Hobbits love to eat, but their diet isn’t exactly a model of health. In The Hobbit, when an uninvited party arrives at Bilbo Baggins’ door, the guests demand the following from their host: pastries, cheese, meat pies, cakes, alcohol, eggs, and cold cuts.

I bring this up because the word “Mediterranean” literally comes from the Latin for “Middle of the Earth.” But unlike J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth, Mediterranean cuisine in our world is largely plant-based and extremely healthy.

In fact, health experts consider it one of the healthiest eating patterns on the planet. And there’s growing interest in the Mediterranean diet for its ability to prevent and manage a number of chronic diseases.

So, in this article, we’ll explore the Mediterranean diet, delve into key plant-based ingredients, and provide practical tips for cooking and enjoying vibrant, vegan Mediterranean recipes in your kitchen.

What Is the Mediterranean Diet?

There’s no single way to define what the Mediterranean diet is. Instead, it’s helpful to think of it in more general terms, as a way of eating inspired by the traditional dietary patterns of states, countries, and regions bordering the Mediterranean Sea, such as:

• Italy
• Greece
• Spain
• Turkey
• The South of France
• Malta
• Croatia
• Albania
• Turkey
• Cyprus
• Israel
• Lebanon
• Syria
• Palestine
• Morocco
• Algeria
• Tunisia
• Libya
• Egypt

Now that’s a food court that I wouldn’t mind visiting!

To testify to the health-promoting benefits of the diet, two of the world’s five “blue zones” (areas with the greatest life expectancies and the highest percentage of centenarians) can be found in the Mediterranean: Icaria, Greece, and Nuoro Province, Sardinia, Italy.

While some popular interpretations of Mediterranean eating emphasize foods like olive oil, red wine, and fish, at its core, the Mediterranean diet emphasizes whole, minimally processed plant-based foods. In this respect, it’s similar to other plant-based diets, including their health benefits.

It’s not just the food, though, responsible for the remarkable vigor and long lives of so many people eating this way. The blue zones are also characterized by lots of outdoor physical activity, emphasis on community and family, and time to unwind. That’s why proponents of the diet also encourage people to upgrade their lifestyles to include more social time, movement, and time in nature.

Why Is the Mediterranean Diet So Highly Regarded?

I repeat: the Mediterranean diet is a predominantly plant-based way of eating. This alone can explain its power to keep you healthy and even slow or reverse some diseases. And because it’s not necessarily a 100% plant-based or vegan diet, it’s become more mainstream.

For example, the magazine U.S. News & World Report has consistently ranked the Mediterranean diet as one of the best diets overall for healthfulness, weight loss, and long-term adaptability.

Part of its appeal stems from the rich traditions that inspire it. UNESCO has added it to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

And that’s not just marketing hype. There are also quite a few studies that support its health benefits. A 2019 literature review identified the Mediterranean diet as a powerfully heart-healthy way of eating. And a 2021 meta-analysis found that the diet was associated with a lower risk of several common and deadly cancers, including breast, colorectal, head and neck, respiratory, gastric, bladder, and liver cancers.

A huge study published in 2024 also monitored dietary choices and health outcomes for over 25,000 women for an average of 25 years. The researchers found that women who followed a Mediterranean diet had a one-fifth lower risk of dying than women who ate a standard industrialized diet higher in processed and animal-based foods.

Many benefits of this way of eating have been attributed to adherents’ greater intake of vegetables, legumes, and nuts.

Key Ingredients for Plant-Based Mediterranean Recipes

The only diet healthier than a Mediterranean diet might be a whole-food, plant-based Mediterranean diet. Let’s look at some of the main ingredients of such a diet.

Whole Grains

Whole grains, such as oats, rice, barley, quinoa, and others, are associated with a host of positive health outcomes.

The headline of a very long 2021 scientific review article trumpets their benefits: “Whole-Grain Intake in the Mediterranean Diet… Can Help to Reduce Mortality from Cardiovascular Disease, Slow Down the Progression of Aging, and to Improve Lifespan.”

For more information on whole grains, check out our full article, Cooking With Whole Grains: How to Soak, Cook, & Store Grains.

Fruit

The Mediterranean climates and soils are very fruit-friendly, so you’ll find people eating lots of avocados, citrus, berries, grapes, dates, and orange-colored fruits like peaches, apricots, nectarines, and cantaloupes.

Studies have shown that eating fruit can reduce the risk of dying from any cause, as well as lower the chances of experiencing coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, colorectal cancer, and obesity.

Vegetables

Veggies are the heart of most healthy plant-based diets, and the Mediterranean diet is no exception. Followers regularly eat leafy greens, tomatoes, eggplant, radishes, onions, garlic, cucumber, and many other vegetables.

Studies have shown that eating lots of fruits and vegetables is one of the best ways to protect yourself from premature death.

Legumes

One of the most striking features of every blue zone diet is the centrality of beans and other legumes. The Mediterranean diet features kidney beans, white beans, black beans, chickpeas, lentils, peas, and many other pulses.

Like vegetables, legumes are another food group associated with a lower risk of death.

Pulses and beans are packed with flavanols, a polyphenol that can help improve blood vessel function, reduce cholesterol and blood pressure, and keep your energy levels in check.

Here’s our full article on beans, including their health benefits and some ways to include them in your cooking.

Herbs and Spices

The Mediterranean diet gets much of its flavor — and a good deal of its health benefits — from its liberal use of signature herbs and spices. Here’s a place where we really have to talk about Mediterranean diets in the plural.

Italian food tends to use leafy herbs such as basil, oregano, parsley, sage, marjoram, and bay leaves for flavor; Greek dishes include more dill, mint, and fennel; Spanish cuisine gets accented by saffron and paprika; and North African food often features spicier chilis, cumin, cardamom, coriander, caraway seeds, and cinnamon.

Learn more about how to use herbs and spices for taste and health.

Nuts

Nuts are another key element in most healthy Mediterranean diets. Many dishes include almonds, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, walnuts, pistachios, and others.

Not only are nuts delicious sources of healthy fats but they have also been shown to improve several metabolic biomarkers related to heart health and blood sugar regulation.

Want to go nuts about nuts? Our comprehensive article on the health benefits of walnuts, one of the best-studied nuts, is a good place to start.

Olive Oil

 One way Mediterranean diets differ from strictly whole-food, plant-based diets is in their use of refined plant oils, especially extra virgin olive oil.

Studies have shown that olive oil can confer some health benefits, such as cardiovascular disease prevention and protection against obesity, type 2 diabetes, and some types of cancer.

It depends on context, however. Replacing less healthy fats with olives or olive oil could be beneficial.

But, due to the extremely high caloric density of refined oils, olive oil could be problematic if you’re trying to lose weight or are already dealing with cardiovascular disease. In those cases, a lower-fat diet may be advisable.

Animal Products (and Their Analogues)

Traditional Mediterranean diets may also include animal products such as dairy, seafood, and some lean meats, but in far fewer amounts than the standard industrialized diet. When meat is included, it’s often used as a side dish or flavoring to a main dish of whole grains and vegetables, or in equal amounts.

You can enjoy a fully vegan Mediterranean diet without including animal products or by using plant-based analogues as transition foods, making it even healthier for you and more sustainable for the planet.

Tips for Cooking and Enjoying Healthy Mediterranean Recipes

So, now that we’re clear on the ingredients, let’s talk about how to cook Mediterranean food in your kitchen.

You need high-quality ingredients to start. Look for fresh fruits and vegetables that are in season to maximize flavor and nutritional value.

Eat the rainbow, incorporating a variety of colors and types to ensure a broad spectrum of nutrients.

You’ll also want to prioritize whole foods over processed ones. Start with whole grains such as quinoa, farro, and bulgur as a base for your dishes, as they provide lots of fiber and essential nutrients. Then, include the ingredients mentioned in the previous section to round out the nutritional potential of your meals.

Instead of relying on salt, oil, and sugar, use herbs and spices to add depth and complexity to your dishes.

Creating flavorful dressings and sauces using ingredients like lemon juice, vinegar, tahini, and fresh herbs can add more zing and flavor.

To minimize your consumption of bottled oils, use water or broth for stovetop cooking. Also, you can replace unhealthy saturated fats with healthier unsaturated ones.

Last but definitely not least, remember that the Mediterranean diet is a way of living, not just eating. The social aspects of life in the Blue Zones may add as many years of healthy life as the food itself.

So whenever possible, take time to enjoy meals with loved ones. This can make eating more enjoyable and promote a balanced, healthy relationship with food.

Vegan Mediterranean Recipes

Grab your passport and explore Mediterranean cuisine’s vibrant, colorful, and flavorful essence with these seven plant-based recipes!

Each dish captures the diverse ingredients and bold flavors that make Mediterranean food a favorite around the world.

From creamy breakfast toast and refreshing salads to hearty mains and indulgent desserts, these recipes bring the best of the Mediterranean to your kitchen and are completely plant-based.

Savor the sunny flavors of olives, fresh herbs, juicy tomatoes, and more, all in delicious dishes that are as wholesome as they are satisfying!

1. Mediterranean Breakfast Toast

This Mediterranean Breakfast Toast combines all your favorite Mediterranean flavors in a hummus toast that stands out from the rest! Creamy hummus, crunchy veggies, and tangy vegan feta add a unique touch. Perfect for a light breakfast or lunch, it’s a deliciously healthy way to start your day!

2. Greek Quinoa Salad

Enjoy the fresh, vibrant flavors of the Mediterranean with this Greek Quinoa Salad! Filled with organic quinoa, juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, red bell pepper, and tangy Kalamata olives, this salad is both refreshing and satisfying. The zesty tahini dressing, with red wine vinegar, lemon juice, and a touch of maple syrup, is the perfect blend of flavors. Finished with fresh parsley and oregano, this salad is a tasty and wholesome way to savor a Greek recipe.

3. Ash Reshteh (Persian Noodle Soup With Rice and Beans)

Ash Reshteh is a beloved Persian noodle soup from Iran, rich with beans, herbs, and noodles central to Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine. Traditionally enjoyed during Persian New Year and festive occasions, this hearty soup features reshteh noodles and a blend of greens and legumes like spinach, lentils, and chickpeas.

Flavored with aromatic spices, it’s typically served with kashk (a type of whey) for a tangy kick, but this version uses plant-based yogurt instead.

Ash Reshteh’s intricate flavors and textures make it a cherished dish beyond Iran, celebrated in Mediterranean and Persian cuisine.

4. Spanish Paella Burger With Spinach and Chickpeas

Bring the flavors of Spain to your table with these Spanish Paella Burgers With Chickpeas and Spinach!

Inspired by the traditional Valencian dish, these veggie burgers capture the essence of Mediterranean cuisine with short-grain brown rice, chickpeas, and spinach. Infused with the warm, aromatic spices of saffron and paprika, these burgers offer a delicious, plant-based twist on classic paella.

Whether for a casual meal or a themed dinner, these Paella Burgers bring the vibrant spirit of Spanish cuisine to your plate.

5. Moroccan Lentils and Tomatoes

Explore the vibrant plant-based cuisine of North African Mediterranean cuisine with this Moroccan Lentils and Tomatoes dish.

This recipe combines warm spices like cumin, coriander, and mustard seeds with the sweetness of organic crushed tomatoes and raisins. Lentils and kale add a hearty, nourishing base, making this dish as versatile as it is flavorful.

Whether served as a main course or a side, this plant-based recipe showcases the diverse and delicious fusion of Mediterranean and North African flavors.

6. Broccolini Gremolata

Gremolata is a traditional Italian condiment made from finely minced parsley, garlic, and lemon zest. It is known for adding a bright, fresh burst of flavor to any dish. This vibrant, nutrient-packed mix perfectly complements Mediterranean cuisine, making it an ideal topping for organic grilled tempeh or tofu, roasted vegetables, or crusty whole-grain bread.

Our Broccolini Gremolata brings this classic Italian garnish together with tender organic broccolini, elevated by extra virgin olive oil, salt, black pepper, and a hint of crushed red pepper flakes. This simple yet flavorful dish captures the essence of Mediterranean cooking, adding a fresh, herby twist to your meals.

7. Chocolate Pistachio Semifreddo

Chocolate Pistachio Semifreddo is a decadent dessert rooted in the rich culinary traditions of the Mediterranean.

Hailing from Italy, semifreddo, meaning “half-frozen,” offers a velvety, mousse-like texture that melts on your tongue. This plant-based version marries the nutty flavors of almonds and pistachios with the natural sweetness of dates and the fragrant warmth of vanilla. Including vegan dark chocolate chips adds a layer of healthful indulgence, perfectly complementing the Mediterranean-inspired ingredients.

Perfect for any occasion, this Italian semifreddo recipe is a delightful nod to the simple yet luxurious desserts of the Mediterranean.

Enjoy Mediterranean-Inspired Eating

Rooted in the traditional cultures of countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, the Mediterranean diet emphasizes whole, plant-based foods that are rich in nutrients and flavor. From vibrant vegetables and hearty legumes to aromatic herbs and whole grains, these Mediterranean recipes provide a diverse and satisfying array of meal options that support a healthy lifestyle.

Remember that this diet is more than just a way of eating — it’s a lifestyle that encourages communal meals, mindful eating, and a balanced approach to nutrition.

Tell us in the comments:

• What plant-based dishes do you currently make that are inspired by the Mediterranean diet?

Featured Image: iStock.com/simonapilolla

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The post How to Create Vegan Mediterranean Recipes for Well-Being and Longevity appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

Empanadas. Tostones. Tacos. Burritos. Tamales. Pupusas. Moles.

