To date, I’ve made more recipes using mochi than I can count … best-ever garlic “breadsticks,” pizzas with a mochi “crust” (like the Watercress Mochi Pizza in Superfood Cuisine), mochi waffles, and sometimes just mochi straight-up. But I’ve never made a dessert mochi recipe… until today. I found myself the subject of a time warp moment on the internet – the kind where you start off looking for directions to a restaurant, and suddenly an hour has gone by and you’re reading about the Top 10 Most Haunted Places in Denmark. In my case, food-focused lady I am, I randomly found myself reading about churros. A Mexican treat, most people are familiar with churros from fairs and events of sorts. They’re essentially a doughy rope made from white flour, oil, and sugar, that’s deep fried until golden, and covered in sugar and cinnamon. Think of a churro like a kind of less-doughy cinnamon doughnut … although as you can likely see, churros have a reputation of leaving a doughy effect on their victim.

Truthfully, churros are good – if you’ve had them before, you’re pretty much guaranteed to be in agreement. But frying dough in a vat of oil? Not in my kitchen. Which is exactly where Mochi becomes even more magical: the delicious, inherent texture of Mochi acts a very similarly to a deep fried object once it’s been cooked – enough to fool most people. So using mochi as a churro base is not only easier to execute (deep frying at home is not the neatest cooking method ever), but this rice-based version is a billion times healthier.

As I expected, when testing out the mochi churro method, the Japanese ingredient takes the Mexican recipe to a whole new level of dessert-oriented yum. To make the churro taste authentic, I do use a teeny bit of coconut oil – which is applied both before and after cooking for a stronger buttery flavor, but is needed in just a minute amount. I also was excited to finally put to use a little food combo that I stumbled upon a while back: cinnamon and palm sugar. Regular cinnamon sugar is already delicious, but cinnamon palm sugar (sometimes called coconut sugar as well – same thing) is out-of-hand fantastic. I’ve been dying to use it more frequently in dessert recipes, and the churro results are so good, I’m ready to make the claim that ALL churros should be made with cinnamon palm sugar – mochi or not. Best of all,  you won’t even use all the sugar required for the recipe below, meaning you’ll have a bit extra for your next slice of sprouted toast or oatmeal. Major yum.

Taking just 15 minutes to make, using only 5 ingredients, and resulting in a convincing gluten-free dessert that stomps all over its deep-fried rival, I’m pleased to share with you the Mochi Churro: aka the Mochurro.

Mochurros (aka Mochi Churros)

While Churros are traditionally dunked in an oil bath before being dried off with white sugar, here they’re baked instead… using just enough oil for flavor, and taking advantage of delectable mochi to make a truly wholesome treat. Mochi can be found in most natural food stores, in the refrigerated or frozen section. Click here for a mochi retailer near you.

INGREDIENTS

1 package (12.5oz) Mochi*
1 tablespoon coconut oil
¼ cup  palm sugar
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon sea salt

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Carefully slice the mochi lengthwise into ¼-inch strips, and set aside for a moment. In the smallest saucepan you have, melt the coconut oil over medium heat just until it turns liquid, and remove from heat. With a pastry brush (or a finger), lightly brush both flat sides of each mochi strip with a little of the melted oil, and place each strip on a baking sheet two inches apart (make sure none of the edges are touching one another, else they will become conjoined when baked). Reserve the remaining melted oil in the warm pan for later.

Place the baking sheet with the mochi in the oven, and bake for 10-12 minutes.

While the mochi is baking, take a pie tin and pour in the sugar, cinnamon and sea salt inside. Mix together to combine.

After the mochi is finished cooking (it will have puffed up and just begun to lightly toast on the bottom), remove from the oven and immediately pour the remaining small amount of melted coconut oil on top of the mochi pieces. Slide the pieces around, tossing the hot mochi in the oil on the pan, lightly coating as much of the mochi as possible.

One at a time, take a piece of mochi and roll it in the sugar-filled pie tin to shake on a light dusting. Repeat with the remaining mochi. Mochurros are best served warm, but can be enjoyed cool as well, and will retain their optimal texture for about a day. Serves 4-6.

*For best results use a plain variety/flavor. Superfood varieties, or cinnamon-raisin may also be used if available.

