Last week we covered Nutrition 102: Five Steps to Becoming a Food Goddess (or, to be fair, a God :)
To recap, these were:
Avoid Processed Foods
Eat Whole Foods
Swap Out Wheat for Alternate Grains
Eat Protein at Two Meals a Day
Swap Out, Don’t Cut Out
In the second part of this series, we’ll look at what this means in practical terms. To begin with, you’ll want to stock your pantry with the right ingredients. This is half the battle.
Once you have your shelves & fridge lined with inspirational goodness, including alternates to wheat, processed food, and red meat, you’re good to go! Recipes for these cool new foods don’t have to be complicated; in fact, the opposite is often true. (Hint: from smoothies to soups to breakfasts with a boost, you’ll find tons of delicious + healing recipes in the Acorn Archive)
For some superfood inspiration right here and right now, check out a few of my favourite recent finds below. The sky’s the limit as new foods seem to crop up almost weekly. It’s a food revolution, so hop on board and have fun with these fresh new tastes!!
Nutrition 102: Five Superfood Recipes to Make You Swoon
1. Acai Bowl
Acai berries hail from Brazil, and are THE go-to superfood in that country. They taste like a combination of wild berries and unsweetened chocolate. Yum, right??
An Acai bowl is basically a really thick smoothie that's been topped with oatmeal, fruit, almond butter, or nuts. After eating a bowl, you will not only feel happily full (for hours) and have satisfied a sweet craving (no need to cave for a pastry), you'll have also done something that was good for you. Win win.
Ingredients
1 package single serving frozen acai paste (found in most health food stores, or alternately, it can be ordered in smoothie packs on Amazon)
1 banana
1/2 cup almond or coconut milk
1 teaspoon hemp seeds
1 teaspoon chia seeds
sprinkle of unsweetened coconut or almond flakes
Directions
Place the acai paste, banana, and coconut milk in a blender and mix on high. Pour into a bowl (consistency should be that of soft ice cream). Top with garnish of your choice - start with those above or garnish with seasonal fruit, oats, or nut butter.
2. Bibimbap
Bibimbap is the quintessential Korean dish and can be made in a myriad of ways; the recipe below is a guide, but it’s easy to substitute the ingredients you love to make a delicious and unique dish of your own. Whether it’s vegetarian or meat-lovers special, this easy meal will be one of your new favourites!
makes two portions
Ingredients
Marinade for Beef, Chicken or Tofu
1 tbsp tamari sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
Marinate your protein of choice for anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours beforehand. Steam your rice beforehand as well since brown and wild rice can take longer than white to cook.
1/2 lb thinly sliced beef (the classic recipe calls for beef, but chicken or tofu is any easy swap)
1 cup (uncooked) brown or wild rice, steamed
1 cup bean sprouts
1 bunch watercress
1 large carrot, shredded
3 teaspoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
2 eggs
½ cup kimchi
½ cup fresh coriander, chopped
toasted sesame seeds
Sriracha hot sauce
Directions
In a pan, sauté beef lightly in sesame oil, then add the bean sprouts, watercress, carrot, and soy sauce.
Stir on medium high heat until the beef is cooked and the veggies are al dente.
Place cooked rice in two separate bowls, and spoon your beef and veggies on top.
Return to stovetop and fry two eggs sunny side up - it’s your call whether the yolk is runny or solid.
Place the fried eggs on top of the beef and veggies in the bowls.
Garnish with fresh coriander, sesame seeds, and serve kimchi and hot sauce as a condiment on the side.
3. Kale Caesar Salad
The key to a great kale Caesar salad is to marinate the kale in the dressing for at least an hour before serving.
Ingredients
2 large heads of kale, washed and chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
6-10 drops Worcestershire
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 can anchovies, diced
1 tablespoon breadcrumbs (or for a wheat free version, panko flakes)
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
Directions
Combine the kale and olive oil in a large bowl and massage the kale until it begins to soften. Wash hands well, then combine all the ingredients except the pomegranates in a separate bowl and whisk together.
Pour your Caesar dressing on top of the kale, blend thoroughly, and let sit for an hour before serving.
Garnish with pomegranate seeds.
4. Golden Broth
Begin by making your bone broth. This isn’t hard to do, but can take some time, so try to prep it the day before. Alternately, you can make a large batch and freeze some for later use.
In a large soup pot: to 4 cups broth, add
1/2 - 1 can coconut milk, depending on how creamy you like it
1/2 teaspoon green curry paste
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Directions
In a skillet, sauté 1 teaspoon fresh ginger along with two garlic cloves, then add 1 pound sliced organic chicken breast.
Once chicken has browned, add 1 diced sweet potato, a handful of chopped baby kale, and 1 diced red onion.
Let the mixture cook through, about 10 minutes, then add it to your broth and allow to simmer slowly.
Garnish with fresh coriander and serve hot.
5. World’ Best Fish Tacos
A recent trip to Mexico taught me that beef and chicken in a taco is old news. The flavours of white fish literally had us swooning, and let the freshness of the other ingredients shine through. For a vegetarian version, simply substitute tofu.
Ingredients
2 pounds mahi mahi, or a similar white fish (tilapia, haddock, and cod also work well)
wheat free tortillas (the real deal, made of corn meal, can be found in the health food section of most grocery stores)
2 organic eggs
panko flakes
Red Chili Mayonnaise
1/2 cup mayonnaise
7-15 drops of tabasco, depending on how spicy you like it
Mango Salsa
1 ripe mango. cubed
1/4 red onion, finely diced
small bunch cilantro, chopped
juice of 1 lime
1 avocado, diced
Garnish
Red cabbage, julienned
Cilantro, chopped
Slices of lime
Directions
Pre-mix the mango salsa and red chili mayo and set aside.
Whisk the eggs in a bowl, and sprinkle panko flakes across a plate.
Dip the fish in the eggs, then transfer to the flakes and coat both sides.
Heat coconut or sunflower oil in a pan, and sauté the fish, about three minutes per side, depending on thickness.
When fish is flaking, remove from heat.
Place tortillas on a plate, spread chili mayonnaise on each, then top with pieces of fish and mango salsa.
Garnish with fresh limes, cilantro and cabbage… and don’t forget that essential Mexican ingredient: salsa picante!