If you’re a foodie, you may already be salivating at the names of some of the most iconic Latin American dishes. If these are new to you, you’re in for a treat.

But these and other Latin American dishes also reflect thousands of years of history, including half a millennium of colonization and subjugation. So, getting to know Latin American cuisine can expand your mind and palate.

In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, which takes place every year in the US between September 15 and October 15 (and which I think is fine to celebrate all year, so don’t worry if you’re reading this in January or July), we’d like to aid that expansion.

That said, a lot of Latin American cuisine is heavy on meat and dairy, so you might wonder why I’m talking about it on a website that promotes a largely plant-based diet.

Many traditional Latin American dishes are already plant-based, or close enough that they’re easy to adapt for vegans. There are ways to honor the diversity of the region’s culinary traditions while catering to people who follow a more plant-based diet.

Our recipes here are intended to respect cultural authenticity while making plant-based adaptations. We’re pleased to present our take on plant-based Latin American recipes from Mexico, Peru, Brazil, Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and El Salvador.

What Is Latin American Food?

There is no single defining dish that is “Latin American,” as there are dozens of different cuisines under the umbrella of Latin American food. Each country’s cuisine also has nuances and specialties.

To make things even more complicated, the definition of “Latin America” itself is complex and somewhat problematic.

Broadly, Latin America is typically defined as all parts of the American continent south of the US border, which includes Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. The word “Latin” defines it further: the countries where the Latin-based languages of Spanish, Portuguese, or French are spoken as official languages.

One problem with this definition is that it’s Euro-centric: that is, it ignores the Indigenous peoples and languages that predated colonization, as well as the cultural, political, and culinary influences of the African slave trade.

But it’s not entirely inaccurate either — these regions have been heavily impacted by European colonization, for better and for worse (let’s be honest: mostly for worse). And those influences are reflected in their cuisines.

The Diversity of Latin America and Its Cuisines

European colonizers, mostly from Spain and Portugal, were alarmed when they arrived in what they called the “new world” and discovered that their dietary staples — wheat, dairy, and meat from livestock — were nowhere to be found.

Columbus’ second voyage, in 1493, brought cows, pigs, goats, and sheep, which quickly multiplied in the presence of rich vegetation and the absence of predators and diseases. (That’s why there’s so much meat in many Latin American dishes today!)

They also planted wheat (in part to ensure they had the right flour for the Catholic rite known as the Eucharist).

These ingredients — meat, dairy, and wheat — combined with native foods such as corn, beans, chilies, and (in coastal regions) seafood created a series of fusion cuisines that are now central to the region’s cultural identities.

African influences, via the transatlantic slave trade, also left a mark on Latin American food, particularly in Brazil and the Caribbean.

Settlers also brought their cooking tools and techniques to the Americas, including stewing and baking in iron (instead of clay) pots and frying in oil (which gave us popular foods like empanadas and churros).

The spices and seasonings brought by European colonizers and enslaved African peoples further diversified Latin American cuisine and flavors.

The cuisines of Latin America today are a testament to this complex history, showcasing a blend (and often a clash!) of traditions that continue to evolve and influence global food culture.

For more on the impact of colonized diets on Indigenous foods and peoples, check out our article Indigenous Foods: How Colonized Diets Have Made Native Nations Sick — and What’s Being Done About It Today.

Plant-Based Ingredients and Substitutions in Latin American Cuisines

While European colonists focused on bringing their traditional foods and ingredients to the Americas, they eventually saw the value in the myriad plant foods indigenous to their new home. These days, it’s hard for many of us in the Americas to imagine a world without corn, beans, squash, potatoes, cacao, tomatoes, peppers, avocados, and tropical fruits.

Those — and many other — plant-based ingredients have always played a central role in traditional Latin American diets, forming the foundation of many iconic dishes. Let’s look at just a few examples.

A staple of Central Mexican cuisine is the three sisters that are grown together (via a horticultural technique known as companion planting) and cooked together: corn, beans, and summer squash. (Beans and corn are also grown together in parts of Africa.)

In the Andean region, potatoes were a dietary staple long before colonization. Another Andean crop, quinoa, has always been highly valued for its nutritional profile, rich in protein, fiber, and essential amino acids.

Pre-colonial diets also featured fruits and vegetables in abundance; people widely consumed and traded avocados, tomatoes, chili peppers, and cacao. The Caribbean, in particular, was rich in herbs, tropical fruits, and various tubers that defined much of that region’s cuisine.

In fact, pre-colonial Latin American cuisine was largely plant-based — except for seafood along the coast and the occasional hunting of wild game. Meat was not a big part of Indigenous diets until the introduction of livestock by European colonizers.

Although many modern dishes include meat, there are many ways to substitute whole foods or meat analogs — or leave out animal products entirely. For example, you can use foods like mushrooms, jackfruit, tofu, hearts of palm, and beans to add protein and a meat-like texture to Latin American-inspired recipes.

Examples of Latin American Dishes and Condiments That Are Already Vegan

Many Latin American dishes require minimal substitutions or none at all to make them completely plant-based. Below, you’ll find a variety of appetizers, mains, and desserts so you can craft your own three-course menu!

Appetizers and Condiments

• Baked or fried plantains or yucca
• Many sauces such as salsas, mole, curries, Haitian sòs pwa (without butter or using an analog), and chimichurri

Entrees

• Tamales (Mexico and Guatemala) may use lard in the dough but can be made without it. Fillings can just be vegetables, beans, or even pineapple
• Pupusas (El Salvador and Honduras), arepas (Columbia and Venezuela), and tacos (Mexico) can all be made without animal products or with meat and dairy substitutes
• Beans and rice have multiple variations and iterations across Latin America
• Caribbean curries and stews like Jamaican ital
• Breakfast foods like açaí bowls (Brazil) or quinoa porridge (Peru)

Desserts

• Arroz con leche and flan can be made with plant-based milk and the latter with egg substitutes

Vegan Latin American Recipes

Dive into the vibrant flavors of Latin America with these plant-based recipes that bring a fresh twist to traditional favorites. From hearty stews and savory tamales to sweet treats like arroz con leche, these dishes capture the essence of Latin American cuisine while keeping things wholesome and plant-based. Perfect for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a snack, these recipes offer a delicious way to explore the rich culinary traditions of Latin American countries, all with a modern, plant-powered spin.

1. Açaí Na Tigela

Açaí Na Tigela, or Açaí Bowl, is a beloved dish rooted in Brazilian culture. It is particularly popular in the Amazon region, where the açaí berry is harvested. This vibrant bowl mixes the rich flavors of frozen açaí, banana, and plant-based yogurt, giving you a taste of Brazil’s natural goodness.

Traditionally enjoyed as a refreshing breakfast or snack, it’s topped with Simple Homemade Granola, hemp seeds, shredded coconut, and cacao nibs, adding layers of texture and flavor. This recipe brings a creamy bowl of Latin American culture to your table, celebrating the wholesome and energizing qualities of açaí — a true superfood of Brazil.

2. Poule Nan Sos (Haitian Tofu Stew)

Poule Nan Sos is a beloved dish in Haitian cuisine and a staple in many Latin American food traditions. Traditionally made with chicken, this hearty stew is comfort food that’s been passed down through generations, bringing the warmth and soul of Haitian homes to the table.

In this plant-based twist, we’re swapping in organic tofu, which soaks up all the rich flavors of Epis — a must-have seasoning in Haitian cooking. It’s a perfect way to enjoy Haiti’s rich culinary heritage in a fresh, new way. Serve it with brown rice or traditional Haitian bread, and enjoy a taste of Haiti that’s both familiar and excitingly different.

3. Yuca Con Mojo

You might already be familiar with cassava, especially if you’ve experienced the cuisines of South America, Africa, or Southeast Asia, where it’s a staple. In Latin America, particularly in the Caribbean and Central America, it’s known as yuca and is beloved for its starchy, filling, and versatile qualities.

In Cuban culture, yuca is often prepared as Yuca Con Mojo, a traditional dish of boiled yuca topped with a zesty sauce made from sautéed onions, garlic, and lemon. It’s a delicious way to savor Cuba’s rich culinary heritage and yuca’s savory goodness!

4. Black Bean and Sweet Potato Pupusas

Inspired by traditional recipes from El Salvador and Honduras, these Black Bean and Sweet Potato Pupusas put a delicious plant-based spin on a classic dish. Instead of the usual cheese and beans, they’re filled with refried black beans, sweet potatoes, and spinach, all seasoned with cumin, garlic, and nutritional yeast.

What makes pupusas so wonderful — besides being a convenient snack on the go — is the endless variety of fillings you can experiment with. Once you master stuffing and flattening the discs, get creative with your fillings! Serve them with tangy Salvadorian Curtido (Latin America’s take on sauerkraut) and salsa roja for a flavorful twist on a Central American favorite!

5. Vegan Tamales (Oil Free)

Vegan Tamales offer a plant-based, oil-free take on a beloved staple in Latin American cuisine. Tamales have been cherished for centuries, especially in Mexico and Central America, where they’re often made in large batches and shared during family celebrations. This version features a flavorful filling of Cashew Sour Cream, organic corn, black beans, and fresh spinach, seasoned with traditional spices like smoked paprika, chili powder, and cumin.

Making tamales is a communal activity in many Latin American households, and this recipe is perfect for creating an assembly line with loved ones. For added efficiency, prepare the filling ingredients and Red Chile Sauce in advance. These tamales are not just a meal but a way to connect with the nourishing culinary traditions of Latin America.

6. Caribbean Heat Papaya Sauce

Caribbean Heat Papaya Sauce puts this exotic, sweet, melon-like fruit center stage. Despite the name, there is just the right amount of heat to complement the mellow flavor of papaya and the pungent notes of garlic and ginger.

As the ingredients simmer together, the flavor of papaya intensifies to create a sweet, savory, and saucy delight. If you are a papaya lover (and even if you’re not), Caribbean Heat Papaya Sauce is a must-try!

7. Arroz Con Leche

This vegan Arroz Con Leche is a delightful twist on a beloved Latin American dessert. It blends traditional flavors with plant-based ingredients. It begins with homemade almond milk, is enhanced with vanilla extract, and is naturally sweetened with date paste.

Organic brown rice is simmered with cinnamon sticks and lemon peel, infusing the dish with the classic warm, spiced flavors that make this cultural favorite so comforting. A sprinkle of ground cinnamon adds the perfect finishing touch.

Across Latin America, Arroz Con Leche is cherished in various forms, with each community adding its special touch, making it a beloved treat throughout the region!

Enjoy a Taste of Latin America!

Latin America, with its vast array of cultures, flavors, and ingredients, offers a culinary landscape as diverse as its people. While meat and dairy products are often central to many traditional dishes, there are numerous ways to honor these diverse traditions with plant-based recipes that respect cultural authenticity.

The recipes we’ve shared are just a small representation of the immense culinary richness found across Latin America. These cuisines are a testament to a complex history influenced by indigenous practices, European colonization, and African traditions.

While colonization introduced new ingredients and cooking techniques, the heart of Latin American cuisine remains deeply rooted in plant-based staples that have nourished communities for centuries.

Tell us in the comments:

• What are your favorite Latin American ingredients and dishes?
• Which vegan Latin American recipe will you try next?

Featured Image: iStock.com/LUNAMARINA

Read Next:

The post 7 Vegan Latin American Recipes To Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

Across the globe, many cultures elevate their meals with sauces and dressings that infuse bold flavors and signature touches. Think of creamy tzatziki enhancing Greek cuisine, rich hummus accompanying Armenian dishes, vibrant salsa topping off Mexican meals, or the comforting embrace of tomato sauce over Italian pasta. You get the idea!

Sauces are an essential element of cuisines worldwide. The perfect sauce can transform an everyday meal into a gourmet experience — especially when it’s made in your kitchen.

Store-bought dressings and sauces are often loaded with hard-to-pronounce additives and genetically modified ingredients that don’t serve your health. They can also come with more than the recommended daily allowance of sodium, saturated fat, and sugar if you don’t check the labels carefully. There can even be hidden dairy or fish, which is a problem if you suffer from allergies or are vegan.

So, if you’re looking to avoid these unsavory (pun intended!) ingredients, you may want to try your hand at homemade sauces and dressings. You’ll discover a new world of flavor and possibilities using wholesome, plant-based ingredients.

In this article, we’ll discuss how to make sauces and dressings, including key plant-based ingredients to try, uses, and storage tips. We’ll also include a step-by-step video tutorial to help you create your own delicious sauce or dressing.

Essential Ingredients for Plant-Based Sauces

When deciding on the sauce or dressing you want to create, start by thinking about the flavor profile you’re aiming for. Do the flavors of a specific cuisine complement your dish? For instance, if you’re preparing a grain bowl with bulgur and baked chickpeas, you might choose a sauce infused with spices like cumin, paprika, and cinnamon, which are staples in Moroccan cooking.

Ingredients for Texture

You might also consider the sauce texture. If your bowl has crunchy and crispy textures, you might find that a creamy sauce complements the crunch and crisp nicely.

Many store-bought sauces and dressings contain dairy to make them creamy. But plants can also create the most seemingly indulgent textures!

