Healthy Recipes

March 16, 2017 By Trupti Hingad Leave a Comment

Healthy Soups in a Bowl!

I still remember those days when I was following a light dinner habit as suggested by one of the health professionals for reducing my fat percentage. I would add lots of raw veggies to keep my stomach full and get the nutrients. But, later on, it got very monotonous and I terribly started disliking the idea of eating raw veggies. That led me to the thought of how these could be incorporated into my daily meal so as to get all the nutrients without putting too much effort of chewing it raw?

Bingo! I came up with several soup ideas. Today, I am sharing some of these soup recipes for the benefit of all.

Soup, a liquid food that can be cold or hot. You can throw in a variety of ingredients such as meat, veggies mixed with stock, water or other liquids into a slow cooker in the morning before you leave for work or school and return home to a delicious meal in the evening

The wealth of ingredients in a bowl of soup provides a good balance of carbohydrates, protein and fats as well as the vitamins and minerals required to create energy and keep us going without getting tired.

Soup is healthy: Perhaps the easiest way to add vegetables to your daily meals is to have a soup. Eating vegetables is part of a healthy diet so veggie soups are highly recommended.

Soups are slimming and help you lose weight. Of course, that is if you strictly follow a weight-loss plan and exercise well. A bowl of soup packs minimal calories but is very nutritious.

Soup fills you up because it stretches the stomach. You easily feel full so it’s ideal to eat soup at the beginning of every meal.

Soup is easy to make and can make you feel better.

Ever wondered why a soup is recommended to people who are sick? That is because soup is easily digested and good for health.

Here are some hot and cold soup recipes:-

1. SPRING ONION AND PEAS SOUP

Ingredients:
Spring Onion/Scallions – 1 bunch
Peas – 2 Cup boiled
Onion – 1 Medium chopped
Garlic – 1 Pod chopped
Olive Oil – 2 tsp
Vegetable Stock/Water – 3-4 Cups
Salt & Pepper – To taste

Method:

Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan sauté chopped onions, garlic and 1.5 cup boiled peas for 2-3mins.

Add finely chopped spring onion bulbs to this and sauté for 2-3mins.

Remove from the stove and let it cool for a while.

Blend it all to make a paste.

Heat 1 tsp of oil in a vessel, add chopped spring onion greens and ½ cup peas and stir fry for 2-3mins.

Add puree and veg stock and seasoning.

Cook until 1 boil & serve piping hot.

Serve with soup sticks or toasted brown bread slice.

2. DETOX SOUP

Ingredients

Tomato- 2 in nos

Pumpkin- 100gms

Carrot- 1 in no

Cabbage-100gms

Broccoli- ½ cup florets

Bell pepper- cut into julienne (red, yellow, green)

Ginger, garlic and chilli paste- 1 tsp

Olive oil- ½ tsp

Method:

Pressure cook tomato, pumpkin, carrot, cabbage, ginger garlic & blend to make a puree.

SauteBroccoli florets, bell pepper in olive oil.

Add the puree to it and water to make the soup consistency.

Serve piping hot.

3. HERBAL OATS SOUP

Ingredients
Oats – 4 tablespoons
Garlic – 1 pod

Celery and Parsley- 1 stalk each
Pepper – 1/2 teaspoon
Salt to taste

Method

Roast oats in a heated vessel.

Add chopped garlic, celery and parsley.

Add 2 cups of water, salt and pepper and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve hot.

4. Green Gram (MOONG) SOUP WITH Cottage Cheese (PANEER)

Ingredients:

¾ cup Moong (Green Gram)

2tbsp Paneer( Cottage Cheese) chopped

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tspJeera (Cumin seeds )mustard

1/4^thtsp, hing (Fenugreek), pepper.

2 tbsp ghee (Clarified Butter)

Salt to taste.

METHOD:

Soak Green Gran (Moong) for 6hrs. Cook in a pressure cooker. Blend it and strain.

Heat clarified butter (ghee) in a pan, add cumin seeds, mustard, fenugreek seeds and green gram liquid.

