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Superfood Recipes You Will Love

Thanks to iHerb for partnering with me on this superfood recipes post. I’m donating all profits from the referral links in the post to charity (Doctors Without Borders), and the products mentioned here are included because I genuinely love them.

Where should I buy the ingredients to make your recipes?

I’ve been wanting to write a post about this for a while, because it’s one of the most common questions readers ask me. Although most of the ingredients in my recipes can be found in regular grocery stores, it’s almost always much cheaper to buy them online. The best place I’ve found to get specialty ingredients such as almond butter, spelt flour, chia seeds, and unrefined sugar is from a site called iHerb.

For example, their Artisana Coconut butter is an astounding five dollars less per jar than that same jar of coconut butter at Whole Foods.

fudge balls

And you can get Vegan Mini Chocolate Chips for two dollars less than the same brand in stores.

They also give you free shipping on US orders over $20, or shipping discounts to over 160 other countries, so I’ve never had to pay shipping on an order, and they carry over 5,000 grocery items. It’s where I personally get most of the ingredients to make my recipes, and I recommend them to everyone not only because of the lower prices, but also because they’re an environmentally-friendly company (with carbon neutral shipping) and donate a portion of their profits to charities fighting poverty around the world.

Another benefit of buying health food products online is that you can discover some really interesting ingredients often not available in stores, which brings me to the real subject of today’s post. When you think of superfoods, what comes to mind?

Chia Seeds?

Blueberries?

Broccoli?

True, these are all superfoods. But there are so many more, some of which you might never have even seen before. Especially if you’re stuck in a food rut, bored of eating the same things over and over again each day—or if you have a curious nature like I do and love trying as many new foods as you can—here are five of my favorite superfoods, and three new recipes where you can use them.

Superfood Recipes

maca recipes

Superfood #1: Maca Powder

If you decide to try just one new ingredient because of this post, I recommend buying maca powder, because it adds such an intriguing flavor to desserts and I’ve completely fallen in love with using it in recipes. Maca root is a cruciferous vegetable (like broccoli and cauliflower) native to Peru and high in plant-based protein, fiber, and numerous vitamins and minerals. People have been using maca powder for centuries because they say it helps to regulate hormones, support the adrenals, and increase energy and stamina. While many say it tastes like butterscotch, I think it has more of a strawberry jam flavor; so I decided it would pair really well with almond butter: 

 

Almond Butter Apple Stacks

(Serves 1)

Slice the apple, cored if desired, into rings. Spread almond butter (or allergy-friendly alternative) onto each slice, sprinkle with chia seeds and maca, and stack into a tower. Of course you can eat the slices not in a tower if you prefer… I just think the towers are much more fun!

superfood recipes

Superfood #2: Lucuma Powder

Lucuma is a popular ingredient in raw-food desserts because it imparts a natural caramel flavor to recipes such as raw cheesecakes, smoothies, or the following superfood chocolate truffles. Lucuma is a fruit that comes from the Pouteria lucuma tree, native to Peru, Chile, and Ecuador. It is said to be anti-inflammatory and can be used to sweeten recipes naturally without added sugar.

 

Superfood Chocolate Truffles

(Makes 8-10 truffles)

Chop the chocolate very finely so it will melt more quickly and evenly. Heat the coconut milk (use the full-fat canned type) just until it begins to boil. Pour over the chocolate, add the salt and vanilla, and stir until completely smooth. Refrigerate at least 2 hours, or until firm enough to scoop out and roll balls either with your hands or a mini cookie scoop. Roll truffles in whatever you wish – ideas include cacao powder, shredded coconut, freeze-dried berries that have been pulverized into a fine powder, and/or the aforementioned lucuma powder. Set on a parchment-lined plate, and refrigerate or freeze until ready to serve.  

superfood recipes

Superfoods #3, #4, #5: Turmeric, Ginger, and Cinnamon

These three are much more well-known than the first two superfoods I’ve highlighted. Ground turmeric is a common ingredient in curry recipes, and cinnamon and ginger are prevalent flavors in numerous sweet and savory dishes around the world. All three have been found to have powerful anti-inflammatory properties, and studies show they may also help with digestion. Turmeric and ginger add a spicy kick to the savory superfood trail mix below, balanced out with the sweetness of cinnamon.