Examples of plant-based ingredients that transform into a creamy base include:

• Nuts and seeds: If you don’t have a high-speed blender, soak nuts and seeds for one to two hours to soften before adding them to your recipe.
• Cooked vegetables: Boiled or steamed potatoes, butternut squash, and cauliflower can all create succulent textures, as portrayed in this Cauliflower Squash Cheese Sauce.
• Legumes: Beans, lentils, and tofu can create a hearty sauce packed with protein and fiber!
• Avocado: Due to its healthy fat and fiber, avocado instantly becomes a satiating delight. It’s especially great if its green hue complements your dish!
• Plant-based yogurt and milk: These dairy-free ingredients can easily replace any sauce or dressing that uses the dairy version of each.

Adding just a bit of cornstarch, arrowroot powder, or tapioca starch can also help thicken your sauces without altering the flavor.

Ingredients for Flavor

Next, you’ll want to consider ingredients that will add flavor to your recipe.

Acidic ingredients, like vinegar, orange, lemon, or lime, can add a zing or zest to sauces and dressings.

To balance a recipe’s acidity, you may also want to add a little sweetness with maple syrup, fresh fruit, or date paste. This Blueberry-Balsamic Walnut Dressing is a good example of this combination with blueberries for sweetness and balsamic vinegar for acidity.

For a list of the best and worst sweeteners, visit our article on sugar substitutes.

You can further enhance the flavor of homemade sauces and dressings with herbs and spices. In the dressing example above, we added tarragon for a touch of pungency. It’s an elegant little herb that packs a fun punch!

Other fresh herbs to consider include basil, cilantro, parsley, and dill. They can all bring life to a sauce or dressing whenever you feel “something is missing.”

If you’re cooking ingredients before making them into a sauce, add the fresh herbs toward the end of cooking to preserve their freshness.

Dried spices such as cumin, paprika, turmeric, and coriander add depth and complexity to sauces and dressings. Get curious, play around with them, and don’t be afraid to experiment!

If you find yourself following a recipe that uses oil and you’d like to opt for whole food fats instead, consider using avocado, nuts, seeds, or tahini in place of oil. Since they’re all rich in healthy fats, these ingredients can simulate that same creamy mouthfeel with a nuttier flavor.

Equipment You May Need To Make Sauces and Dressings

To create homemade plant-based sauces and dressings, you’ll need a few basic kitchen appliances.

Blending sauces and dressings is best done using a regular blender, high-speed blender, food processor, or immersion blender.

For dressings or thinner sauces, you might also be able to get away with just a mixing bowl and whisk.

Using Sauces and Dressings in Your Cooking

Next, you’ll want to use every last bit of those nourishing sauces and dressings you just made!

There are many ways to use sauce to elevate the flavor and nutritional value of your dishes:

• Use sauces over noodles, grain bowls, and stir-fry dishes.
• Drizzle dressings on top of salads and steamed veggies.
• Marinate tofu, tempe, or mushrooms before grilling.
• Serve baked sweet potato fries or squash chips with a dipping sauce as an appetizer.
• Spread thicker sauces on pizzas, sandwiches, and wraps.
• Smother pasta noodles in sauce to make mac and cheese.
• Pour sauces into casseroles to make them rich and creamy.

Watch the video below to discover how to make sauces. Discover why sauces are so fabulous, the benefit of using whole food fats over oils, how to create your own delicious Lime Jalapeño Sauce (option for no spice!), and how this sauce offers boatloads of nutrition.

Storing Homemade Plant-Based Sauces and Dressings

We recommend keeping one or two sauces on hand at all times, which will help you quickly put together a plant-based meal.

While many homemade sauces are best used fresh (especially those containing fat-based ingredients), many can be stored for later use. Store sauces and dressings in an airtight container, like glass mason jars (we love reusing old condiment jars for this purpose), or in refrigerator- and freezer-safe non-toxic containers.

Depending on the ingredients, many sauces can last three to five days in the refrigerator and up to six months in the freezer.

Some sauces and spreads, like tomato sauce or salsa, can also be canned. Here’s a handy canning guide from The National Center For Home Food Preservation.

Canned sauces typically last at least one year or longer. When storing, note the date it was made to determine your “best by” date.

Plant-Based Sauce and Dressing Recipes To Make from Scratch

Spice up your meals with these three homemade plant-based sauces! Whether you’re looking for something fresh and herby, rich and creamy, or bold and zesty, these sauces are the perfect companions to a variety of savory dishes. They’re easy to whip up and bring a burst of flavor to everything from grain bowls and salads to sandwiches and roasted veggies.

Get ready to make these versatile sauces your new kitchen staples for delicious, plant-based goodness in every bite!

1. Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

This sauce may take a little longer than your average five-minute sauce, but we’re here to tell you it’s worth every minute! Thanks to the roasted red peppers, it also makes a tasty alternative to traditional tomato sauce. So try it with your favorite whole-grain pasta or as part of an Italian casserole dish. This “cheesy” roasted red pepper sauce is also delicious poured over a grain bowl, topped on spaghetti squash, or drizzled over steamed veggies!

2. Kale Walnut Basil Pesto

Kale Walnut Basil Pesto is bound to be your new go-to sauce, adding a fresh, herby kick to all your favorite dishes! Spread it on hearty veggie sandwiches, mix it with legume-based pasta, or use it as a luscious dressing for salads and grain bowls. With just a few simple ingredients and only 10 minutes, you’ll have a vibrant, zesty sauce ready to brighten up any meal in no time!

3. Tzatziki Sauce 

Creamy sauces get a plant-based makeover with this easy, dairy-free Tzatziki Sauce. Combining refreshing cucumber with creamy plant-based yogurt, it’s a flavorful and nutritious addition to any dish. Whether you’re drizzling it over grain bowls, pairing it with grilled tofu, spreading it on avocado toast, or getting creative with other dishes, this sauce is a breeze to make. With just a handful of simple ingredients — cucumber, plant-based yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, and your favorite herbs — you’ll have a delicious, homemade sauce ready to elevate your meals in a flash!

Add Sauces to Your Culinary Repertoire!

Homemade sauces and dressings offer a healthier alternative to store-bought options. Using wholesome, plant-based ingredients allows you to control the quality of what goes into your food and, therefore, into your body. By embracing homemade alternatives, you’ll discover a world of flavorful, nutritious possibilities that cater to your dietary preferences while elevating your plant-based culinary experience.

Tell us in the comments:

• Which of the three sauces do you want to make first?
• Can you share an experience where a sauce leveled up your dish?

Featured Image: iStock.com/nesharm

Read Next:

• It’s All About the Sauce! Level Up Your Plant-Based Recipes with These 7 Homemade Sauces

• 10 Healthy Condiments Your Body and Your Taste Buds Will Love

The post How To Make Plant-Based Sauces and Dressings appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

While tofu has been a staple in many Asian cuisines for millennia, it’s recently made a name for itself among plant-based eaters in other cultures. Now, there are dozens of different types of tofu, from firm to silken to smoked to shredded to baked. And each one has qualities that make it suitable for different uses.

Despite its simplicity, tofu can be a bit of a mystery to those who haven’t cooked with it before. (“Is it Jell-O? Is it a sponge?”) How do you determine which one to use and how to use it?

In this guide, I’m going to demystify tofu for you. I’ll show you the different types and the best ways to store it, and I’ll end with simple and tasty tofu recipes to try at home.

What Is Tofu?

Tofu is the Japanese name for soybean curds, borrowed from the Chinese words for curdled beans. It’s got a smooth texture, kind of like cheese, but unless it’s fermented or marinated, tofu doesn’t have much taste on its own.

Tofu is made by coagulating soy milk with salt and pressing the resulting curds into solid blocks of varying densities. The more water pressed out, the harder the tofu.

Tofu originated in China at least 2,000 years ago, and its use quickly spread across many Asian regions and cuisines.

Tofu and other whole soy foods have nutritional and health benefits, a fact often obscured by misinformation generated by the meat and dairy industries.

To learn more about soy nutrition, health benefits, and myths, check out our comprehensive article: ​​Soy Facts: Is Soy Healthy or Harmful?

Types of Tofu

While there are many different flavors and styles of tofu, six basic types are distinguished by how hard they are “pressed” (if at all) from curds into blocks.

The types of tofu include:

• Silken tofu
• Soft tofu
• Medium-firm tofu
• Firm tofu
• Extra-firm tofu
• Super-firm tofu

Silken tofu is hardly pressed — more like gently shaped into a block. It has a custard-like texture and is very soft. You might have seen small squares of silken tofu in miso soup. Several plant-based desserts also use silken tofu as a base. This is usually the kind of tofu that you’ll see sold in aseptic shelf-stable packaging.

Soft tofu is somewhat pressed, releasing more water. It’s often added to soups and stews.

Medium-firm tofu is harder but still crumblier than firmer types, making it a good scrambled egg substitute.

Firm tofu is pressed harder and can be cut into cubes, strips, cutlets, and other shapes for baking, air-frying, or stir-frying.

Extra-firm tofu is similar to firm tofu but has less water due to more intense pressing. It’s chewier than firm tofu, too, and is the type most commonly used as a meat alternative.

Super-firm tofu uses the least water and the most protein. It’s great for quickly whipping up a meal because it doesn’t require pressing out water to get that desired firm texture when cooking.

Where to Buy Tofu

When the hippie counterculture was in full swing in the 1960s and 70s, you could only find tofu in natural food stores or Asian grocery stores. If you were rocking a plant-based lifestyle back then, you might remember the five-gallon buckets, irregular blocks of tofu, and large metal tongs.

Now, most regular grocery stores and supermarkets carry at least one or two tofu varieties, a testament to the increasing popularity of plant-based foods. It’s also widely available in the grocery sections of big-box stores, like Target and Walmart.

If you’re looking for specialty tofu varieties, Asian grocery stores and markets may still be your best bet. And shelf-stable tofu can be found online or in stores. The most commonly available brand in the US is called Mori-Nu.

Pro tip: Look for certified organic tofu to avoid bioengineered (GMO) soy. In 2020, about 94% of all soybeans planted were genetically modified, so the odds are any non-organic tofu will have come from GMO soybeans. That said, much of the GMO soy is grown for animal agriculture, which is another reason to enjoy organic tofu in place of meat.

How to Store Tofu

Shelf-stable tofu can go in your cabinet and sit there (it will remain shelf-stable until at least the expiration date on the box, which is often a year or more past the date of manufacture).

For other tofu types, the clock starts ticking even before you open the package. Unopened, tofu can last for about a month or two in the refrigerator. But to be safe, go by the “use by” or “best by” date on the packaging.

Once you open the package, you can store the tofu in an airtight container. Just pour enough water to fully submerge it and change the water daily. Uncooked tofu can be stored for up to 5 days, provided you change the water daily.

After cooking, tofu leftovers can last for 3–5 days in the refrigerator.

To extend the life of your tofu, you can freeze it in its original container (which means it might be embedded in a block of ice) or an airtight container.

Freezing alters the texture of tofu, which behaves differently after defrosting than when unfrozen. It tends to be chewier and more sponge-like, which I realize doesn’t sound like a good thing. But there are recipes where post-frozen tofu works better as a meat alternative — for example, dishes originally made with minced beef or pulled chicken.

How to Cook and Use Tofu

Tofu’s versatility extends to the many ways you can cook it. A classic way is to stir-fry chunks in a pan, using water or broth instead of oil. You can brown the tofu individually and set it aside, or toss it back into the pan or wok later after you’ve stir-fried some veggies first.

Tofu can be baked in the oven at 400 ℉ (200 ℃) for 15 minutes for a chewier texture. For a crispier texture, bake it for 25–35 minutes, depending on how hot your oven runs. Toss it halfway through to ensure even baking.

Depending on the type of tofu and the amount of marinade you use, using an air fryer at the same temperature for 15 minutes can also provide a crispy outer coating.

You can also grill tofu (only extra-firm varieties reliably stay on the skewer, I’ve found), flipping it after a few minutes to cook both sides evenly.

Boiling tofu is a good way to achieve a meatier texture. For double meatiness, boil previously frozen tofu.

Tofu can be featured in a host of lovely plant-based dishes.

• You can add cooked tofu to stir-fries and grain bowls.
• It can also add body and absorb flavor from a variety of curries and Asian dishes.
• Tofu can also add chewiness and meatiness to vegan skewers and kebabs.
• You can prepare tofu as a meat or cheese alternative, blend soft tofu into smoothies, and use it as a base for sauces.
• Medium-firm tofu can even convincingly mimic eggs in breakfast scrambles, casseroles, and quiches.
• Sliced and cooked firm tofu can enliven wraps, burritos, and sandwiches.

Tofu Recipes

Now that you understand the different tofu types and how to cook them, get ready to embark on a delicious tofu adventure with these seven scrumptious plant-based recipes. Whether you’re using silken, soft, firm, or super-firm tofu, each recipe showcases tofu’s versatility and ability to transform into delightful dishes. From creamy desserts to hearty mains to crunchy salad toppers, these recipes will inspire you to get creative in the kitchen.

1. Tofu Scramble Breakfast Wrap

Enjoy tofu with an eggy bite in this delicious Tofu Scramble Breakfast Wrap. Not only is it a protein-packed way to start the day, but tofu also wonderfully mimics eggs’ soft, pillowy texture, making it an ideal plant-based transition food. Topped with creamy avocado and savory salsa, these wraps are a 10 out of 10!

2. Kale Caesar With Tofu Croutons

Tofu transforms into a crunchy, crave-worthy salad topper in this scrumptious Kale Caesar Salad With Tofu Croutons. The tangy Caesar dressing, nutty walnut parmesan, crispy tofu croutons, and vibrant dark green kale are brimming with nutrients and packed with plant-powered flavor. This might just become your new favorite way to enjoy tofu!