Add lemon, salt, pepper, cottage cheese and cook for 2 min

Serve piping hot.(This is a high protein soup)

5. SUNSHINE DELIGHT.

Ingredients

Yellow Squash (pumpkin) – 100gms

White squash (pumpkin) – 100gms

Carrot- 1 in no

Onion- 1 in no

Ginger- a small piece

Garlic- 1 pod

Seasoning:

Salt & pepper- according to taste

Lime juice- 1 tsp

Method:

Pressure cook all veggies and then blend to make a Puree. Add 1 cup water and cook until it comes to boil. Add seasoning and garnish with shredded carrot and pumpkin seeds.

Serve piping hot.

6. AVOCADO SOUP

Ingredients

½ seedless cucumber

1 medium avocado

1 shallot

2 tbsp. plain yogurt

2 tbsp. fresh mint

1 sprig fresh mint

4 tsp. fresh lime juice

1½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. ground black pepper

¼ tsp. ground cumin

1 radish

Method:

Place the cucumber, avocado, shallot, yoghurt, 2 tablespoons mint, lime juice, salt, pepper, cumin, and 1 cup cold water in a blender, and process until smooth.

Chill for at least 1 hour. Serve garnished with the radish and remaining mint leaves. Perfect soup for this summer.

7. COLD CUCUMBER SOUP

Ingredients

3 medium seedless cucumbers

¾ c. Thinly sliced green onions

1 tbsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. lemon zest

1 tsp. Sea Salt

½ tsp. Freshly ground pepper

1½ c. vegetable broth

½ c. sour cream

Method:

Place cucumbers, green onions, lemon juice, lemon zest, sea salt, pepper, and vegetable broth in a blender or food processor and puree.

Stir in sour cream and chill until very cold, about 1 hour.

Serve topped with additional chopped cucumber, green onion, and lemon zest.

8. WATERMELON GAZPACHO

Ingredients:

About 8 cups watermelon, cubed

1 medium cucumber
1 medium tomato
2 medium shallots¼ cup loosely packed basil leaves
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
¼ teaspoon salt

Chop the watermelon into rough cubes. Place it in a blender and blend (the blended amount should fill a 1 ½ quart blender). Pour into a bowl or container, and set aside.

Cut the cucumber in half; remove the seeds by scooping them out with a spoon. Peel the cucumber halves, then roughly chop them into a few smaller pieces. Roughly chop the tomato into quarters. Cut off the ends of the two shallots and peel them; cut them into quarters.

Place the cucumber, tomato, shallots, and ¼ cup loosely packed basil leaves into the pitcher of the blender. Blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into the container with the watermelon mixture and mix them with a spoon until fully combined.

Stir in 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, Place in the refrigerator and chill for about 2 to 3 hours, until cold. If desired, garnish with a few drops of olive oil.

Try some of these soups and drink your wealth of nutrients with this bowl.

December 27, 2016 By Trupti Vyas (Pandya) 1 Comment

Winter Recipes

Winter has set in and it is that time of the year when our body experiences tremendous changes in energy levels, metabolism and our food preference also changes. Winter is also the season which is full of colorful veggies and fruits in market. Our body needs extra vitamins and minerals to help combat cold weather, illness and to maintain your good health.

Let me share with you some nutritious food ideas that will help boost immunity and maintain energy levels through the day.

Here are 5 healthy dishes which will help you to keep warm on cold days-

Millet Vegetable pan bread (Bajra Dudhi Thepla)-

Ingredients–

(Bajra) Millet flour – 1 cup
Wheat flour – 1 cup
Bottle gourd (Dudhi)- 1 cup (grated)
Curd – 1/3 cup
Oil – ½ cup (to add in flour and roast theplas)
Green coriander – 2 tbsp (finely chopped)
Green chilly – 1-2 (finely chopped)
Ginger paste – 1 tsp
Asafoetida – 1 pinch
Cumin seeds – ½ tsp
Red chilly powder – ¼ tsp
Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
Sesame seeds – 1 tsp (optional)
Salt – ½ tsp (as per taste)

Preparation

Take out flour in any big utensil. Mix wheat flour in the same bowl. Also add bottle gourd, ginger, green chilly, green coriander, Asafoetida, cumin seeds, red chilly powder, turmeric powder, sesame seeds, salt, 1 tbsp oil and curd. Add 1-2 tbsp water or as per requirement and knead soft dough. Keep aside the dough for 10-15 minutes so that it gets set.

