Tips and Gadgets: Super Powerful Foods!

You probably heard about the wonders of some kind of foods. Their power may reside in the mineral or vitamin content.  The anti-aging factor of some other super-duper-foods  is the one that  makes them so special. And their uniqueness also can be just the amazing amount of protein that one plant boasts, even more than some well known sources of protein. But for me, besides all of those precious nutritional elements, the flavor and what I call "cooking potential" also counts a lot on the choice. Here's a list of my favorite super foods, links for further reading and some recipes that include them!

• Almonds - Vitamin E, Calcium, Folic Acid, anti-oxidants. You  - or they - name it. Almonds are one of my favorite snacks, and slowly I am adding them into lots of dishes in my home. Also we are recently using Almond Milk in my husband's diet which excludes dairy. It is delicious and it is said to lower cholesterol.

• Blueberries - Want to grow old without going old? Blueberries are your best friends on the long run. Kids love it, so you'd better be happy with those miraculous berries. Livestrong says that nothing else works as a prevention against many possible diseases in life. Here's one cute recipe to celebrate its powers.
• Broccoli _ Vitamin C, plus Vitamin C and more Vitamin C. The  beautiful broccoli has lots of fiber and brings just goodness to many dishes : no cholesterol, sugar or fat. I always have plenty of it in my refrigerator. It's added to mac and cheese, pizzas , casseroles and the kids now know it it as a every day food.
• Garlic - I grew up believing that no other remedy would work as well on a very bad cold than garlic tea. Yuk, right?!  Later on I found out that garlic can be added to any kind of hot food and its pungent and sweet flavor is just the right seasoning for almost everything. Now, living very close to Gilroy (CA), I am still in love with garlic. And this link  from Web MD proves that the old sayings from Brazilian shamans might have scientific support somehow.

• Green Beans - Versatile, crunchy and loaded with Vitamin K, which is a regulator of blood clotting. Besides lots of other vitamins, green beans add a generous amount of fiber in the diet. Here you can read more about its properties. 
• Oranges _ Both explorers and pirates knew its benefits, and up to now, no fruit is capable to beat the wonderful qualities of oranges. The one in the picture belongs to my very own tree! And I can guarantee that all family benefits from its goodness. Besides the well know protective Vitamin C, it has folate, lots of fiber and even Calcium. As Dr. Sears points out here it is one of the fabulous fruits for everybody - and it's higher content of vitamins is in the rind, and not on the juice so don't clean it all when preparing it for the kids.
• Quinoa _ This is one of my favorite super foods. Its nutty flavor is an amazing addition to many good recipes, and its protein amount is absolutely superb: about 12 grams per 100g of produce, which is quite an achievement for a plant. Also, its history is full of charm. According to the book A Cook's Guide to Grains (Jenni Muir), it was cultivated by the Incas about 5 to 8 thousand years ago and many studies consider it the ultra super food for the future. It is on our table today after the Spanish conquistadores brought it from the ancient native people. Now the scientists know why it was considered a sacred food: besides lots of protein, it brings B vitamins, and many important minerals to your plate. The one in the picture is a bowl of organic red quinoa, my favorite.
• Salmon _ I mostly choose the Alaskan Sockeye Wild catch. The famous Omega-3 oils are all there and latest studies  show that these oils play a definite role on brain formation and healthy hearts. Usually we sear it or broil it to keep its moisture.

• Sweet Potatoes - Its deep orange flesh carries all the beauty of this root. Sweet Potato was found to be one of the oldest types of food in the world, and many sources suggest that its origin is Central America. The main factors that qualify it as super food: huge amount of Vitamin A (Beta-Caroten). It provides more than three times of the recommended amount for our daily diet. One of my favorite ways of cooking it? With olive oil and zaatar, as here.

• Yogurt _ Probiotics _ aka lactobacillus colonize a healthy digestive system - and high protein are the very well know properties of this lovely Make it With Milk product. Here we have a wonderful recipe to produce yours : Darienne has mastered the art of preparing it.