3. Chive Sour Cream

Keeping a good condiment on hand can make good food even better. This creamy Chive Sour Cream is extra special because it’s made with silken tofu instead of dairy. Silken tofu provides a smooth, rich texture and a neutral flavor that blends easily, making it an ideal base for this recipe and many others. Use this versatile tofu sour cream to top veggie burgers, dollop on tacos, or use as a dip for veggies. Enjoy a delicious, healthier alternative that fits seamlessly into a whole-food, plant-based diet.

4. Sweet and Smoky Tofu, Vegetable, and Pineapple Skewers

These tofu skewers boast a balance of savory and sweet flavors with lots of plant power. With its satisfying texture, the protein-packed tofu pairs perfectly with earthy portobello mushrooms, sweet red bell peppers, and tangy pineapple. A tahini and lime marinade brings all these ingredients to life. Perfect for any gathering or a nutritious family meal, the skewers offer a burst of flavor in every bite. Enjoy a culinary delight that’s both easy to prepare and irresistibly delicious.

5. Tofu Saag Paneer

Cheese is often one of the hardest foods to give up when transitioning to plant-based eating. You can make your own nut or seed cheese at home — and supermarkets have some great almond- and cashew-based cheese options. But what about tofu? In its firm or extra-firm form, it makes a pretty fantastic paneer cheese! If you thought you’d had your last Saag Paneer or have yet to try it because it’s typically made from dairy, try this flavorsome tofu-ized version.

6. Mediterranean Tortilla Pizza With Tofu Ricotta

Tofu Ricotta steals the show in this delectable and oh-so-cheesy plant-based Mediterranean Tortilla Pizza! Used generously as a topping, this pizza is loaded with tofu ricotta and colorful and savory veggies like juicy cherry tomatoes and briny green olives. It’s a delightful way to reinvent tofu, offering a savory and crispy bite bursting with Mediterranean flavors. Perfect for a quick and delicious meal, this pizza is sure to impress and satisfy!

7. Chocolate Cream Dream Pie

While you may think of tofu as a crispy meat or egg substitute in dishes like stir-fries and scrambles, it can also be used to make the creamiest and dreamiest plant-based desserts. It’s such a versatile food! In this delectable dessert, tofu is the base of the heavenly creaminess in this pie that will make you come back for seconds. Enjoy it with or without the coconut cream — it’s a delectable treat either way!

Get Cooking With Tofu

Tofu is a versatile, nutritious, and delicious addition to any diet, whether you’re familiar with it culturally, are a seasoned plant-based cook, or are just starting your tofu journey.

With the information in this article, you should be able to confidently incorporate tofu into your meals, experimenting with flavors and techniques to create dishes that suit your tastes.

Enjoy these tofu meal ideas and recipes in good health!

Tell us in the comments:

• Are you a tofu fan? If so, how do you like to eat it?

Featured Image: iStock.com/from_my_point_of_view

Read Next:

The post The Ultimate Guide to Tofu: Types, Cooking Methods, and Delicious Recipes appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

Actual blueberries can indeed be thrilling. Their vibrant color (not really blue, as George Carlin reminds us), their intense sweet-tart taste, and their rocking antioxidant content are all worth celebrating.

But, unlike Fats Domino’s former sweetheart, blueberries are here to stay and serve as a staple in healthy diets worldwide. They originated as food and plant medicine for Native Americans in North America for thousands of years. And they’ve been cultivated and can now be grown in many other regions of the world.

In the early years of the 20th century, USDA botanist Frederick Colville began experimenting with blueberries to try to figure out how to grow them. By 1910, he’d made a key discovery: blueberry bushes need acidic soil to thrive.

After reading his 1910 USDA Bulletin No. 193: Experiments in Blueberry Culture, Elizabeth Coleman White, the daughter of a New Jersey cranberry farmer, reached out to Colville to collaborate on applying his discovery to her farm.

Together, they created cultivated blueberry strains from wild varieties. And in 1916, Colville published his much-awaited sequel, the riveting Directions for Blueberry Cultivation. This publication created the blueprint for wide-scale blueberry farming, turning the small Pine Barren town of Hammonton, New Jersey, into the blueberry capital of the world.

Both cultivated blueberries and wild blueberries can still be found today. Although each kind offers different qualities, contributing to their popularity in dishes across the world.

But in this article, we’ll explore the best practices for growing, storing, and cleaning blueberries to ensure they remain at their best. You’ll also get seven delicious cultivated and wild blueberry recipes to put those berries to good use.

When Are Blueberries in Season?

You can find ripe cultivated blueberries from April through September, with peak availability during June, July, and August. (Although some varieties can thrive in the southern hemisphere, blueberries are most commonly grown in North America and Europe.)

The most common types of cultivated blueberries include Northern Highbush, Southern Highbush, and Rabbiteye blueberries. (The latter are called “rabbiteye” because the unripe berries have a pink hue reminiscent of a rabbit’s eye.)

Cultivated berries typically prefer warm and humid climates. Most varieties can be grown in USDA zones 3–8, with some varieties able to survive in zones 9 and 10.

Wild blueberries are native to most of the northern US and are often found in Maine and parts of Canada. Typically referred to as Lowbush blueberries, these varieties have a shorter growing season — from late July to early September — and thrive in USDA zones 3–7.

How to Grow Blueberries

If you want to try your hand at growing your own blueberries, there are a few things to keep in mind.

Even if you plant just a few bushes to start, many varieties are so prolific that you might be able to harvest several pounds a day for several weeks. Fortunately, they’re delicious and freeze well.

Both cultivated and wild blueberries thrive in well-drained, sandy, acidic soil. The best time to plant them is in fall or spring to give the plants time to put down strong roots before the growing season. You’ll also need patience. It may take two to three years before you can pick a lot of berries from the first planting.

You can protect your harvest from birds by using netting and keeping an eye on the plants to monitor for common pests like aphids and blueberry maggots. There are organic fungicides you can apply to help prevent diseases like powdery mildew.

Care for your berry bushes with regular watering, especially during dry periods, and give them lots of mulch to keep the moisture in the soil from evaporating. (They can be so demanding of water and mulch. One farmer I know calls them “bluebabies.”) Many experts recommend mulch from pine trees (in the form of bark, sawdust, or needles), as it does double duty, acidifying the soil as it breaks down.

Prune dead or weak branches to keep your plants healthy and encourage more growth, flowering, and, therefore, berries.

How to Pick Blueberries

You can pick berries you’ve grown in your garden, on a U-pick farm, or even through wild foraging (but only if you know what you’re doing). Some bluish berries like pokeberries, nightshade berries, and Virginia Creeper berries are poisonous and can lead to nausea, dizziness, and even death. Never eat a berry you’re not sure of!

Look for blueberries with a solid, deep blue-purple or blue-grey-ish hue. Don’t be put off if they have a whitish coating; this is called “bloom” and is a natural form of protection that keeps moisture in and insects out.

Unripe blueberries may be white, green, or red, or have a purple color around the stem. Don’t pick them for later; blueberries don’t continue to ripen after picking.

Pro tip: berries picked in the cool of the early morning will have a longer storage life than those holding the heat of the day.

How to Keep Blueberries Fresh and Store Them

Fresh blueberries should be stored in the refrigerator in a breathable container or produce drawer.

Blueberries can stay fresh for up to two weeks when stored properly. Both wild and cultivated blueberries have similar storage requirements, though wild blueberries may have a slightly shorter shelf life.

To freeze blueberries, first rinse and dry them thoroughly. Spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze until solid, at which point you can transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container. (That extra step is so they don’t freeze as one giant clump.)

Frozen blueberries can last up to a year, which is good news if you planted a lot of bushes one year and now get 10 pounds a day in the summer. (Which happened to a friend of mine.)

How to Clean Blueberries

One reason to grow your own blueberries is that cultivated blueberries are on the Environmental Working Group’s “Dirty Dozen” list — that is, one of the crops with the highest concentrations of pesticides. Non-organic blueberries were found in 2024 to contain as many as 17 different pesticide residues, four more than 10 years earlier.

The safest approach is to choose organic varieties when possible to keep pesticides out of your body. If organic blueberries aren’t available or accessible within your budget, you can wash blueberries and still reduce your pesticide exposure. Soak them in a solution of baking soda and water for 12–15 minutes.

The formula is one ounce of baking soda in 100 ounces of water. Here’s a comprehensive article on the most effective ways to clean fruits and vegetables.

Since berries are highly susceptible to mold growth when exposed to high moisture levels, it is best to clean blueberries right before you’re ready to consume them. Once they’re clean, drain and dry the berries well before enjoying them as a snack or adding them to a dish.

How to Use Blueberries

You can eat blueberries raw or cooked. Cooked blueberries often have a more intense flavor, while raw berries retain more antioxidants and other phytonutrients.

Ways to use raw blueberries:

• Eat them by the handful, either fresh or frozen
• Include them in leafy salads and fruit salads
• Eat them on top of hot or cold whole-grain cereals or yogurt bowls and parfaits
• Include them in salsas, salad dressings, and blended into sauces
• Include them in smoothies, smoothie bowls, and acai bowls
• Include them as the base for ice cream, popsicles, and other frozen desserts

Ways to use cooked blueberries:

• In muffins, cakes, pies, crumbles, crisps, cobblers, and pancakes
• Stew in porridge or oatmeal
• Make homemade jams, jellies and sauces
• Roast with vegetables and proteins to add a sweet and tangy contrast
• Mull with spices to make homemade, alcohol-free wine

Blueberry Recipes

Get ready for a berry blast with these seven plant-based blueberry recipes! Packed with juicy flavor, these blueberry dishes are as tasty as they are nutritious.

Whether you need a refreshing breakfast, a wholesome snack, or a delightful dessert, these recipes deliver. From hearty Blueberry Poppy Seed Pancakes to vibrant Blueberry Banana Chia Pudding, each dish showcases the natural sweetness and health benefits of blueberries in fun and creative ways.

Dive in and enjoy these irresistible blueberry creations!

1. Blueberry Poppyseed Pancakes

Plunge into a stack of these hearty and berry-licious Blueberry Poppy Seed Pancakes. Packed with organic buckwheat flour and rolled oats, they’re rich in fiber and plant-based protein. The flax egg adds a boost of omega-3 fatty acids for heart health. But the real stars here are the organic blueberries, bursting with juicy flavor and antioxidants that support overall well-being.

Poppy seeds add a nutty crunch and essential minerals, while a hint of lemon zest and a drizzle of maple syrup bring a perfect balance of citrusy sweetness.

Enjoy this tasty and wholesome berry-packed treat for a deliciously great start to your day!

2. Blueberry Beet Smoothie Bowl

Enjoy the vibrant blend of blueberries and beets in this stunning smoothie bowl, showcasing the best of what blueberries have to offer.

Packed with anthocyanins, this dish isn’t just visually appealing — it’s a powerhouse of nutrition. Antioxidants, fiber, iron, and vitamin C all contribute to a healthy body, sharp mind, and happy taste buds.

Ideal for a nutritious, energizing start to the day or a refreshing afternoon pick-me-up, this blueberry smoothie bowl marries subtle sweetness with wholesome nourishment.

3. Tangy Blueberry Dressing

Transform your salads with this delightful Tangy Blueberry Dressing.

Antioxidant-rich berries bring a burst of sweetness and vibrant color to the dressing. Combined with creamy tahini and tangy balsamic vinegar, this salad dressing has a unique and refreshing flavor profile. Lime juice and date paste enhance the flavor even more, while Dijon mustard adds a subtle kick.

Finished with a touch of optional salt and black pepper, this dressing is a perfect blend of sweet and savory tanginess. Enjoy the distinct and delicious taste of blueberries in every bite!

4. Roasted Carrots With Blueberry Balsamic Glaze

So simple, yet packed with flavor, Roasted Carrots With Blueberry Balsamic Reduction is a deliciously unexpected comfort dish.

The real star here is the blueberry balsamic glaze, which boils blueberries and balsamic vinegar to create a thick, sweet, and intensely flavorful sauce. As the balsamic reduces, it gets sweeter, perfectly blending with the blueberries.

This bold, mouthwatering reduction is so good, that you’ll want to make extra to drizzle on other dishes throughout the week. Check out the Chef’s Notes for more tasty ideas!

5. Blueberry Lemon Bars

These delightful Blueberry Lemon Bars bring a burst of sweetness that perfectly complements the tartness of lemon. Indulging in this whole foods dessert is not just a treat for your taste buds but also a powerhouse of health.

The oats, nuts, and seeds make these lemon bars super satisfying. And each bar is loaded with fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients, making them a nutritious choice any time of day.

Enjoy the sunshine-like flavors and health benefits of these blueberry-enhanced bars!

6. Blueberry Banana Chia Pudding

Kick your everyday chia pudding recipe up a notch with this Blueberry Banana Chia Pudding.

This combination of juicy blueberries, ripe bananas, plant-based milk, and chia seeds is both creamy and refreshing. Organic rolled oats also provide heartiness, while slivered almonds and cacao nibs add a satisfying crunch.

Naturally sweet, this blueberry recipe is perfect for breakfast, a snack, or a healthy dessert. Savor the delicious fruity flavor and wholesome goodness in every bite!

7. Blueberry Pomegranate Mulled Wine (Non-Alcoholic)

Sip on this Blueberry Pomegranate Mulled Wine Mocktail and enjoy a cozy and delicious drink packed with antioxidants. Mixed with pomegranate and grape juice and spiced with cinnamon and cloves, this blueberry mocktail offers a flavor and aroma that will warm your soul and invigorate your senses.