Grease your hand with some oil and knead the dough. Pre-heat the pan (tawa). Take little amount of dough (lemon size) and make a round ball. Take one ball, dust it with dry flour and place it on rolling plate and roll into 6-7 inch diameter bread (thepla).

Place the rolled bread (thepla) on pre-heated pan (tawa) and when color of the bread (thepla) turns darker from surface then flip the side. Spread 1 tsp oil on the upper surface. Flip the side and spread some oil on this side as well. Roast the bread (thepla) on medium flame until it gets brown spots on both sides. Take it of the pan and place it in a plate.

Serve the Millet Vegetable pan bread (BajraLaukiTheplas) with curd (yogurt), Corainder paste or pickle or with any vegetables of your choice.

Suggestion: Mix finely chopped spinach in the flour for making Millet Spinach Breads (Bajra spinach thepla) and add finely chopped fresh fenugreek leaves for making millet fenugreek breads (bajramethitheplas).

Winter special Fenugreek seeds and edible gum sweet balls

Fenugreek seeds gum balls is a traditional recipe which can also be used as an Ayurveda treatment for various ailments, especially during winters. These sweet gum balls are not only known for their medicinal properties but also taste delicious.

These are prepared with Fenugreek seeds mixed with wheat flour and Jaggery. New mothers can have these sweet balls as dietary supplement or to overcome any post-delivery problems. People suffering from joints pain, especially in winters, can have this sweet.

Ingredients-

Fenugreek(methi) seeds- 100gms.
Milk- ½ litre(2-1/2 cup)
Wheat flour-300gm(1-1/2cup)
Ghee- 250gm(1-1/2 cup)
Edible gum (Gond)-100gms- (1/2 cup)
Almonds-30-35.
Black Pepper- 8-10.
Cumin powder-2tsp.
Dry ginger- 2tsp
Green Cardamom- 10-12
Cinnamon-4 pieces.
Nutmeg-2
Jageery-1-1/2cup

Preparation:

Clean Fenugreek (Methi) seeds properly(wash seeds then put them in a thick cotton cloth and leave it in the sun to dry, cloth can be washed and used again). Put clean seeds in a mixer and make a thick paste somewhat similar to flour. Boil milk.

Put the grounded Fenugreek (Methi) in milk and let it soak for 8-10 hours.

Cut almonds into small pieces. Gently crush black pepper(break 1 pepper into 4-5 pieces), crush cinnamon and nutmeg into fine powder. Peel Cardamom (Elaichi) and crush it as well.Pour 1/2 cup clarified butter (Ghee) ina pan, fry soaked (Fenugreek) on a medium flame till it turns light brown and smells good. Remove the mixture in a plate.

Put the remainingclarified butter(Ghee) in the pan and heat, fry Edible gum(Gond) and take it out on a plate(fry Gond on a law flame). Fry flour in leftover Ghee in the pan till it becomes light brown then take it out.

Put 1 tspclarified butter in the pan followed by the pieces ofJaggery(Gur), melt Jageery (Gur) into liquid form (Chashni) on a low flame. Add Cumin (Jeera) powder, Dry Ginger(Sauntth) powder, cut almonds, black pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, Cardamom in the Liquid syrup of Jageeryand mix well.

Take little amounts of the mixture, shape it into small balls similar to a lemon and put it on a plate. Keep Fenugreek seeds and edible gum sweet balls (MethiLadoos) in open air for 4-5 hours.

The sweet is ready, keep them in an air tight container and eat one sweet ball every morning or evening with warm milk. This prevents pain in joints, back and pain due to the cold.

CARROT CAKE SNACKS BITE-

Ingredients-

21/4 cups shreddedcarrots
3/4cups date (about 10 large dates)
2/3cups coconut (shredded or flaked)
1/2cups walnuts
1/2cups sunflowerseeds
1 teaspooncinnamon
1/4teaspoons groundginger
1/8cups toasted sesame seeds
1/8cups shreddedcoconut.
1/8cups chopped almonds

Preparation

In a food processor, blend all the snack bite ingredients together.Scoop out full grinded mixture in a bowl and roll it into a ball.