Of course, I love making my own cereals, usually in the form of granolas which tend to be a little more hearty than their puffed grain counterparts, as they’re a great opportunity to play with unusual flavors and extra-beneficial ingredients. Now that it’s fall, warm spices like cinnamon seem to feel as timely as a good pair of boots, and apples are the best friend fruit of the season. For my cereals, I like to combine these instinctive ingredients with sprouted buckwheat, which I’ll explain how to make below. It may seem like an extra effort, and well, it is, but it’s so profoundly nutritious (protein! minerals! enzymes!) and such a delightful snack that it’s truly in the “worth it” catagory. I’m also like to add in some other complimentary superfoods like chia seeds (so you’ll likely find this recipe surprisingly filling, unlike other cereals) as well as yacon powder, which adds an extra sweet apple-like flavor that enhances the rest of the recipe package. This is the type of recipe that’s great to make large batches of and store in an airtight container, perfect for breakfast or scooped out as a small snack. Munchers, meet your heaven recipe, and mealers, you may just find yourself impressively satisfied too. Munchies aren’t always a bad thing…

Yacon Buckwheat Cereal

Buckwheat is one of the easiest (gluten-free) grains to sprout – taking this extra step in preparation not only increases the nutrition, it also provides an improved texture once dehydrated.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups buckwheat groats

6 cups water

1/4 cup chia seeds”

1/2 cup yacon powder

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 tablespoons cinnamon powder

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup fresh apple, minced fine

1/3 cup walnuts, finely chopped

1/4 cup raisins

DIRECTIONS

Sprout the Buckwheat: Soak the buckwheat groats in the water for 30 minutes. Drain into a colander, and rinse very thoroughly, to remove the excess starch. Place the colander on a counter away from direct sunlight to allow the groats to begin germinating. After 4-8 hours, rinse the groats very thoroughly with water again. Repeat this process 2-3 more times over the course of 2 days, until the groats just begin to show a small white tail. Rinse again before using, and drain well.

Mix the ingredients: Transfer the buckwheat to a large bowl, and add the chia, yacon powder, maple syrup, cinnamon, sea salt and vanilla. Mix well. Add the apples, walnuts and raisins, and toss to combine.

Dry the cereal: Divide the buckwheat mixture onto 4 perforated/mesh dehydrator sheets, spreading into flat layers to ensure even drying. Dehytrate at 115 degrees (or desired temperature) for 10-12 hours, or until dried through and crispy. Store in an air-tight container. Makes about 8 cups.

Whenever I’m chatting with someone new and say “I’m in the natural foods industry,” I usually receive that kind of vacant nodding response followed by an ambiguous “Ohhhh.” It’s the same response that I, in turn, likely offer when someone tells me they’re in the field of, say, “computer science.” (I still really have no idea what that means – my apologies.) But for every blank stare I provoke, I wish I could arrange for an immediate tour of a Natural Products Expo. These 3 day events never fail as a huge, tangible reminder of the real “natural food business,” complete with the newest cool projects underway, as well as all the amazing people behind the scenes (and sometimes leading the scene!) that are making the healthy and green choices in our grocery stores, well, happen.

There are 2 major expos in the US each year — one on the west coast, one on the east coast. This year, the eastern expo was held in Baltimore, which I went to of course. I completely forgot to take pictures, but it’s probably a good thing considering the overwhelming humidity and my hair’s magnimous response (ever the reliable barometer).  Frizzy lioness look-alike aside, I was able to gather some good info on a collection of healthy stuff  — just a sampling of what to keep an eye out for.

New Products & Trends

Truly, there are new products being launched right and left at these sorts of events, including the fantastic new superfood Navitas Power Snacks that I essentially lived off of for 3 days straight (unintentional, but frankly quite successful!). I was also thrilled to watch the unveiling of Vega Sport, an extensive new line of natural products for active lifestyles – including an electrolyte formula that won Best New Product! The ready-made raw food snack category is continuing to grow, and though I would much rather make my own, I did try some tasty kale chips.

One new “trendy” ingredient that kept coming up over and over again was coconut. Between coconut water, coconut oil, coconut butter, coconut sugar (which is the same thing as palm sugar), coconut snacks and SO much more, coconut seemed to be on every company’s mind/tongue!  I’m happy to see manufacturers looking to coconuts as a good source of healthy and natural fats, a healthier sugar option, or even as a way of getting nature-made electrolytes. But I’m wary of the escalating hype of coconut being a cure-all food. It’s a great natural food with some bona fide benefits, it’s sustainable to grow, and it also tastes delicious. End of story.