Enjoy the plant-powered goodness and vibrant blueberry tang in every sip!

Enjoy Blueberries!

From their rich history as a staple food for Native American tribes to their modern-day popularity, blueberries are a valuable fruit to incorporate into your diet. Enjoying blueberries to their fullest involves selecting, storing, cleaning, and finding diverse ways to incorporate them into your diet.

With these tips and guidelines, you can ensure that every batch of blueberries you bring home remains fresh and delicious. Whether you snack on them fresh from the blueberry bush, blend them into smoothies, or bake them into your favorite treats, blueberries add a vibrant touch to your meals and color to your table.

Tell us in the comments:

• What are your favorite ways to eat blueberries?

Featured Image: iStock.com/Andrii Zastrozhnov

Read Next:

The post How to Store, Clean, and Use Blueberries + 7 Delicious Recipes to Try appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

Kebab technology has come a long way through the millennia — according to some historians, the cooking technique was pioneered by medieval Turkish soldiers who used swords as campfire skewers. (Not exactly swords into plowshares, but at least a step in the right direction.)

Kebabs accompanied the spread of the Ottoman Empire, showing up in the cuisines of the Middle East and Mediterranean regions, and from there around the world.

And no wonder — food on a stick is convenient, efficient, and fun. Done over a campfire, it allows people to socialize while their dinner cooks and requires minimal preparation.

Cultures around the world have innovated skewered food in ways both savory and sweet. In the Middle East, there are kebabs, both shish and doner. Japanese cuisine features yakitori, while in China there’s sweet tanghulu. India has tikka, Thailand satay, and Russian shashlik. And, of course, American carnivals and state fairs feature corn dogs, fried cheese, and deep-fried candy bars.

Whoa, that got unhealthy fast! Can we turn things around and go in the other direction? Is it possible to make kebabs out of healthy, whole foods? Can we enjoy food on a stick the plant-based way?

Why Choose Vegan Skewers or Kebabs?

There are many reasons to limit or eliminate meat from your diet, including those related to health, the environment, and ethics. If health is a main concern of yours, there’s even more reason to avoid meat that’s grilled or cooked over an open flame at high temperatures.

Better for Your Health

Cooking meat in this way forms AGEs, a very apt acronym for Advanced Glycation End-products that can accelerate aging in your brain and lead to cognitive decline. Open flame high-heat cooking also creates carcinogenic compounds in meat, such as heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).

Not only do these harmful compounds end up sticking to the outside of the grilled meat, they’re also released into the air — so just hanging around next to the grill at a barbecue can introduce them into your body.

By contrast, grilling fruits and vegetables doesn’t create nearly as much of these compounds. While any food high in fat and protein — including soy foods like tofu and tempeh, as well as highly processed plant-based meat alternatives — will produce some level of AGEs, HCAs, and PAHs when grilled, eating a plant-based diet can reduce AGEs by 79%.

You can reduce your AGEs exposure even further by using oil-free marinades rather than oils to coat plant-based kebab ingredients.

And plant-based diets are healthier in general. Plant-based foods that aren’t highly processed contain fiber, which is severely lacking in industrialized diets (and almost entirely absent from meat).

If you choose whole foods over processed ones, you’re also getting more nutrients per calorie, including antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.

Plants are much lower than meat in saturated fat, and they don’t contain certain compounds in meat that cause inflammation, such as TMAO and IGF-1.

Better for Animals and the Environment

Eating plants instead of animals is also better for those animals and for the environment. It turns out that animal agriculture is responsible for a surprisingly high amount of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, as well as being a leading cause of deforestation.

Because converting plant protein to animal protein is so inefficient, huge amounts of land produce animal feed instead of feeding hungry people directly.

Industrial animal agriculture is not only cruel to animals, it’s also pretty cruel to humans. Factory farming contributes to algal blooms, foodborne illness, pandemics, water pollution, and other major health issues.

Replacing animal foods with plant foods is a healthier and environmentally friendly choice. And fortunately, there are many ways to get creative with vegan versions of skewer or kebab recipes.

Essential Plant-Based Ingredients for Food on a Stick

So what kinds of plant-based ingredients can go on a stick? Basically, anything you can cut into chunks or pierce whole that won’t fall off.

That includes many vegetables, such as mushrooms, cauliflower, eggplant, bell peppers, onions, cherry or grape tomatoes, and summer squash like zucchini. Onions can be tricky because, as Shrek pointed out, they have layers.

Some fruits do really well in kebabs, especially the firm ones like jackfruit, pineapple, mangoes, grapes, and just-ripe peaches and apricots.

If you want to add more meaty texture and umami flavor to your kebabs, there are plant-based proteins and meat analogues that can range from lightly processed (tempeh, tofu, and bean/lentil burgers) to medium (seitan) to highly processed (plant-based meat alternatives to chicken tenders and meatballs).

For flavoring your food on a stick, consider plant-based marinades, sauces and dips, and herbs and spices.

Preparing Your Skewers

You can use wood or metal skewers to put together your creations. If wood, soak them first to keep them from burning.

Next, prepare your marinade (see the recipes below for examples and inspiration).

Then, cut the ingredients into chunks or slices for easy skewering and cooking (except for round whole foods like small tomatoes and cocktail onions). One of the secrets to good kebabs is to have all pieces roughly the same size; that way, you don’t end up with mushy bits of abandoned tomato skin wedged between hard, raw zucchini bites.

Marinate the ingredients to add flavor: 10–15 minutes for softer fruits and vegetables with high water content, and longer (even overnight) for firmer foods.

Here’s a video of someone making classic veggie kebabs in an improbably clean kitchen.

One of the nice things about kebabs is that they’re portable, especially before cooking. You can prepare sticks with marinated ingredients and bring them to a barbecue to feed the plant-based eaters (and make the omnivores jealous if you’re not in a sharing mood).

How to Cook Your Kebabs

You’ve got several options for cooking kebabs, including grilling, oven roasting, stovetop cooking, and even skipping the heat and enjoying raw fruits and veggies on a stick.

For grilling, preheat the grill until it reaches medium-high heat. Place the skewers on the grill and cook for about 10–15 minutes, turning them every few minutes to heat evenly. They’re done when tender, heated through, and sporting grill marks.

Oven-roasting vegan skewers begins by preheating the oven to 400°F (200°C). Place the skewers on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Roast for about 20–25 minutes, turning once halfway through, until the vegetables are tender and slightly browned.

You can kebab (I’m declaring that a verb) on a stovetop by heating a grill pan or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add some water or broth (or oil if you use it) to the pan and cook the skewers for about 10–15 minutes, turning occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and slightly crispy on the edges.

After cooking, you can serve your skewers with a dipping sauce.

And as mentioned, you can also make kebabs without cooking, using raw fruits and vegetables. If you’re skipping the heat, other fruits become possible, such as grapes, berries, and citrus fruits like oranges, tangerines, and grapefruit.

Kebab and Skewer Recipes

Get ready to revolutionize your meals with this collection of seven irresistible skewer and kebab recipes! Plant-based foods on a stick can be delicious, easy, and festive, perfect for adding a splash of fun to any occasion.

Whether you’re hosting a backyard barbecue, planning a picnic, or simply looking to make dinner more exciting, these recipes will bring a burst of flavor and creativity to your table. From colorful veggie and fruit combinations to innovative plant-based proteins, these skewers and kebabs are designed to tantalize your taste buds and prove that plant-based eating can be both scrumptious and entertaining!

1. Grilled Watermelon and Pineapple Skewers

When you grill these two scrumptious fruits together and then drizzle a nutty and zesty tahini lime mixture over top, something magical happens to your taste buds (like, WOW!). Together watermelon and pineapple bring a whole new definition to summertime grilling.

2. Tempeh Satay

Experience the vibrant flavors of Thailand with these smoky Tempeh Satay Skewers. Organic tempeh is marinated in a flavorful mixture and then grilled to achieve a delightful smokiness. The accompanying miso peanut sauce, crafted from organic miso, organic peanut butter, organic tamari, organic rice vinegar, maple syrup, chili paste, ginger, and garlic, delivers a harmonious balance of savory and spicy notes. Garnish with zesty lime wedges, aromatic cilantro, and crisp green onions for a fresh and tantalizing finish. These skewers are easy to make for a perfect appetizer or party dish that will transport your taste buds straight to the streets of Thailand.

3. Vegan Feta and Grape Skewers

Elevate your mocktail hour with Vegan Feta and Grape Skewers, a plant-based twist on the classic party appetizer. These vibrant skewers combine the sweetness of grapes with the tanginess of vegan feta, all complemented by the fresh, aromatic notes of sweet basil. Each bite offers a perfect balance of savory and sweet, making these skewers a standout appetizer that’s sure to impress your guests!

4. Roasted Autumn Fruit and Veggie Skewers

Who says summer gets all the fun with fresh fruit and veggie skewers? Meet our Roasted Autumn Fruit and Veggie Skewers! This colorful dish combines the natural sweetness of apples, pears, and figs with the earthy richness of beets and sweet potatoes. It’s a deliciously creative way to enjoy nutrient-dense foods on a stick, perfect for adding some seasonal flair to your meals. Get ready to savor the flavors of fall in a fun and exciting way!

5. Sweet and Smoky Tofu, Vegetable, and Pineapple Skewers

The flavors in this dish come together beautifully, especially if you let the skewers marinate for a while before baking or grilling. The umami richness of the mushrooms pairs perfectly with the sweet pineapple and savory tofu, creating a taste sensation that will delight all your taste buds. These skewers are a top choice for a plant-based recipe, earning a solid 10 out of 10!

6. Seitan Yakitori Skewers

Discover the deliciousness of Seitan Yakitori Skewers, an easy and flavorful way to work with seitan if you’re new to this versatile plant-based protein. Marinated in a delectable yakitori sauce, these skewers offer a perfect balance of sweet and savory flavors. The seitan itself is prepared with a blend of organic vital wheat gluten, miso paste, garlic, onion, smoked paprika, dried thyme, and ground cumin, creating a tender and flavorful base. Roasted to perfection and garnished with fresh green onions, these skewers are not only delicious but also a great introduction to cooking with seitan. Enjoy a new culinary adventure with these tasty and easy-to-make skewers!

7. Vegan Caprese Kebabs

Indulge in these delightful Vegan Caprese Kebabs, featuring a simple and delicious way to make homemade vegan cheese. The creamy vegan mozzarella, made from cashews, adds a rich texture to the tomatoes and basil. Combined with organic cherry tomatoes and fresh basil leaves, these kebabs are then drizzled with a sticky balsamic glaze. The result is a mouthwatering blend of flavors, perfect for any gathering, showcasing the ease, satisfaction, and fun of presenting festive plant-based bites!

Enjoy Plant-Based Skewers and Kebabs!

You don’t need to eat meat in order to enjoy skewers and kebabs. Many plant-based foods can be combined to create delicious and craveable food on a stick. You can make vegan kebabs into versatile appetizers, sides, and meals. The recipes shared above are quick and easy to make and convenient to transport, making them perfect for parties and backyard BBQs during the summer — or whenever you want to play with your food a bit.

Tell us in the comments:

• What are your favorite plant-based kebab ingredients?
• What’s one food you’ve never thought of kebabing? (Such a useful verb!)

Featured Image: iStock.com/Nikolay_Donetsk

Read Next:

• The Best and Worst Summer Foods and Recipes
• 7 Veggie Burger Recipes to Enjoy for a Plant-Powered Cookout

The post Tasty Vegan Skewers and Kebabs Perfect for Parties, Picnics, and BBQs appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

In this article, we’re going to dive into all you need to know about juicing and how to use a juicer effectively. Get ready to discover the benefits of juicing, receive tips on the best way to juice ingredients, and watch a step-by-step video tutorial on how to use a juicer (or blender) to juice your fruits and veggies. We’ll also provide you with a couple of tasty juice recipes for optimal nutrition and hydration.

Whether you’re new to juicing or a seasoned pro looking to refine your skills, this guide is packed with juicy (sorry, had to do it) information on using a juicer.

What to Consider When Juicing at Home

If you’re looking to enhance your daily water intake by adding a hydrating and nutrient-dense twist, then freshly squeezed juices can be a tasty way to do that. Recommendations for fluid consumption are approximately 9 cups a day for women and 13 cups a day for men.

If you’re looking for a more individualized approach to staying hydrated, divide your weight (in pounds) in half and aim to consume that amount of water daily in ounces. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, you would want to drink about 75 ounces (9–10 cups) of water or other hydrating liquids a day.

To keep your blood sugar balanced and under control, consider juicing all vegetables or a combination of mostly vegetables with a small amount of fruit to add just a touch of sweetness.

We typically recommend whole fruit over fruit juice, since whole fruit can offset the natural sugar in fruit due to its fiber content. Fruit juice tends to be a more concentrated source of sugar, even though it’s natural. Some experts recommend no more than ¾–1 cup of fruit juice a day for that reason.

That said, research suggests that polyphenols could become more bioavailable when fruits are juiced rather than consumed whole because fiber inhibits some of those compounds.

