Quinoa is a grain crop native to the Andean Mountains of South America. Although the leaves of the plant can be consumed as a leaf vegetable, quinoa is primarily grown for its seeds. These seeds, which are cooked in a similar way to rice, come in three colors (red, white, and black) and are much-loved for their significant health benefits. In fact, 2013 was crowned “The International Year of Quinoa” by the United Nations due…
Yogurt is a classic example of a food which, despite being healthiest in its natural state, is constantly being tampered with to suit the misguided dietary wishes of consumers. A cursory glance at the dairy aisle of any supermarket, for instance, will reveal an ever-growing array of yogurt products bearing little to no nutritional merit: fat-free yogurts, yogurts with dead bacterial cultures, yogurts fortified with dangerous ingredients like aspartame… and those are just the regular…
Kefir is a thick, yogurt-like drink made by fermenting milk with kefir grains. It originated in Russia and is characterized by its creamy texture, tart taste and fizzy effervescence. Kefir remains popular in Eastern Europe, where it is commonly used as an ingredient in baked goods such as sourdough bread, often as a substitute to buttermilk. Due to its high nutritional value, however, kefir shines most as a health supplement. Please note that the benefits…
Coconut flour is a flour made from coconut solids that have been ground into a very fine powder. It has a mild coconut scent and flavor, which makes it suitable for flour-based recipes that don’t have other strongly-flavored ingredients such as cocoa powder or spices. It is also quite light and airy, making it especially suitable for baked goods like muffins, pancakes, and cakes. The reputation of coconut flour is growing in the West due…
Blueberries are sweet, edible dark-blue berries of either high-growing or low-growing bushes. Blueberry bushes usually bear fruit at the height of the growing season, although their fruiting times are affected by external factors such as latitude and altitude, meaning that the bushes can fruit from as early as May, or as late as August. Most of the blueberries sold for human consumption today are sourced from eastern or northern North America (especially Maine, which produces…
