Superfood recipes

You’ve seen my list of superfoods - now check out my top ten superfood recipes.

My quick healthy recipes will help you get at least 3 serves of nutritious foods each day - ideal!

These are recipes I use myself to create healthy meals for friends and family.

Try them yourself, and let me know your own great superfood recipe ideas!

Use organic whole foods in cooking wherever possible so you start with the healthiest raw ingredients.


Healthy cooking with my top ten superfoods - great superfood recipes

• Leafy superfoods: growing spinach and kale, and tips for cooking spinach and kale.

Get highest nutritional value straight from the garden by growing spinach, kale, basil and other leafy superfoods. The spinach plant, from the Amaranthaceae family, likes the cooler seasons, rich soil and lots of moisture. Plant in late summer to autumn, then pick, wash and use it immediately.

Growing kale is a little tricker; it likes similar growing conditions to spinach but is fussier, preferring a rich, free-draining soil. Basil and other herbs are easy to get from the supermarket when they’re in-season – simply chop and add at least 2 tablespoons to salads, soups, roasted vegetables (toss through) or your morning eggs.

Here are some raw spinach recipes and a luscious raw kale recipe:

• Spinach pesto: Blend 1 cup of raw spinach (or kale) with 2 tab pine nuts and 2 tab fresh grated parmesan cheese, and about 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil. Use 1 tablespoon on cooked vegetables, with celery sticks as a snack, in baked sweet potato or tossed through a salad.

• Superfood smoothie:

Add 1 cup of spinach and kale leaves to 1 cup of water, 3 scoops of protein powder (e.g. whey protein isolate), ½ a banana and 1 whole frozen orange.

Throw in some broccoli extract powder (1 tsp) for added greens.

Green and delicious! A great post-exercise drink.

• Gourmet spinach salad: toss 2 cups of baby spinach leaves with goats feta and sliced pear with red onion, crushed almonds and a dressing of whole seed mustard and balsamic vinegar. Yum! Serve as an accompaniment to lunch or dinner – just add some lean protein!

• This great kale recipe for Kaleslaw – mix 1 cup shredded kale, ½ cup shredded red cabbage, 1 grated carrot, 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley, ½ cup red capsicum slices (helps absorb iron from the kale) and five chopped walnuts.

Dress with a little lemon juice mixed with about 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil, serve with a lean protein source. Enjoy as a side dish or in a wrap.

Cooking spinach and kale is quick and easy. The secret to great cooked spinach and kale recipes is to cook lightly - steam for only 3 – 5 minutes until the colour changes to bright green.

The same cooking technique applies to other leafy greens e.g. for swiss chard recipes; in fact, you can easily substitute swiss chard for spinach. Light cooking actually increases the nutritional value of spinach and kale.

Here are a few kale recipe ideas:

• Add chopped kale to a casserole in the last five minutes of cooking.

• Cook kale for three to five minutes, drain and press out moisture in a colander, then dress with olive oil and lemon juice (1). Serve with some lean protein (e.g. lentil patties, grilled fish) and four other vegetables.

Do you want to know how to cook spinach in some more interesting ways? Try these cooked spinach recipe ideas:

• Spinach lasagna: add raw spinach (or kale) as a layer in your traditional lasagna, OR substitute the meat layer for a green layer: 1 cup cooked lentils mixed with 2 cups steamed spinach, ½ cup sautéed onion and 1 clove of crushed garlic, 2 tab fresh parsley and oregano.

• Sautéed spinach: pour 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil into a frypan that has a fitted lid and put onto medium heat. Add 1 clove crushed garlic and ½ tsp finely grated lemon rind and cook for about 1 minute. Add roughly chopped spinach and stir well to coat with oil, put on the lid for about 1 minute, then remove and stir well again. Serve immediately as an accompaniment to a main meal.

• Spinach lentil soup: Lightly sautee 1 chopped onion and 1 clove crushed garlic in extra virgin olive oil, add 1 litre of low salt vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Add the 2 cups brown lentils (soaked overnight) and cook well.

In the last three minutes of cooking, add 2 cups spinach and turn off the heat. Serve with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese on top if desired.

Healthy cooking oils

Flaxseed oil can’t be heated because it’s very delicate and is destroyed by heating and vigorous shaking. It needs to be stored in the refrigerator. Note that ground flaxseed is more stable and can be added to smoothies (after blending), salads, raw muesli, and sauces (after cooking).

Here are two flaxseed oil recipes – enjoy flaxseed oil benefits with minimal preparation and fuss!

• Flaxseed salad dressing #1: carefully mix 2 tab flaxseed oil with 1 tab lemon juice, ½ tsp sesame seeds and 1/2 tsp whole seed mustard. Stir gently and dress a salad immediately. Serves 2.