Juicing Benefits

Some of the benefits of juicing include:

• A way to boost fruit and veggie intake: The CDC reports that only 1 in 10 people consume enough fruits and vegetables each day. Since sipping on a beverage may be more convenient than snacking on whole food, juicing may be a way to provide vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals to those who aren’t consuming enough whole fruits and veggies. (I have to admit that I’m one of the few who doesn’t fall into this category, since I could never swap out the opportunity to bite into a juicy and crispy apple!)
• A nutritious option for fasting or time-restricted eating: Juicing may also be a source of nutrition for those who are fasting or following a time-restricted way of eating.
• An option for those with decreased appetite or inability to consume certain foods: Juicing may also be an easier way to consume nutrients for those with reduced appetites, difficulty chewing or swallowing whole foods, or aversions to certain textures.
• Inflammation-fighting compounds: Obtaining boatloads of veggie and fruit blended juices can provide essential nutrients and antioxidants that have been shown to reduce inflammation and support the immune system.
• An opportunity to protect against cardiovascular disease: Research also suggests that the wide variety of polyphenols, vitamins, and minerals in juices can protect against cardiovascular disease due to their blood pressure, lipid, and inflammation-lowering capabilities.
• Allowing for more bioavailable nutrients and phytochemicals (potentially): While studies are lacking, one review of the research suggests that some nutrients and compounds, like polyphenols, may be more bioavailable since the fiber is removed.

Juicing Tips and Instructions

Wash Fruits and Veggies

To streamline your juicing process, it may be helpful to wash and chop your fruits and veggies the moment you get home from the grocery store, farmers market, or garden. Use this practice only if you plan to juice within two days, as moisture from washing can cause rapid spoiling.

Washing fresh produce will prevent you from sipping on gritty juice by removing dirt, sand, and other residue. It will also help remove pesticides if you’re using conventional produce.

For the most effective methods to remove pesticide chemicals from produce, read our article How to Wash Vegetables and Fruits to Remove Pesticides.

Cut Up Fruit and Remove Rinds

It’s best to cut your produce into chunks or pieces before feeding them into your juicer. Doing so makes the process more manageable and reduces the possibility of clogging your juicer.

To avoid bitter juice, you can remove the tough rinds of oranges, lemons, and limes. If you don’t have time, it’s also fine to keep the skin and rind on while funneling them through the juicer. Just know that it may result in more bitter flavors.

To keep your juicer running smoothly, definitely remove very hard skins from produce, like melons. To avoid jamming — or worse, breaking — your juicer or blender, you’ll also want to remove hard pits from fruits like peaches or apricots.

Straining and Storing Your Juice

Once you’ve fed your juicer or blender and have crafted beautiful freshly squeezed juice, it’s time to strain it using a fine mesh strainer or a nut milk bag. Straining will leave the fiber behind. So if you’re looking to optimize nutrition and don’t mind textured juice with pulp, simply start sipping instead of straining!

If you’re a lover of pulp-free juice but hate the thought of wasting good nutrition (we’re with you!), read our article on What to Do With Juicer Pulp. Using the pulp in other culinary applications allows you to still benefit from the fiber in the fruits and vegetables — something that is severely lacking in many people’s diets.

For the best flavor and to optimize nutrition, consume your juice immediately or store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2–3 days. Note that it may lose some of its fresh flavor. And the nutritional value will decrease with each day it’s stored. P.S. We’ve also had success freezing juice in an airtight freezer-safe container for up to one month! Defrost the juice by bringing it to the refrigerator until it’s thawed and ready to drink.

Cleaning a Juicer

Since juice residue can easily build up on juicing parts and blenders, it’s best to clean your juicer or blender immediately after juicing. Start by dismantling the parts for individual cleaning, then soak and scrub with soapy water. Check with your individual manufacturer, as some parts may be dishwasher-safe. Follow the cleaning instructions from your juicer’s user manual.

How to Use a Juicer

In the video below, you’ll learn about:

• Considerations for juicing
• The types of juicers and how they’re different
• How to select ingredients for juicing
• How to use your blender for juicing if you don’t have a juicer

You’ll also see a demonstration of how to use a masticating juicer and how to juice using a blender and nut milk bag.

Juice Recipes

Have some fun in the kitchen with these nourishing juice recipes! Featuring a variety of colorful veggies and natural sweetness levels, these easy-to-make juices are a delightful way to boost your nutrition while savoring the fresh, homemade flavors of fresh juice!

1. Beet Carrot Turmeric Juice

Beets, carrots, turmeric, apples, and cucumbers are some of the most hydrating fruits and vegetables and are perfect for creating delicious, nutrient-dense beverages. This Beet Carrot Turmeric Juice is packed with anti-inflammatory compounds that act as antioxidants, including betaine in the beets, carotenoids in the carrots, and curcumin in the turmeric. Enjoy a one-ounce shot or a small glass daily. It’s a great way to get a concentrated source of nutrients while staying hydrated and healthy!

2. Green Goodness Juice

Green Goodness Juice takes plant power to a whole new level. Made with kale, celery, lemon, ginger, and cilantro (or parsley if you’re not a fan of cilantro), this juice is like a ray of sunshine for your body. You can also reuse fruit and vegetable scraps you don’t want to waste. Drinking this juice will help you shine your brightest while keeping you cool and refreshed!

3. Digestive Wellness Juice

Our Digestive Wellness Juice is a hydrating blend of nourishing plants designed to support your gut health. This vibrant juice combines kale, fennel, turmeric root, ginger root, pineapple, and lemon juice for a nutrient-dense and naturally sweet drink. Kale and fennel support a healthy microbiome, turmeric root provides anti-inflammatory benefits, and ginger root soothes the digestive tract. Pineapple adds natural sweetness and digestive enzymes, while lemon juice enhances flavor and hydration. Digestive Wellness Juice not only helps you stay hydrated but will also give your digestive system a nourishing boost!

Enjoy Juicing at Home!

Juicing can be a delightful and nutritious addition to your daily routine. It offers an array of health benefits and is a convenient way to increase your intake of fruits and vegetables above your whole food intake.

Whether you’re new to juicing or a seasoned enthusiast, the tips and recipes shared in this article will help you make the most of your juicing journey. Remember, the key is to experiment with different combinations, enjoy the process, and sip your way to better health. Happy juicing!

Tell us in the comments:

• What’s your favorite juice combination?
• Which juicing method have you tried, and what’s your experience with it?

Featured Image: iStock.com/fcafotodigital

Read Next:

• Blenders vs Juicers: Pros & Cons of Blending and Juicing
• What to Do with Juicer Pulp: Recipes and Creative Uses

The post How to Use a Juicer for Hydration and Nutrition appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

Today, over a billion metric tons of corn are grown per year; broccoli and kale could learn a thing or two from this extremely persuasive crop. Although, corn has a few advantages over green veggies.

Corn is a staple crop, meaning that it can give us lots of energy in the form of calories (as well as providing important micronutrients). It’s incredibly versatile, playing a starring role in dishes from around the world. And it comes in many varieties and types, including popcorn, flour corn, corn on the cob, flint corn (for decoration and hominy), and field corn (for ethanol, cornstarch, and high-fructose corn syrup).

Because corn products are so prevalent in packaged foods, the average American has been called a “walking corn chip.” One researcher estimates that roughly two-thirds of the proteins in people eating a modern industrialized diet come from corn.

In this article, I’m not going to try to get you to eat more corn chips, soda, cookies, or bottled salad dressings. Instead, I want to toot the horn for healthy whole corn. We’ll look at the best ways to choose and store corn, ways to cook it, and secrets to making the most of it in your recipes.

Corn Taste and Nutrition

Corn has been one of the most important cereals in human nutrition worldwide for millennia. It’s high‐energy and micronutrient-rich, providing an estimated 19% of calories worldwide.

And oh, what micronutrients! Corn is a good source of carotenoids and polyphenols, which are associated with a lower risk of various degenerative diseases. It’s also high in a variety of B vitamins and minerals, and contains the ever-important (but often lacking) nutrient — fiber.

While field corn kernels are high in starch, sweet corn kernels are higher in moisture and sugar content. That’s why the best ears of sweet corn have a sweet and juicy taste.

When Is Corn in Season?

Corn is in season during the warmer months of the year. You can typically find delicious ears of corn by midsummer, and the harvest can last well into the fall. In the US, this means May through October are corn months, and there is a slightly shortened season — July through October — in Canada.

In the southern hemisphere, corn harvests happen earlier in the year, starting in February and continuing all the way through May, or even later.

But wily corn isn’t satisfied with us eating it fresh just a few months out of the year. It’s also convinced us to freeze it in the form of corn kernels or baby corn so we can enjoy it year-round.

How to Choose and Store Corn

Among the great debates of our time are if the toilet paper should unroll over or under and whether the dress was gold and white or blue and black. But arguably more passionate is the dispute over whether you should remove the husk of an ear of corn in the store, or wait until just before cooking it.

An argument in favor of in-store shucking includes keeping the husks out of your kitchen. There’s also the ability to see whether the kernels are fresh and fully developed before you bring it home rather than later discovering an innocent-looking insect and a small mountain of worm poop under the husks.

But some markets discourage this practice — partly because they don’t want their bins littered with rejected ears of corn, and partly because it can lead to food safety issues.

The best reason to wait to shuck corn, in my opinion, is that it keeps fresher in the wrapper nature gave it.

When choosing corn on the cob, look for uniformly green and tightly wrapped ears. The cob itself should feel firm all the way around. If you notice that the brown silk peeking out of the top is slightly damp, that’s a good thing. However, if the husk has any holes in it, choose another one — this could indicate worms.

When you get home, tightly wrap the corn ears in a produce bag (or some more eco-friendly wrap) and place them in the refrigerator. Corn usually stays fresh for a few days stored this way. You can also freeze it. To do this, you might want to blanch the corn — either in whole form or just the kernels — and then place it in the freezer. This will help maintain its color, texture, and freshness.

• Cooked corn can last for 3–5 days in the refrigerator
• Frozen corn can last from 8–12 months in the freezer

How to Prepare and Cook Corn

If you buy corn in its husk, you’ll have to shuck it, or remove the papery outer layer and “silks.” Start by peeling back the outer leaves, then the inner leaves. When you have all of the leaves and most of the silks peeled back, break them off the end of the cob. You will probably have some pesky silk left. Watch the video below to find out how to remove it with a minimum of fuss and effort.

The fierce debate about shucking corn doesn’t end with the “market vs. home” question. Some schools of thought assert you should dehusk the ears before cooking; others say to cook with the husk on.

I find that when I’m boiling or steaming fresh ears of sweet corn, I like them shucked and desilked. But when grilled, the outer layers can protect the kernels from burning while still allowing the corn to take on a smoky flavor. Depending on the freshness and moisture content of the outer leaves, presoaking may or may not be necessary.

There are many ways to cook corn; choose a way based on how you’re planning to serve and eat the corn. In addition to being grilled, fresh corn on the cob is typically boiled, steamed, or microwaved.

If it’s popcorn, you can heat the dried kernels in a pot or kettle, an air popper, or a microwavable bag.

Nixtamalization is a traditional process used to treat corn very common in indigenous cuisines in the Southwest US, Central America, and Mexico. The dried corn kernels are soaked, cooked in an alkaline solution, and then allowed to rest for several hours. The resulting product, known as nixtamal, can be ground to make masa (dough), which is used to make tortillas, tamales, and other traditional dishes.

How to Use Corn

You can use fresh whole corn or baby corn, frozen corn kernels, or canned corn. If using canned, look for low-sodium varieties and cans that are free of BPA, an endocrine disruptor that you don’t want in your body.

Although most sweet corn is non-GMO, buy organic corn when possible to avoid the 10–25% that’s not.

You can also make your own corn tortillas or tamales from nixtamalized masa harina — look for organic brands to avoid GMO corn, as well as pesticide exposure.

Here are some ways to get more corn into your life:

• Add raw or cooked corn kernels to salads.
• Add it to soups, chowders, and chilies for extra sweetness and texture.
• Mix corn with ingredients like tomato, onion, cilantro, and lime for a fresh salsa or relish.
• Add corn to warm dishes like stir-fries, casseroles, and pie.
• Mix cornmeal into bread, pancakes, or muffins for added texture and flavor.
• Boil corn with cinnamon and other spices to make traditional Latin American beverages like atole.

Corn Recipes

Get ready to fall in love with corn with these seven mouthwatering plant-based recipes! Corn is the star of the show, bringing its natural sweetness and juiciness to every dish. Enjoy smoky, Mexican Street Corn topped with creamy vegan mayo and a sprinkle of Vegan Walnut Parmesan. Or dive into a warm bowl of Creamy Corn Chowder, packed with fresh veggies and plenty of corn for a nourishing and cozy meal. Spice things up with a zesty Colorful Black Bean and Corn Salsa, perfect for topping your favorite plant-based tacos. Savor the comfort of naturally sweet, fluffy Jalapeño Cornbread, a perfect side for any dinner. No matter which you try first, these recipes make it easy to enjoy the wholesome goodness of corn in every bite.

1. Refreshing Corn and Tomato Salad

Elevate your salad game with this Refreshing Corn and Tomato Salad, a vibrant dish that highlights the natural sweetness and crisp texture of organic corn. This salad combines juicy organic cherry or grape tomatoes, peppery arugula, and crunchy purple cabbage, creating a colorful and nutrient-packed meal base. Fresh basil and green onion add a burst of flavor, while a squeeze of lime juice and firm avocado bring delightful zest and creaminess. Our Vegan Tofu Feta and a touch of jalapeño add a unique twist, enhancing the veggies’ depth and complexity. Perfect for a light lunch or a side dish, our corn and tomato salad is a delicious way to enjoy the wholesome nutrition of corn.