Roll the balls in sesame seeds, coconut, or chopped almonds for additional crunch. Use the listed optional ingredients to determine the amount of sesame seeds, coconut, or almonds you need.

Store refrigerated or in an air tight container.

Spinach with Chickpeas Green salad-

Ingredient–

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ onion, diced
300g frozen spinach, thawed and drained well
400gtin chickpeas and green peas, drained and boiled.
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation: Take 400gm of chickpeas and green peas in a pressure cooker. Add half a litre water to it and cook till 4 whistle blow. Let it cool for some time. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium-low heat. Add and Cook the garlic and onion in the oil until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add and Stir in the spinach, chickpeas, green peas, cumin and salt. Use your stirring spoon to lightly mash the beans as the mixture cooks. Allow to cook until it getsthoroughly heated. Serve it hot.

Green Greek Smoothies-

Ingredients-

Cup freshly cut pieces of kiwi.
A bowl of Greek yogurt.
½ cup of milk.
Pinch of grounded cardamom.
1 tsp of (water) soaked chia seeds
Fresh Mint Leaves

In a blender,place kiwi, yogurt and milk and blend it for about 1 minute or until smooth.Pour into the glass, and sprinkle with cardamom. Garnish with mint leaves and add 1 tsp of soaked chia seed on it. Serve immediately.

Tip- You can also try other winter fruits and veggies– like oranges, apple, spinach, Beets instead of Kiwi.

Try these healthy and delicious winter warming recipes. And, don’t let the cold weather keep you from enjoying fresh homemade foods. Let’s Enjoy!

October 20, 2016 By Azra Faizan 11 Comments

What’s for Dessert….

“You dietitians have banned all desserts for me.. “

“I have not tasted sweets since I discovered I am diabetic “

“No Artificial sweeteners, you say; does that mean I can’t ever enjoy life? “

Since the time I became a dietician, and later a GOQii coach, I must have heard these statements at least once every week.

What I like to explain to my players is that – It’s not that you can’t enjoy desserts; it depends on how you choose to enjoy them.

Even where diabetics are concerned – our focus should be, not on cutting off all their sugar but, to achieve good sugar control.

Growing up, I had always observed an aunt of mine, whose husband was diabetic; make a separate serving of sugar free dessert for my uncle.And, I always used to wonder how would a dessert taste without any sweetness in it – But, the main ingredient of her sugar free custard or puddings, used to be some or the other added fruit.

When god has given us naturally sweet ingredients, why not use them to their fullest potential.

Going forward I would also like to add that, even though the recipes I am sharing are sugar free – they are still desserts, made with some amount of fats and are still an extra to our routine meals, hence should still be enjoyed occasionally and in smaller quantity than our main meals. I always like to remind my players that our society has smaller sized dessert plates and bowls for a reason. Because, we were meant to enjoy them in smaller quantities from the beginning – It is only, the commercial trend of JUMBO sizing everything that starts the trouble.

Date Balls

It is a customary Indian tradition to celebrate everything with laddus (sweet balls). You get good grades – laddu, you have a baby – laddu, your wedding gets fixed -laddu, and the list goes on…Why not have healthy Laddus then to celebrate every occasion?

Ingredients:

1 cup deseeded dates

¼ cup mixed nuts (almonds, walnuts, pistachio)

Desiccated coconut.

Just soak the dates in ½ a cup of water for 10 minutes – and churn in a grinder jar with the nuts. If too soft, refrigerate for half an hour. Make lemon sized balls of the mixture and coat with desiccated coconut.

Banana custard

Everyone knows how to make custard – It’s the simplest desserts to satisfy our sweet cravings. And the recipe couldn’t get any more basic than this.

The trick to make a sugar free custard is to mash up an over ripe banana and mix it in the milk, instead of just adding chopped fruit.

Just follow the instructions on your packet of custard powder – and mix an overripe mashed banana in the end – strain the mixture if you don’t want any lumps. Serve as you wish – plain as a fruit salad or even a healthy trifle.

You could try the same thing with mango puree too, to make mango custard.

