Reasons Why You Should Stop Eating Junk Food

I have always been a fan of Middle Eastern food. It's full of flavor and spice, but it's also healthy and delicious. A while back, I went to a Persian market and tried some snacks that were really delicious, so here are my top picks!

Gharabieh Nokhodchi

Gharabieh Nokhodchi is a light and airy Persian pastry, made with butter and egg whites. The dough is then rolled thin and cut into rectangular pieces, which are folded over and pinched into the shape of an envelope. When fried in hot oil, it puffs up to resemble a flower—hence the name gharabieh (meaning “flower”).

Instead of all those unhealthy junk food you might want to give these healthy snacks a good try. The pastry is traditionally served as part of breakfast or afternoon tea alongside other pastries such as baklava or kleicha. Gharabieh Nokhodchi can also be eaten alone as a snack or dessert after dinner.

In Shiraz, where it originated around 100 years ago, you’ll often see small shops selling freshly fried gharabieh nokhodchi on the streets during evenings when temperatures drop below zero Celsius (32°F). You might also find them at wedding feasts because they're believed to bring good luck!

Type of Snack: Cookies

Cookies are a type of baked good, usually made with flour, sugar and butter. They can be sweet or savory and are typically small and round in shape. Cookies are generally eaten as snacks along with tea or coffee.

Shaharzad Baghali Polo

Shaharzad Baghali Polo is a delicious dish of rice, fresh herbs and lima beans. The name means "the queen's garden" in Persian.

You will need:

• 1 cup long grain white rice, cooked according to package instructions (about 2 cups)

• 5 sprigs parsley, chopped fine

• 2 tablespoons dill weed or 1 teaspoon dried

• 1/4 cup lima beans (or edamame), canned or frozen thawed but not cooked

Type of Snack: Rice with fresh herbs and lima beans

Rice with fresh herbs and lima beans

Type: Rice snack

Time to prepare: 10 minutes

Ingredients: 1 cup rice, 1/2 cup lima beans, parsley, dill, salt and pepper. Method: Cook rice according to your preferred method. Rinse and drain the lima beans; then cook them in a little water until they're tender (about 20 minutes). Take the cooked rice out of the pan and add it to a bowl along with all of its cooking liquid (this will make sure that there's enough moisture for it to absorb all of those wonderful flavors). Add the cooked lima beans along with parsley and dill—you can replace these ingredients if you don't have them on hand or aren't feeling particularly adventurous! Season everything generously—you can use pepper but I recommend trying something new like sumac or paprika instead!

Ingredients: Rice, lima beans, parsley and dill. Also includes salt and pepper.

Ingredients: rice, lima beans, parsley and dill. Also includes salt and pepper.

Other herbs/spices that you could add include cumin or turmeric powder.

Flavor/Taste: Salty

• Salty: The salty taste is the most predominant in Persian snacks. It is also present in many of the ingredients used to make them, such as nuts and dried fruits.

• Nutty: Some snacks are made with nuts, which gives them a nutty flavor.

• Flavorful: Most Persian dishes have an array of spices used to give them their unique flavor. Spices like saffron, cinnamon and cardamom can be found in most Persian recipes.

• Spicy: Many Iranian dishes are spicy due to the use of hot peppers such as jalapeños or serranos

There are many Persian snacks that you can try!

There are many different types of Persian snacks that you can try! They are easy to prepare and very delicious. You can find them in any Persian store or local Middle-Eastern market, but if you can’t, there are plenty of online stores where you can buy them.