2. Creamy Corn Chowder

Creamy Corn Chowder is a creamy, dreamy, and savory dish that brings corn to life through the power of plants. The natural sweetness and crisp texture of corn is beautifully complemented by hearty sweet potatoes, vibrant red bell pepper, and crunchy celery. Fresh thyme, ground cumin, and turmeric infuse the chowder with a warm, comforting aroma and taste. Rich in fiber, vitamins B and C, and antioxidants, this soup supports digestive health and immunity and provides sustained energy. Blended with creamy coconut milk, this chowder is both indulgent and nourishing. Top it off with green onions, parsley, and a hint of crushed red pepper flakes for an optional spicy kick. This chowder is a perfect go-to for a soul-fulfilling dish that might become a staple for the entire family.

3. Tortilla Soup

Enjoy corn in two ways in this delicious Tortilla Soup. The tantalizing, tomato-based broth is infused with savory and familiar Mexican spices, offering a rich source of antioxidant phytonutrients. Fiber-rich black beans and shredded jackfruit add hearty texture and nutrition. Fresh corn (or frozen and thawed) brings a sweet burst of freshness, perfectly complementing the bright and zesty flavors that tie the broth together. Topped with crispy lime-flavored baked tortilla chips for the perfect crunch, this soup is a wonderful way to eat corn!

4. Colorful Black Bean and Corn Salsa

Colorful Black Bean and Corn Salsa is a quick, 15-minute recipe full of bright and zesty flavor, as well as plenty of fiber, protein, and phytonutrients. Corn adds a natural sweetness and crisp texture to this salsa, taking it to the next level. Enjoy it by itself as a snack, on top of tacos, in a vegetable wrap, on top of avocado toast, in a salad… and the list goes on! (P.S. The flavors get even better the next day!)

5. Mexican Street Corn

Whole grains, including organic corn, reduce inflammation thanks to their high fiber and phytonutrient content. Packed with ferulic acid, coumaric acid, anthocyanins, and carotenoids, corn provides five grams of fiber per cup. Enhance the nutritional benefits of corn with omega-3-rich Vegan Walnut Parmesan. The vibrant flavors of Mexican Street Corn are a plant-based delight sure to tantalize your taste buds!

6. Millet Jalapeño Corn Casserole

Introducing the Millet Jalapeño Corn Casserole! This dish features organic millet and sweet corn, both rich in fiber and anti-inflammatory properties. A luscious base of creamy coconut milk and nutty nutritional yeast is complemented by the savory flavors of garlic and onion powder. Fresh jalapeño slices add a zesty kick, creating a perfect blend of sweet and savory with a subtle heat. This plant-based casserole is an easy-to-prepare, wholesome way to enjoy the sweet and wholesome flavors of corn any night of the week.

7. Jalapeño Cornbread

It wouldn’t be a corn recipe round-up without a nourishing cornbread recipe! This Jalapeño Cornbread is moist, flavorful, and satisfying with its slightly sweet and savory notes. With chunks of sweet corn and peppery jalapeños, this cornbread makes a tasty addition to virtually any savory recipe. Tip: The bread makes a fun party appetizer — just cut it into bite-size pieces and serve warm!

Get Cooking with Corn!

Corn is more than just a summer barbecue staple. It has a rich nutritional profile and many culinary uses. Throughout this article, we’ve delved into how to select and store corn for optimal freshness, the best times to enjoy it in season, and ways to prepare and cook this adaptable ingredient.

Whether you’re grilling it for a BBQ, stirring it into a comforting vegan chowder, or transforming it into a festive salsa, corn brings its sweet, satisfying crunch to every dish. Enjoy the simple pleasure of cooking with corn!

Tell us in the comments:

• What’s your favorite way to eat corn?

Featured Image: iStock.com/icetocker

Read Next:

• 7 Nutritious and Flavorful Summer Squash Recipes
• Plant-Based Fiesta: 7 Easy Vegan Mexican Recipes to Try

The post Sweet and Savory Corn Recipes: A Guide to Cooking with Corn appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

One of my favorite “early bloomers” is the apricot, which blossoms and ripens before most other stone fruits. In fact, the word “apricot” shares its etymology with the word “precocious” — both come from the Latin “praecoquum,” meaning “early ripening.”

Apricots are a favorite fruit around the world and feature in many regional cuisines. Originating in the Himalayas, theyʼre now grown throughout Europe, the Mediterranean, and California. The worldʼs biggest producer of apricots (and exporter of dried apricots) is Turkey.

Apricots are prized across cultures for their versatility and tantalizing taste. Theyʼre more than palate-pleasers, though. They offer a host of nutritional benefits to your diet as well, including lots of phytochemicals and the precursor to vitamin A — beta-carotene.

So if you want to include apricots in your diet, this article will help you discover how to tell if they’re ripe, keep them fresh, and integrate them into a myriad of culinary creations. Youʼll also learn how to cook with dried apricots so you can enjoy their goodness year-round.

Whether you pluck the fruits directly from a tree or pick them out in a bustling market, dive in to learn more about apricots — and put your newfound knowledge to use with seven delicious apricot recipes.

When Are Apricots in Season?

Apricots, like many other stone fruits, are warm-weather crops. In the US and Turkey, theyʼre in season in the spring and summer months.

Dried fruit and preserves are often available year-round in grocery stores.

How to Tell if an Apricot is Ripe

While apricots are precocious, you still have to wait for them to ripen fully. One clue to apricot ripeness is color: they should have yellowish-orange skin when ripe. If youʼre picking apricots straight from a tree, look for fruits that snap off easily in your hand — or even ones that have just fallen.

If you get your fresh apricots from a grocery store or farmers market, choose round fruits with a little give. Avoid ones with any cuts, bruises, discoloration, or signs of mold.

A ripe apricot will taste sweet, tart, and slightly fragrant.

How to Store Fresh and Dried Apricots

If you have some apricots that arenʼt yet ready to eat, store them at room temperature until they ripen. Then move them to the refrigerator to slow down over-ripening (or eat them right away!).

If youʼve cut or prepared apricots in some way, refrigerate them in an airtight container and use them within a few days.

A sealed container of dried apricots will keep in the pantry for six months. Once opened, theyʼll stay good in the fridge for up to six more months.

You can also freeze sliced apricots in a single layer on a baking sheet, bag them, and then store them in the freezer for 8–12 months. If you want to keep the slices from browning, you can halt this chemical reaction by tossing them in lemon juice immediately after cutting.

How to Prepare and Use Apricots

Apricots are among natureʼs more straightforward fruits. You can eat them raw (when ripe); you can eat the outer skin, so there is no need to peel them, and they are easy to bite into or cut.

Apricots do have a hard pit, also called a stone — so donʼt bite into them too enthusiastically unless you want to pay a nonsocial visit to your dentist. And, of course, youʼll want to remember to remove the stone before tossing fruit into a blender for smoothies or sauces.

Beyond eating apricots raw, there are many ways to include them in delicious and healthy dishes. As mentioned, you can add them to smoothies and, if youʼre into juicing, to raw juices as well (again, remove the pit unless you want your juicer to play a heavy metal drum solo as its final act on this earth).

You can cut apricots into small pieces that make a great topping for granola, chia pudding, overnight oats, or plant-based yogurt.

You can also cook apricots in many ways, including grilling, roasting, and poaching (which can sweeten and soften underripe fruit — hereʼs a video demo). You can also make them into compotes, jams, preserves, and sauces.

Apricots can also add a lot of flavor and juiciness to baked goods such as cobblers, muffins, pies, tarts, cakes, and cookies.

Cooked and dried apricots are also common ingredients in Middle Eastern-style salads and rice dishes, often paired with slivered almonds.

If you have access to a lot of apricots all at once — from a tree, a neighbor, or a local farmer — you can dehydrate them yourself and store them in an airtight container just as you would store-bought dried apricots.

A Note About Pesticides on Apricots

Apricots grown nonorganically arenʼt the worst or the best fruit in terms of pesticide residue. According to the Environmental Working Group, they donʼt make either the “Dirty Dozen” or the “Clean Fifteen” lists.

However, if youʼre worried about pesticides on your produce, you can remove residue on the surface of your apricots by washing them. Hereʼs an in-depth article looking at the best ways to clean pesticides off of produce.

Apricot Recipes

Get ready to fall in love with the sweet and tangy flavor of apricots with seven creative and delicious recipes! Whether itʼs blending up a Spicy Apricot Margarita Mocktail, baking a sweet and tangy Apricot Cobbler, or whipping up the vibrant Quinoa and Apricot Jackfruit Tagine, these recipes make apricots the star of the show. Perfect for any meal or occasion, from cozy, slow mornings to lively community dinners, our apricot-centric dishes are designed to nourish and satisfy. So, dive into the delicious world of apricots, and add some fresh, fruity flair to your plant-based meals!

1. Apricot Almond Overnight Oats

Start your day with a burst of flavor and nutrition with Apricot Almond Overnight Oats. The star of this recipe is the dried apricots, which bring a delightful sweetness and slightly chewy texture to each bite. Apricots are packed with health benefits, too. Theyʼre rich in vitamins A and C, antioxidants, and dietary fiber, which makes them excellent at promoting eye health, boosting the immune system, and aiding digestion. Prepare this quick and delicious meal the night before, and wake up to a refreshing and nutritious start to your day!

2. Apricot Jam

Experience the delightful taste of summer with our Apricot Jam. Made from ripe, juicy apricots, this jam captures the vibrant sweetness and tangy flavor of fruit at its peak. Rich in vitamins A and C, apricots provide a nutritious boost while their natural pectin creates a perfectly spreadable texture. Enjoy this versatile jam on toast, in oats, or as a glaze for your favorite plant-based protein. Apricots’ unique taste brings a touch of sunshine to your breakfast table and culinary creations!

3. Quinoa and Jackfruit Apricot Tagine

Dive into the sweet and tangy world of our Quinoa and Jackfruit Apricot Tagine, where dried apricots steal the show. These golden fruits bring a burst of brightness and a hint of sweetness that perfectly complements the savory spices and hearty ingredients. The apricots are a key flavor enhancer in this dish, plus they add a wonderful texture that absorbs and melds with spices like cumin, coriander, and cinnamon. Their natural sweetness contrasts beautifully with the earthy tones of the fennel and the robustness of the jackfruit, making every bite a delightful balance of flavors. Rich in fiber and antioxidants, apricots help to make this tagine as nutritious as it is delicious!

4. Cheesecake with Baked Apricots

Creamy Cheesecake with Baked Apricots is guaranteed to be your go-to dessert of the season. These succulent fruits are baked to perfection, enhancing their natural sweetness and creating a rich, caramelized texture that pairs exquisitely with the creamy cheesecake, their vibrant, tangy flavor cutting through its richness. Enjoy this perfect blend and enticing aroma — each bite is a decadent delight!

5. Apricot Cashew Butter Energy Bars

Celebrate the natural sweetness and delightful chewiness of apricots in our Apricot Cashew Butter Energy Bars. These energy bars feature dried apricots that provide a burst of tangy flavor and enhance the texture with their pleasing stickiness and fruity flavors. The natural sugars in the apricots offer a quick energy boost, perfect for on-the-go snacking or a pre-workout pick-me-up. Their bright, fruity flavor perfectly complements the rich, creamy cashew butter, creating a homemade energy bar thatʼs both nutritious and irresistibly tasty.

6. Apricot Cobbler

Enjoy the heartwarming and rustic charm of our Apricot Cobbler, where these sun-kissed fruits shine brightly! As the apricots bake they release a beautifully sweet and slightly tart juice that caramelizes and gets warm and gooey. Each bite offers a perfect balance of fruitiness complemented by the crunch of slivered almonds and oats. This is a true treat that showcases apricots in all their glory!

7. Spicy Apricot Margarita Mocktail

Get ready to have some fun with the naturally sweet allure of apricots in our Spicy Apricot Margarita Mocktail. Fresh apricots blend seamlessly with the tropical punch of pineapple, creating a base thatʼs both juicy and richly flavored. The natural sweetness of the apricots is enhanced by the subtle heat from jalapeño slices, offering a tantalizing twist that surprises and delights the palate. Each sip brings forward the lush, tangy flavors of apricots, making this mocktail not just a drink but a healthy toast to summerʼs favorite fruits!

Letʼs All Appreciate Apricots

Apricots offer a delightful blend of versatility and nutrition that can enhance pretty much any meal, whether sweet or savory. From selecting to storing apricots, this guide can help you experiment with apricot recipes. Whether you enjoy them fresh during their peak season or as dried fruit and preserves available year-round, apricots provide a myriad of culinary possibilities.

Tell us in the comments:

• What are your favorite ways to eat apricots?

Featured Image: iStock.com/gorchittza2012

Read Next:

• Top Health Benefits of Cherries & How to Enjoy Them
• Healthy Summer Desserts to Sweeten the End of a Nourishing Meal

The post 7 Fresh and Dried Apricot Recipes Packed with Nutrients appeared first on Food Revolution Network.

As a nutritionist, I know how a plant-based diet can support a glowing, healthy appearance from the inside. Eating well is associated with clear skin, lustrous hair, and unblemished nails.

It turns out that some foods can also nourish your body from the outside. It makes sense — after all, your skin is your largest organ (unless you play the keyboard at a cathedral), and its job is to protect your insides from harmful foreign substances and to absorb good stuff into your bloodstream. And a lot of that “good stuff” can come from common everyday foods found in your kitchen.

In addition to eating and drinking the food, beverages, and other edible ingredients you have on hand, you can enlist some of them to perform double duty as DIY beauty products.

It’s a growing trend; from homemade face masks to all-natural hair treatments, people are turning to their kitchens instead of cosmetic counters to find safe beauty solutions. You might even be interested in joining them. After all, making your own beauty products can save money and reduce your exposure to potentially harmful ingredients found in factory-made beauty products.

