15.01.2016
Our picks for this year’s food trends
Move over kale – check in with these delicious highly nutritious foods to start 2016 off!
While many of us are still getting to grips with acai (ah – sa – ee), this year we’ll give you a head start …. with our picks for 2016’s top foodie trends!
Matcha
While you may have already seen it’s bright green food creations all over Instagram
– what exactly is this green stuff?
Matcha tea powder is produced from slowly grown (under shade) green tea leaves.
This growing method helps stimulate the leaves chlorophyll properties – think amino acids & powerful antioxidants (natures superheros against disease, infections & aging).
Only the highest quality green tea leaves are used in the process.
Dried & stone ground tea leaves result in the amazing green powder we know as Matcha.
Instead of drawing the health benefits from diluted tea leaves – your body can consume the entire leaf, increasing your intake of its minerals & nutrients.
Some even suggest that one serving is equivalent to drinking 10 cups of green tea – now that’s an antioxidant boost.
Want to join the morning coffee crowd but not into the caffeine – try a matcha latte … & watch it feature more this year in your in raw desserts, cakes – even ice cream flavours!
Find it in store & give it a go at home with this Matcha Smoothie Bowl.
Move over acai – our bet is that matcha will increase in popularity this year.
Teff
Our friends in Ethiopia have been all over the gluten free wagon for centuries, with this ancient super grain part of their daily staples. High in protein, calcium, iron and those good ol’ amino acids – Teff can easily substitute into any wheat flour based recipe … great news for gluten free pizza night!
Little more than the size of a poppy seed, Teff’s nutritional make-up is very impressive (even ahead of our favourite quinoa in many aspects).
Packed with energy boosting b-vitamins – plus the not so talked about vitamin K, which is great for blood health. Out of all the gluten free grains – Teff is the most nutritionally impressive.
If 2015 was the year of quinoa – this year Teff will take a turn in the spotlight.
So how do we use it?
Teff Grain: Add Teff grains into your cooking/baking in place of other small grains, nuts or seeds. Why not make porridge with it or use it to thicken soups.
The rule of thumb here is 3:1 (three parts water or milk alternative to one part Teff grain)
Add to a saucepan with your liquid of choice & a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil and allow the grain to absorb all the liquid until soft, then drizzle sweet maple syrup on top!
Teff Flour: Not surprisingly – the flour is made from ground Teff grains & offers a mild nutty taste. Try using it with any wheat based recipes such as pizza bases & waffles.
Our recommendation is mixing it half n’ half. For example – try half almond meal with half Teff flour for an even better result.
Turmeric
Ahh the ancient Indian Ayurveda miracle food.
Dust off your spice rack – this gut healing remedy is making a comeback.
Both Indian Ayurveda and Chinese medicine have hailed Turmeric’s anti-inflammatory properties to aid stomach & digestive issues, bloating & arthritis.
Check out fresh turmeric root – try it grated over salads & roast veggies.
Or use the dried powder form in your morning smoothie creation.
Our pick is this latest trend – Golden Milk
Buckwheat
A little misleading by name, this wholesome food is not related to wheat at all
– it’s actually a fruit seed (think the rhubarb family).
While buckwheat has been around for centuries, we’re taking note of the upward trend
to incorporate Buckwheat’s rich source of minerals (Zinc, Iron, Copper, Manganese)
and B Vitamins in our diets.
As a flour, Buckwheat is starchier than alternatives such as almond and coconut flour – so it’s perfect for those delicious buckwheat pancakes you’ve been dying to try.
Just substitute it into any recipe that doesn’t require the mixture to rise & remember it’s tenancy to leave a heavy, nutty taste.
You can also eat Buckwheat in it’s rawest form – such as Buckwheat grouts (in plain english it translates to buckwheat seeds that have had the outer shelling removed / hulled). Unhulled buckwheat will have a stronger taste & appear darker in colour.
Add cooked buckwheat (boil 1 cup buckwheat : 2 cups water) to salads or as a gluten free replacement to couscous. Ideally – you should soak/wash the grouts before cooking to remove any residue.
Noticed the word ‘Buckinis’ on our shelves?
Thanks to our friends at Loving Earth – they’ve renamed the typical word Kasha to Buckini’s – activated buckwheat that has been dehydrated at a low temperature. Check out their delicious range in store, including the mouthwatering chocolate (cacao) buckini crunchy cereals!
* Buckinis actually have an alkalising effect on the body, unlike mainstream grain & cereals such as oats, rice and wheat. ‘Buckinis are grain-free, gluten-free, crunchy bundles of goodness that don’t go soggy in cold milk. And they’re not wheat, in fact they’re not even a grain – they’re a protein-packed seed’ – Loving Earth
Seaweed
Kelp is the new kale … & while we’ve all tested the water with good ol’ sushi, watch out for it’s reinvention at trendy food spots, part of this years skin care & new dehydrated snack foods.
While this super sustainable & highly nutritious crop is not new, this year it has potential to become an instagram hero. Seaweed’s nutritional properties will be brought to life in our grocery & beauty care aisles – perhaps an addition to your next green smoothie!
Kelp is one of the worlds most sustainable food sources – needing no fertilizer (organic or non) & traditional farm land to grow – so bring on the sea vegetable of the future.
Hot tip – here’s a rough guide to Seaweed’s alter ego names:
(*seaweed = a colloquial term for algae groups of red, brown & green algae).
Algae: raw seaweed | Nori: dried algae commonly seen in sushi | Dulse: soft, chewy & reddish brown in colour | Wakame: tender & sweet, used in miso | Kombu – big/fat leafed kelp, a raman essential.
Also worth a mention ….
Sweet Potato Flour, Bee Pollen, Yacon, Maca Powder & Cactus Water.
Share this post with your friends