• Flaxseed salad dressing #2: carefully mix 2 tab flaxseed oil with 1 tab orange juice, 1 tsp snipped chives and freshly ground black pepper. Stir gently and dress a salad immediately. Serves 2.

Other fats – Nuts, seeds and avocado

Enjoy the nutritional value of nuts and seeds by adding to a variety of your favourite superfood recipes.

Nuts, seeds and avocado are higher in fat so you only need small amounts.

Avocado calories are high so the same portion control applies. The nutritional value of avocado is maintained by using the fruit in it’s raw state (don’t cook it!).

Here are some great ideas for including raw nuts, seeds and avocado in your super foods diet and boosting the nutritional value of your meals:

• Add 1 tab chopped almonds and cashews to your muesli, porridge, salad or stir fry.

• Add 1 tsp ground flaxseed to your favourite superfood smoothie recipes, your morning cereal, dukkah mix, low-fat yoghurt and berries or a soup.

• Throw 1 tab pumpkin seeds into your morning cereal, salad or stir fry.

• Chop ½ cup each almonds, pumpkin seeds, cashews and put into an airtight container in the fridge. Use within 1 week. Now you have a great mix to add to your meals (like the ones above), or to use as a tasty crust for baked chicken or fish. You can add it into muffins too!

• Chia seeds can be soaked as described previously and the gel added to baking recipes in place of egg. They can also be added to breakfast cereals and smoothies.

• Use avocado in place of butter on your toast – spread thinly.

• Mash avocado with 1 tsp unhulled tahini, ½ cup light coconut milk and fresh chopped coriander for a delicious salad dressing. Allow ¼ avocado per person.

• Dice avocado and toss through a salad – allow ¼ avocado per person.

• Include a little avocado in your superfood smoothie recipes – why not?

Fruits

Fruits are amazingly versatile.

Try these fun superfood recipes for using the amazingly versatile fruits, berries and oranges.

• Try this superfood recipe for a delicious dairy-free orange and almond cake – boil two whole oranges (with skin) for one hour then cool and puree/blend. In a separate bowl, combine ¾ cup semolina, 1 ½ cups almond meal and 1 tab baking powder, then add 3 egg yolks and ½ cup honey, stirring well, then add the orange puree. In a separate bowl, beat 6 egg whites until stiff. Fold the egg whites through the cake mixture. Pour into a lined cake tin and cook for 180 degrees Celcius/375 degrees Fahrenheit, after 15 minutes reducing the heat to 150 C / 325 F and cook for 1 to 1.5 hours, or until a metal skewer comes out clean.

• Add fresh orange juice and pulp to your ready-to-eat cereal or muesli instead of milk.

• Mix the juice and pulp from one orange to 1 tsp whole grain mustard and 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil and some cracked black pepper, for a delicious salad dressing.

• Throw 1 segmented, chopped orange through your favourite leafy salad.

• Freeze a whole orange and on a hot day, remove from freezer and pour about 2 cups boiling water over it. This will soften the skin for easy removal (cut the skin off) then chop and eat as a refreshing treat, or add to a fruit smoothie.

• Throw fresh or frozen berries into your smoothies, onto your cereal or in healthy muffin mixes (muffins you bake yourself from scratch). Berries can also be used in sauces to accompany strong meats like kangaroo or venison.

Grains

Enjoy the nutritional value of oats by including them in a range of quick easy superfood recipes. All you need is a bag of whole rolled oats and an electric coffee grinder! Although quinoa is a seed, I’ve included it in the grains section of this page because it is typically used as a grain.

• Raw whole rolled oats make a great ready-to-eat cereal when mixed with some low fat yoghurt and berries, with a little flax meal on top.

• Use your coffee grinder to turn rolled oats into oat flour and use as a base for home made gravies and sauces, or to include in home made baked goods like slices and muffins.

• 2 tab rolled oats mixed with 1 tsp honey makes a delicious topping for baked apple or pear – add in the last 5 minutes of cooking.

• Steel cut oats take longer to cook but contain more fibre and vitamins – use them to make tasty wholesome porridge.

• Quinoa is so versatile and is a high quality complete protein source. Cook a batch and refrigerate for use as a cold cereal (½ cup cooked), or in stuffings in place of breadcrumbs, or tossed through a salad, or served hot instead of rice (½ cup cooked). Quinoa is a great substitute for other grains in many superfood recipes.


I hope you enjoyed these superfood recipes - please add your own healthy superfood recipes by filling in the form at the bottom of this page!

(1) Worlds Healthiest Foods www.whfoods.org


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