So, if your interest is piqued, this article will introduce you to the world of DIY beauty, showing you how to create your own skin care and hair care products using ingredients you likely already have at home. Whether you’re a seasoned DIY enthusiast or a beginner curious about crafting your own beauty products, this article will equip you with the tools needed to transform natural ingredients into effective beauty treatments.

The Benefits of DIY Beauty Products

Let’s look at some of the reasons you might want to include kitchen ingredients in your beauty regimen.

Safe and Natural Ingredients

Many commercial beauty products, such as soaps, shampoos, conditioners, creams, scrubs, moisturizers, and toning gels, contain harsh chemicals and synthetic fragrances. Some ingredients, such as phthalates, parabens, and formaldehyde, may even be damaging to your health.

Using commonplace food items can ensure that the things you’re applying to your skin and hair are safe and natural. Not only do they reduce the risk of allergic reactions and skin irritation, but they also provide the peace of mind that comes with knowing exactly what you’re putting on your body.

Cost-Effective

Many effective skin care ingredients can be sourced from your kitchen. Even if you have to go shopping, DIY beauty products are generally a lot less expensive to make from scratch than their store-bought counterparts. In many instances, a little can go a long way; and what you don’t use for skin or hair care, you can eat! (I wouldn’t make tzatziki from the cucumber slices after you’ve removed them from your eyes, though!)

More Sustainable

DIY beauty products can also contribute to a more sustainable lifestyle by minimizing food waste. To be clear, I’m not encouraging you to start bathing in leftover lentil stew. Rather, you can use foods like coffee grounds and slightly-past-their-prime fruits and veggies in your beauty routine.

This also minimizes waste associated with beauty product packaging, since products are often packed in plastic containers that end up in landfills. By reducing demand for these commercial products, you’re contributing to reducing landfill waste generated by unsold and returned products, items that expire on store shelves or in warehouses, and even the little tester bottles that sit enticingly in front of product displays.

By creating your own beauty products, you can use up food, reuse containers, and source ingredients in bulk — all good ways to reduce your environmental footprint.

Plus, you are also avoiding the environmental harm caused by the production and transportation of commercial products, as well as their use of unsustainably sourced ingredients.

Health Benefits

If all these food-as-beauty products did was provide aesthetic solutions, that would be more than enough. But what if I told you that they can offer genuine health benefits as well?

Some ingredients have antimicrobial properties, while others reduce inflammation. Using natural ingredients can improve your skin and hair health over time, leading to lasting benefits beyond superficial appearance. And simply by avoiding harmful chemicals, you’re also reducing the amount of toxins your body has to deal with, which can help you live a healthier, nontoxic life.

Foods You Can Use on Your Skin or Hair

I don’t want you to get the idea that any and all food is good for your skin — I’m not by any means suggesting the “food fight” beauty regimen. But these are just some of the ordinary, plant-based kitchen ingredients that can perform double duty in your beauty routine.

Avocado

In addition to their impressive health benefits, avocados are also great when applied to your face, body, or hair. They’re high in monounsaturated fats and fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin E (which works as an antioxidant internally and topically), and they contain vitamin C (which helps produce collagen). The avocado peel also serves as a potent antibacterial agent.

Coconut Oil

While there’s debate about whether coconut oil (or any oil, for that matter) can be part of a healthy diet, there’s plenty of evidence that it can do good when applied topically. You can rub it on your body and in your hair — just avoid the face, as it can clog pores.

The lauric acid in coconut oil has antimicrobial properties, can lock in moisture, and is anti-inflammatory, which can help protect the skin and improve its ability to serve as a barrier to unwanted pollutants.

Sea Salt

Salt is another food that can stir huge controversy when nutrition nerds get together, but it’s without a doubt an effective skin exfoliant. It can help with oily skin, including on your scalp. But you may want to take it easy; salt can be very drying if overused. You don’t want to make people think of vegan beef jerky when they look at you.

Salt can also calm irritated skin, and in some formulations, even improve skin hydration and help stimulate nerve receptors, which might help with pain and other sensory issues.

Oats

An oatmeal bath has long been a go-to skin remedy. If you’re of a certain age, you might have relieved your chicken pox itchiness in a bathtub filled with hot water and Aveeno, which contains powdered oat extract.

Colloidal oatmeal, in particular, has been studied for its dermatological benefits. Boasting anti-inflammatory and antihistaminic activity, it can treat a bunch of skin conditions. (Actually, I doubt that oatmeal boasts. It seems pretty humble to me.)

Oats can also act as an exfoliant, which means that scrubbing with them can remove dead skin cells.

Tea

The leaves of the tea plant contain polyphenols, which are antioxidants that may protect your skin from UV-induced damage (think bad sunburn) and even cancer. Polyphenols fight free radicals, which aren’t nearly as cool as they sound (unless you consider damaging your cells, proteins, and DNA cool).

Topical application of tea extracts may improve skin conditions and even combat cellulite. And the caffeine in tea probably won’t make your skin jittery; instead, it may stimulate hair growth and improve the condition of your hair.

Coffee Grounds

Like tea, coffee contains antioxidants which are good for your skin and hair. Paired with caffeine, these compounds may stimulate hair growth. And like oats, coffee grounds can be used as an exfoliant.

Edible Flowers

Edible flowers can add a lot of nutrition, flavor, and beauty to your cooking. And some of them can also be used as DIY beauty products.

A 2018 study found that rose petal extract reduced inflammation caused by exposure to solar UV rays. And in 2020, researchers discovered that you have tiny little noses all over your body. Well, not exactly; what they found was that the skin contains olfactory receptors, and the aroma of roses activated some of them to reduce stress-related skin issues.

Hibiscus flowers also contain hibiscus acid, which has been shown to reverse skin aging and may even promote hair growth.

Fruit

There are several fruits that you can use as part of your skin and hair care routines. Grapes and berries can be turned into creams that provide UV protection for your skin, while fermented papaya and mangosteen (which is a purplish fruit native to islands in Southeast Asia and not a cross between a mango and Bruce Springsteen) can provide luster and body to your hair.

Cucumber

This list wouldn’t be complete without the cucumber, star of a thousand self-care stock photos. But luckily, its reputation is deserved. Cucumber fruit, juice, and seeds are all good for the skin and can help with sunburn pain. And yes, chilled cucumber slices placed over the eyes can actually reduce puffiness and dark circles.

Tips for Using Homemade Beauty Recipes Safely

While beauty products made from common foods are natural, that doesn’t mean they’re perfectly safe for everyone. Just as with synthetic ingredients, natural ingredients can cause irritation or allergic reactions in some individuals.

Several strategies exist to ensure that ingredients are safe for your body externally. This is especially important for people with sensitive skin and chronic skin conditions.

Patch-Test Your Creations

A patch test is like dipping a toe into the pool before jumping in. You apply a small amount of the product on an inconspicuous spot and monitor your skin for any unwanted reactions. If you have any itching, redness, or other indicator of irritation or allergy, don’t use your concoction!

Consider Your Skin and Hair Type

I highly recommend tailoring your DIY recipes to suit your specific skin and hair type. Ingredients that work for dry skin, for example, may turn oily skin into a greasy mess. And if you’re using a recipe designed to cleanse oily skin on dry skin, you may end up an honorary member of the crocodile club.

For example, baking soda can be drying, while oils can create more oil and lead to acne.

If you have sensitive skin, you may also want to avoid fragrances or even food-grade essential oils.

Store Products Properly

The thing that makes natural products so great is also their potential downfall if you don’t pay attention. Because they don’t contain additives or preservatives, food-based beauty products can go bad pretty quickly.

Avoid spoilage and potential bacterial growth by storing your DIY creations in airtight containers. Here are some that we like:

• 8-ounce mason jars
• 8-ounce amber glass bottles
• 4-ounce clear glass cosmetics jars (complete with spatulas and labels)
• 2-ounce cobalt glass cosmetics jars with metal lids

If your DIY beauty mixtures include foods that require refrigeration, they will likely need to be refrigerated. Use them up quickly, ideally within 3–5 days. Mixtures that use water or watery ingredients, such as fruits and veggies, tend to spoil the quickest. If you don’t have time to use them right after you create them, make sure you do so within 1–2 days.

If your beauty creations use shelf-stable ingredients or ones that don’t spoil easily, you can keep using them for up to a few months. Just make sure to keep them away from moisture, to prevent mold growth.

Make Small Batches

If you make frequent small batches, you’ll always be using fresh product. And you’ll reduce waste since you’ll be consuming only what you need. As an added bonus, if you’re making skin and hair care products at frequent intervals, you can play around with different ingredients each time you whip up a fresh batch.

DIY Beauty Recipes

Get ready to enjoy creating your own DIY beauty products, crafted from 100% natural ingredients without harsh chemicals, fragrances, or dyes. These products leverage the natural power of plants to enhance the radiance of your hair and skin. Plus, all these homemade beauty recipes are cruelty-free and eco-friendly, giving you skin care options you can feel great about using!

1. Calming Facial Mist

Refresh and soothe your skin with this DIY Calming Facial Mist, a simple yet luxurious blend designed to pamper your complexion. This homemade facial mist combines the gentle, soothing properties of chamomile tea with the calming, aromatic benefits of lavender tea. Enhanced with a few drops of lavender oil, this mist not only hydrates and revitalizes the skin but also provides a relaxing sensory experience. Perfect for use any time of day, this facial mist can be spritzed on after cleansing or as a refreshing boost on the go. Easy to make and completely natural, this DIY facial mist is ideal for anyone looking to incorporate the healing power of plants into their daily skin care routine.

2. Soothing Oat and Almond Face Scrub

Treat your skin to the gentle care of the DIY Soothing Oat and Almond Face Scrub, perfect for all skin types. This homemade exfoliator combines rolled oats, almond meal, and flaxseed meal into a rich, nourishing blend that softly clears away dead skin while hydrating and soothing the skin. The oats provide natural relief by reducing inflammation and calming sensitive skin. Almond meal enriches the mixture with essential fatty acids and vitamin E, softening and revitalizing your complexion, while flaxseed meal enhances the blend with omega-3 fatty acids, promoting smooth and supple skin. Easy to prepare and suitable for use several times a week, this DIY face scrub is the perfect addition to a natural skin care regimen, ensuring your skin looks clear and radiant.

3. Matcha Spirulina Mask

Revitalize your skin with the DIY Matcha Spirulina Face Mask, a powerful blend of superfoods designed to detoxify and rejuvenate. This homemade mask marries the potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of matcha powder, spirulina, and ground turmeric. Matcha, rich in catechins, fights inflammation and reduces redness, enhancing your skin’s natural clarity and vibrancy. Spirulina, a supercharged algae, deeply detoxifies and nourishes, facilitating the renewal of skin cells. Meanwhile, turmeric brings its brightening benefits, with curcumin working to lighten hyperpigmentation and even out skin tone. Simple to prepare, this DIY face mask is an excellent addition to any skin care routine, offering regular nourishment for a healthy, glowing complexion.

4. DIY Vanilla Coconut Sugar Lip Scrub

Indulge your lips with the DIY Vanilla Coconut Sugar Lip Scrub, a deliciously sweet treat that gently exfoliates and nourishes. This simple yet effective DIY lip scrub combines coconut oil, coconut sugar, and a hint of vanilla extract to create a luxurious blend that removes dead skin cells while moisturizing. Coconut oil is deeply hydrating and helps to keep your lips soft and supple, while coconut sugar offers a gentle exfoliation that smooths and revitalizes the lips without being too abrasive. The addition of vanilla extract provides a comforting, warm aroma that makes this lip scrub a pleasure to use. Perfect for weekly pampering, the DIY Vanilla Coconut Sugar Lip Scrub is easy to prepare and can be used regularly to maintain smooth, hydrated lips.

5. Avocado Rice Water Hair Mask

Nourish your hair with the DIY Avocado Rice Water Hair Mask, designed to strengthen and hydrate your locks. This natural hair treatment harnesses the fortifying effects of rice water and the deep moisturizing properties of avocado, creating a nutrient-rich hair mask that is truly transformative. Rice water is an age-old remedy for promoting hair growth in Asian cultures. It’s also known for its ability to enhance hair elasticity, prevent breakage, and boost shine. With the addition of avocado, which is rich in biotin, vitamins B and E, and essential fatty acids, this mask deeply conditions the hair, enhancing moisture and improving hair texture. This DIY hair mask can be used regularly as part of your hair care routine to help maintain healthy, lustrous hair. Just blend soaked rice water with mashed avocado and apply it to your hair, letting the natural ingredients work their magic to rejuvenate and protect your strands.

Food Can Nourish You Inside and Outside

By embracing DIY beauty, you can rediscover the simplicity and effectiveness of natural ingredients. Many types of food that are good for you on the inside are also good for you on the outside. And using DIY beauty products not only enhances your health and well-being but also aligns with a more sustainable and mindful lifestyle. By crafting your homemade beauty products, you can gain control over the ingredients you use on your hair, skin, and nails while also reducing your environmental impact and tailoring treatments to your body’s unique needs.

Tell us in the comments:

• Have you ever made your own DIY skin care or hair care product? What was in it?

Featured Image: iStock.com/StefaNikolic

Read Next:

• 7 Natural Beauty Tips from Food Revolution Summit Speakers — for Radiance from the Inside Out
• Top 10 Toxic Beauty Chemicals Used in Makeup

The post Edible Beauty: How to Transform Everyday Foods into DIY Beauty Products appeared first on Food Revolution Network.