 

Superfood Trail Mix

Line a baking pan with parchment. Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine the nuts, maple syrup, and oil (or spray with oil spray). Stir together with all remaining ingredients. Transfer to the baking pan and spread out in a single layer. Bake 8 minutes, stir, and continue to bake until browned and roasted to your liking. Allow to cool – they will harden as they cool.

superfood raspberries

More Ingredients To Stock A Healthy Pantry:

Spelt Flour

Raw Cacao Powder

Rolled Oats

Pure Maple Syrup

Raw Cashews

Also, to answer another common question: When one of my recipes calls for the option of using stevia, this is the stevia I use and recommend.

**As mentioned earlier in the post, I receive a small referral commission from linked products on this superfood recipes post, all of which will be donated to Doctors Without Borders, because the organization does really great and necessary work (and is highly rated by Charity Navigator), and because I’d prefer to make money from ads, not readers.

Published on December 28, 2017

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ABC's 5 O’Clock News. Her favorite food is chocolate, and she believes in eating dessert every single day.

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16 Comments

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  1. Mike says

    You should also check around in your local area for any Buying Clubs that might be running. They pool all them embers together and order in bulk directly from some of the same distributors that the grocery stores get their food. This can save you a TON of money. My wife runs one in SE Wisconsin that has a couple hundred members who order produce, grocery items, meat, and all kinds of other things that’s much cheaper than buying individually.

  2. dj says

    If maca powder is so healthy why is this on the website for the product?Warnings
    This product contains a chemical known to the state of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm.

    • Amanda says

      Whoa! Good catch, DJ. I was perusing the website for this product too because it looked really interesting, but I definitely did not see this warning. Thanks for pointing it out before I tried it.

    • Callie says

      It’s not really a problem but just more of California just covering themselves and being overly cautious (google it – they label all sorts of things with warnings like this, including deodorant, lotions, seaweed, kelp, even rulers!). Maca has been used for thousands of years in other parts of the world and is completely natural and safe. Certainly it’s much safer than much of the processed junk you can buy in grocery stores these days.

      • Natasha says

        Dear Katie,
        Happy New Year!! I have read your blog for 2-3 years, and I really like a bunch of your recipes that I’ve tried. I’m so excited because I am planning to start making your meal recipes much more often, and I might become a vegan, too.
        Thanks so much for this post, I will definitely look for these superfoods- especially the maca powder, as it sounds completely wonderful.
        🙂

  3. Nancy says

    Yesssss, I recommend that everybody tries these super foods out! I have and use every single ingredient you have listed! These are staples I have on hand always. Your recipes are such a Grrreat inspiration to us all. I also recommend matcha, spirulina, and chlorella!

  4. Karen says

    Thank you so much for the recommendation, I’ll definitely check them out and it’s a good excuse to try some recipes I’ve been meaning to try for a while. I need to go through all your recipes now and make a shopping list 🙂 🙂 🙂

  5. Callie says

    Noooo I JUST bought three jars of Artisana coconut butter at the store because they were on sale for $10. Then I read your blog the same day and find out I could have gotten them for even less than that! Well at least I know for next time.

  6. Melissa says

    Great ideas! I have yet to try chia seeds, but have always wanted to. There are numerous recipes with chia seeds that all sound great, so I’m thinking this will be the year I finally try them!

  7. Cassie Autumn Tran says

    Maca powder, turmeric, cinnamon, and chia seeds are of my favorite ingredients! There are some little local health food stores that actually carry these superfoods at such amazing prices. Heck, cheap matcha powder and goji berries are so easy to find in Asian supermarkets! Take advantage of the hidden gems. You never know what you might find!

    • Natasha says

      Turmeric, goji berries, and chia seeds are also carried at Marshall’s, in case you don’t have an Asian supermarket nearby.

  8. Chef Sherry says

    Hi Katie,
    Thank you so much for this post. As a personal chef, I am always on the hunt for great organic products for a great price. Today, I placed my first order at iHerb.com. I love that I did’nt have to drive to the store (we got 4 inches of snow and it’s 3 degrees here in Michigan), got all my products for $2 to $3 less I would have paid and got free shipping!

    • Jason Sanford says

      So happy to hear this! Katie turned me to iherb and I was not big on online shopping until then, but who can argue with saving money on foods you’d be buying anyway? 😉
      Jason (media relations)

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