Date biscuits

This is a recipe I pulled off the internet in my earlier baking days. And, the first thing I realized after trying it once – there is no need of sugar in it, although the original recipe calls for it. So, I went on to perfect it, minus the sugar and it actually made no difference whatsoever.

Ingredients

Date Filling:

3 cups (400 grams) pitted dried dates

1 cup (240 ml) water

Oatmeal Crust:

2 cups (200 grams) old fashioned rolled oats

1 cup (130 grams) Whole wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¾ cup (175 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Method

Date Filling:Place the dates and water in a medium saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the dates are soft and have absorbed most of the water (about 5 – 10 minutes). Remove from heat, Let it cool to room temperature and then puree in your food processor until smooth. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Grease an 8 x 11 inch (20 x 28 cm) or a 9 x 9 inch (23 x 23 cm) pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

Oatmeal Crust: In the bowl of your food processor, place the oats, flour, and baking soda, salt and ground cinnamon. Pulse to combine. Then add the butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Press 2/3 of the mixture into the base of the prepared pan.

Spread the dates evenly over the oatmeal crust. Sprinkle the remaining dough evenly over the top of the dates. Bake for about 30 -40 minutes or until golden brown. Place on a wire rack to cool. Once the squares have cooled, cover the pan with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator at least one hour or until firm enough to cut easily into squares.

These will keep, covered, in the refrigerator up to a week.

Makes about 20, 2 inch squares.

Banana and mango ice cream:

I SCREAM, YOU SCREAM, WE ALL SCREAM ICE CREAM!!!

Ever heard that phrase? I have grown up with it… Well, this is technically frozen yoghurt but, I don’t see anyone complaining when it’s served up in a cone or a pretty ice cream bowl.

6 bananas, peeled and chopped
2 mangoes, peeled and chopped
1 cup (280g) yoghurt
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Place the banana and mango in an airtight container and freeze for 4 hours or until frozen. Place the banana, mango and yoghurt in a food processor and process until smooth. Serve as you like.
When it comes to cooking, there is no reason to stick to only these fruits – if some other fruit catches your fancy like straw berries, raspberries or peaches or any other, you can try using them too in a similar manner.

Tip: If not serving straight away, return to an airtight container and freeze. Allow to soften for 5 minutes before serving. You could scoopinto ice-cream cones to serve.

Serves 6 -8

My list can be endless, Sweet potato porridge, Date pudding, Carrot and Date Porridge /Halwa…..

But, why should I do all the work, cooking is therapeutic for some and for some it’s an experiment. So why not all of you try this experiment and make sure to share your results..

September 14, 2016 By Arooshi Garg 5 Comments

7 Super foods you must try this year- Don’t miss out!

Since recent years the “Super Food” market has definitely been on the rise. But, what is a “super food” anyway?

A “Super food” refers to any food which is nutrient packed and dense., In other words, they have a rich supply of micronutrients like vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

Such foods used to be the type only woo-woo health nuts would gravitate toward. But, more recently, they have expanded to appeal to folks in a variety of cohorts. For example, as recently as two years ago, quinoa, flax seeds and kale were once considered exotic and difficult to find in supermarkets. Now, however, these super foods have become staples in the ‘healthy diet’ of many. From herbs and spices to fruits, vegetables and grains, each year brings about a whole new variety of nutrient-rich, vitamin-packed foods that we can add to our daily meals.

So how about we give you some examples of these power-packed, cutting edge foods filled with good-for-you vitamins, minerals and disease-fighting phytochemicals?

Here are 7 of the healthiest foods that you should be eating this year:

i) JU-SMOOTHIES

The newest word in the food dictionaries, everywhere… this trend is the latest to catch in the eye of health enthusiasts. What do you get when you cross a fresh juice with a smoothie? A Ju-Smoothie of course. A JU-smoothie is a fiber-filled liquid concoction with extra nutritional benefits than just a fruit-vegetable juice.

The JuSmoothie means you make your fresh juice and then blend it with bulky fruits or other ingredients that aren’t juicer friendly.

