tasty. Since this is a list of healthy recipes, we have changed it up a bit to make some healthy yet enticing oat bars. The use of oats will keep you full and energized, along with a healthy boost of dark chocolate to sweeten things up. Plus, these bars contain pumpkin seeds, which provide a dose of magnesium, zinc, omega 3 fats, and tryptophan, which makes them wonderful for a range of health reasons.
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
- 100g soft dates – pitted
- 100ml coconut oil
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseeds
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tsp almond essence
- 150g oats
- 3 tbsp hemp seeds – shelled
- 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
- 4 tbsp ground almonds
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- Dark chocolate – melted
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to gas mark 6/200˚C.
- Melt the coconut oil and blend with the soft dates, ground flaxseeds, water and almond extract until it makes a smooth purée.
- Mix all the ingredients together, including the purée. Combine it thoroughly – you might need to use your hands!
- Line a loaf tin with parchment paper and compact the mixture firmly into it.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until tanned on top.
- Allow to cool, then slice into pieces with a sharp knife. You can then drizzle the dark chocolate on top. Serve!
10. BBQ Jackfruit Pizza with Hempseed Cheddar
Once again, this recipe is completely vegan, meaning that everybody can enjoy it! Confused how a cheesy pizza can be vegan? The “cheddar” is made from hempseeds! We already know about the benefits they hold, which is what makes this pizza so great. Furthermore, jackfruits are rich in antioxidants, fibre, vitamins, and minerals, making this pizza super healthy.
Serves: 2-4
Ingredients:
- 500-600g tin of young, green jackfruit in water or brine
- 1 tbsp coconut sugar
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp cumin
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- ½ cup + 2 tbsp BBQ sauce of choice
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup + ½ tbsp hemp hearts
- 1 scallion – trimmed and chopped
- 1 garlic clove – minced
- Apple cider vinegar
- ½ tsp onion powder
- Sea salt
- Black pepper
- 2 tbsp red peppers – chopped and roasted
- 1 tbsp arrowroot powder
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 12oz pizza dough
- Olive oil, for brushing
- 1 red onion – peeled and sliced thinly
Instructions:
- Drain and rinse the jackfruit. Cut the core (the triangular tip) from the flesh and discard to leave only the stringy portion.
- Whisk together the coconut sugar, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Add in the jackfruit flesh and toss to coat.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the seasoned jackfruit. Sauté for 3-5 minutes.
- Whisk together ½ cup of BBQ sauce and ¼ cup water and pour it over the jackfruit. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the lid and use 2 forks to shred the jackfruit. Continue to simmer with the lid off for another 5 minutes or until the sauce has reduced, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, combine ¼ cup hemp hearts, ¼ cup water, the scallion, garlic clove, 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar, onion powder, ¼ teaspoon of sea salt, and some black pepper in a food processor. Blend until smooth to make a ranch dressing. Spoon into an airtight jar and refrigerate.
- Combine ½ cup water, ¼ cup hemp hearts, the red peppers, nutritional yeast, arrowroot powder, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, and ½ teaspoon salt in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into a medium saucepan and heat over a medium heat. Whisk continuously for 5 minutes until thickened. This creates the hemp ‘cheese’ – there may be green flecks from the hemp seeds, but this is normal.
- Heat a grill over high, ensuring that the grill grates are clean.
- Lightly flour a clean work surface and roll out the pizza dough to a desired shape or size – it doesn’t have to be perfect! Transfer the dough to a pizza peel or cutting board and brush the top with around 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- When the grill is hot, reduce heat to medium and oil the grates with olive oil. Flip the dough onto the grill, oiled side down, close the grill lid, and cook for 2-4 minutes or until the bottom is golden-brown. Then, brush the uncooked side with olive oil and flip the pizza.
- Brush the top (after it has been flipped) with 2 tablespoons of barbecue sauce and spread the jackfruit over the pizza. Drizzle the hempseed cheddar over the top, then add as much onion as is desired.
- Close the grill lid and cook for another 2-4 minutes until the bottom of the pizza has golden-brown grill marks.
- Transfer the pizza back to the pizza peel or cutting board. Drizzle with the hempseed ranch and sprinkle with cilantro and more hemp hearts. Slice and serve.
