5 New Healthy Food Trends
Spinach smoothies and kale chips. Tasty, right? Perhaps. But not for every meal. It’s a New Year and its time to make room for some new super-delicious foods. We’re not suggesting you toss the chia to the side (a definite no, chia is fabulous); but instead, make a few additions to please your body and boost your recipe repertoire. Here are 5 healthy food trends that will help you add more variety and pizzazz to your diet.
- Banana Flour: Similar to coconut flour, banana flour works well in baked goods, yielding light and fluffy treats. Since the banana flour is made when the bananas are unripened and green it has no sweetness and falls lower on the GI. Check out bananaflour.com and try the Buckwheat Banana Brown Butter Pancakes below from Gluten Free Girl.
- Freekeh: A nutrient-dense and ancient grain, freekeh has 16 grams of protein per serving, much like quinoa. It cooks up pretty quickly (30 minutes or less) and has a smoky flavor.
- Brussels sprouts: So this isn’t new, but its fallen out of favor over the past few years while other members of the cabbage family (i.e. kale) have skyrocketed. It’s time to add Brussels back to your menu. Rich in vitamin K and vitamin C, Brussels sprouts are also prebiotic, meaning that they help enrich your gut flora.
- Eggs: The new dietary guidelines no longer suggest limiting egg consumption, and instead advise eating eggs for their help in boosting breath health. The cholesterol found in eggs helps with hormone regulation, too. Make sure you eat both the yolk and the white for the full benefits.
- Coconut Aminos: Have you found this delicious bottle at the store? Used in place of soy sauce, coconut aminos are made from aged coconut sap and salt. Coconut aminos are gluten-free, low-glycemic and vegan and have less sodium than regular soy sauce. Try it with your favorite Japanese and Chinese dishes, including sushi and stir-fry.
Buckwheat-banana-brown butter pancakes from Gluten Free Girl
1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 eggs
1 cup light buckwheat flour
1/2 cup WEDO banana flour
2 tablespoons coconut sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups buttermilk
Brown the butter. Set a small pot over low heat. Add the butter. Let the butter melt, then come to a simmer. Keep an eye on the butter as you keep heating it, letting the edges come to a boil. There might be some spattering as the water in the butter starts to evaporate. Raise the heat to medium and give the pot a swirl to prevent any places from burning. After about 5 minutes, the butter will start foaming on the top and release a nutty smell. You’ll see parts of the butter at the bottom of the pan start to brown. Watch the pot carefully, swirling it sometimes. Watch the butterfat solids on the bottom of the pot and let them get as brown as you wish. Be careful — it’s too easy to burn butter. Take the pot off the heat immediately and set it aside in a cooler place. When the butter has cooled, pour it into a small bowl.
Beat the egg whites. Crack the eggs. Separate the yolks and the whites. Set aside the yolks in a small bowl. With a whisk, or better yet in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the eggs to stiff peaks, which takes about 3 to 5 minutes. Turn off the mixer and let the egg whites sit for a moment.
Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk together the buckwheat flour, banana flour, coconut sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
Make the batter. Whisk together the buttermilk, egg yolks, and cooled brown butter. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Using a rubber spatula, stir them together gently until there are no more dry patches of flour visible. Fold in the egg whites, gently.
Let the batter sit. For best results, let the batter sit for 30 minutes before making the pancakes. This allows all the ingredients to hydrate and come together. (Letting the batter sit overnight in the refrigerator makes even better pancakes.)
The batter will be a little thicker than traditional pancake batter. If you put a spoon into the batter, then lift it high in the air, you’ll watch the batter trail downward from the spoon slowly. This will make a good pancake. However, if you like thinner pancakes, add more buttermilk.
Cook the pancakes. You know how to make pancakes, right? Low heat. 1/4 cup of batter per pancake. Nonstick griddle or a little butter or coconut oil in a skillet on the stove. The first batch is always a little wonky. Keep adjusting the heat as the griddle or skillet grow hotter. This will provide you quite a few batches of great pancakes.
Makes about 1 1/2 dozen pancakes.
With her love of health and writing, Melissa has written for such publications as Shape, Natural Solutions, Yoga Journal, Self and Pilates Style, and has created recipes and food-oriented stories for such publications as Delicious Living and Cooking Light.
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