Vegetable and fruit juices absorb quickly which means they can leave you hungry a couple of hours later. But blend a super nutritious juice with a banana, melon or a sapota ( Chikoo) and some crushed flaxseeds or nuts and you’ve a more solid and substantial concoction that is absorbed slower and will keep you going longer with a good satiety.

ii) MATCHA (the newest green tea)

Green tea has become a staple in diets since some years now. The new entry, “Matcha” is derived from the Japanese tencha leaf and then stone ground into a bright-green fine powder. Matcha literally means powdered tea, and it’s incredibly good for health. The concentration of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) in Matcha is found to be 137 times greater than the amount found in most store-bought green tea. EGCG is known to boost lipolysis (the breakdown of fat) and block adipogenesis (the formation of fat cells) particularly in the belly. It can be made in the traditional way or be added to lattes, iced drinks, milkshakes and smoothies. A single serving has around 4 grams of protein!!!

iii) Nut-Based Vegan Cheese

A lot of vegan cheese varieties are emerging. Everyone’s favorite staple – cheese – gets ahealthy makeover with nut milks. Nut-based cheeses are made from (alternative milks such as)almond, cashew and macadamia nut milks but, prepared in traditional cheese-making style. That’s good news for vegans and cheese lovers!

Vegan cheese can have several benefits. It boasts to be rich in vitamin E and B12 and the content depends on the milk used and preparation method used.

iv) Beet Greens

Vitamin A-rich beet greens look similar to chard and even people who don’t like the sweet starchy flavor of beets, love beet greens. So next time you get beets with the greens still attached, don’t toss away that super food in a bin. Rather, toss it in a mixed salad withcarrots, radishes, tomatoes and cucumbers!

Beet greens can be used in smoothies and soups. You can also replace them into a recipe that calls for spinach, kale, or lettuce. You can even or sauté them for an easy side dishthat cooks in just a couple of minutes.

v) Teff : Teff is gaining popularity worldwide. Teff is an ancient and intriguing grain, tiny in size yetpacked with nutrition. It is simple to prepare and similar to millet or quinoa if you cook it. It is a fine grain—about the size of a poppy seed—that comes in a variety of colors,from white and red to dark brown. This tiny grain that has been a staple of traditional Ethiopiancooking for thousands of years

First cultivated in Ethiopia, Teff is high in calcium, iron, fiber, and protein with a mild, sweet, and nutty taste. It’s also naturally gluten-free.

Teff works well in a main or side dish, in baked goods, sourdough flatbread, or as a substitute for cornmeal in some recipes.

vi) Rooibos Tea

Green tea isn’t the only super-healthy tea out there. Along with Matcha tea, Rooibos tea, too, has been showing up in supermarket shelves.

Rooibos tea, is a red-colored herbal is a tea made from the leaves of the rooibos bush. Native to South Africa, it has shown to be beneficial for lowering LDL and improving HDL. Health benefits of red rooibos tea include its use as a cure for headaches, insomnia, asthma, eczema, bone weakness, hypertension, allergies, and premature aging.

The tea is absolutely free from caffeine content and is also low in tannins. Rooibos tea is said to contain rare nutrients like Quercetin and Bioflavanoids that assist in good blood circulation and obstructs hemorrhaging.

vii) Coconut sugar: Coconut is one food that has emerged as a super food lately. From organic coconut oil to organic coconut water and coconut flour, all have shown potential high nutritional qualities.Foodies are moving on to a different palm product-coconut sugar, also known as palm sugar. It has been used as a sweetener for thousands of years in Southeast Asia where coconuts are abundant, and it’s gaining popularity all over the world now as a “healthier” sugar alternative.

Unlike pure table sugar, only 78 percent of coconut sugar is actually sugar; the remaining 22 percent comes from nutrients like zinc, iron and fiber—more specifically, inulin, a type of insoluble fiber that acts as a prebiotic to feed the healthy bacteria in your gut and slows downthe digestion and absorption of sugar into the blood. But be cautious in the usage, while coconutsugar is marketed as a “low GI sweetener,” it is still sugar: caloric and potentially fattening. So approach this health trend with caution. Consider coconut sugar the new honey—an ever-so- slightly better alternative to refined sugar!

So whether you’re a health nut looking to try the latest and greatest…or just a foodie looking for new ingredients to add to your beloved recipes…get all or at least some of these Super Foods on your plate this year!