New People & Projects

Sure it’s fun to taste every product you could dream of finding at Whole Foods, but what’s even more fun is meeting all the people behind the products and information. Though I spent most of my time with the wonderful folks at the Navitas Naturals booth (that’s me with Navitas’ president, Wes Crain, in the photo above), it was inevitable to run into some natural food rockstars. One highlight was engaging with Chris Kilham, aka the Medicine Hunter, who is overflowing with worldly expertise about superfoods and medicinal plants, and can back that knowledge with hands-on stories about the cultures that grow them. The amazing people from one of New York’s favorite sustainable restaurants Candle 79 were also on hand, bubbling with excitement about their beautiful new cookbook due out in November. The one and only chef Jason Wrobel was also a treat to chat with, whose DVD and classes on vegan/raw foods are action-packed with awesome. And I also ran into the lovely Mimi Clark, aka the Veggie Gourmet, whose superb vegan cooking classes are practically a vegetarian household name.

Additionally, I had the great pleasure of meeting up with one of my favorite people, Gena Hamshaw, who is the founder of the highly acclaimed website Choosing Raw (and who coincidentally also helped to proof my book, Superfood Cuisine!). And I even got a bonus the day after the expo was over: after attending Brendan Brazier’s talk in the area, the good conversation was a-flowin’ with an old friend, vegan bodybuilder and author Robert Cheeke, as well as new friend, Matt Frazier of No Meat Athlete.

Maybe I’ll see you there next year?

Lastly, THANK YOU to everyone who entered the Thrive Giveaway! I loved reading all your comments! Congratulations to the randomly selected* winner Katrina (comment 17) who will receive a signed copy of Thrive Foods! Didn’t win? Chin up — I may just have another giveaway soon…

*Winner randomly generated by random.org

For many years now, best-selling author, professional triathlete, and health activist Brendan Brazier has been on a convincing crusade promoting a plant-based diet and its relationship to both long-term health and performance. Perhaps you’re already familiar with his award-winning line of health products called Vega, or his two previous books, Thrive and Thrive Fitness. His philosophies about upholding a nutrient-dense plant-based diet for optimum health are 100% synonymous with the cornerstone concepts behind the energy-giving superfood recipes I create, such as the ones in Superfood Cuisine. So, needless to say, when Brendan asked me to develop a chunk of recipes for his new third book, Thrive Foods, I couldn’t wait to get my hands, uh, covered in food.

I was especially excited to work on this project for two reasons. First, Thrive Foods is so much more than “just” a cookbook. Rather, it’s an innovative and compelling examination of the environmental resources used to produce food, explained through Brendan’s “nutrient to resource ratio.” I have to say, as a food lover with an environmental conscience myself, I found it fascinating to look at the environmental cost of the food choices that we make in such a well-researched manner. And, selfishly, it made me feel even better about my plant-based natural foods and superfood choices (hint: there’s more to environmental eating than JUST eating local food).

Second, half of the book’s 200 recipes are contributed from some of the top chefs in North America, including some of my personal favorites like Matthew Kenney, Tal Ronnen, Angel Ramos (Candle 79), and SO many more. You know that question people sometimes ask “if you could have a dinner party and invite 10 people, who would they be?” Well, I’d invite the chefs from this cookbook. And then I’d officially change the dinner party to a potluck.

As for my own recipes in Thrive Foods, I have to say they turned out beautifully – it was such a fun project to work on. You’ll likely recognize a few items directly from my blog here, like the Asian Carrot Avocado Salad or Parsnip Oven Fries amongst a few others, and the remainder of the 90+ recipes are all brand new! In the next post I’ll share one of my recipes from Thrive Foods with you that’s perfect for autumn and also happens to be one of Brendan’s favorites. In the meantime, I have another exciting announcement: I’m giving away a copy of Thrive Foods, signed by Brendan Brazier!

1) Like Superfood Cuisine by Julie Morris on Facebook
2) Send a tweet: Environmentalism meets 200 great recipes in new book, Thrive Foods. Win  a signed copy via @greenjules here: http://tinyurl.com/3nyhcel
3) Follow @brendanbrazier on twitter
4) Like Brendan Brazier on Facebook
5) Leave a comment below about one thing you do, big or small, that is an eco-friendly part of your lifestyle! Food-oriented or not…

Already like/follow some of the above? (Thanks!) You can still earn entries for these with a comment. The giveaway closes September 30th! Good luck!

*Giveaway open to North American residents only.

She’s also a mom of two, and from the looks of things, her kidlets are sprouting into little superheroes of their own. In fact, her five year old son, Bryce (see picture above), has taken a particular interest in his nutrition. After babbling about “antioxidants” since he was a toddler, Bryce has recently crowned himself with the honorable title of “The Grand Chia Master.” (I believe this position of power is a “forever” kind of deal, in case you were wondering.) GC Master looks forward to the event of making homemade superfood smoothies (aka a “science experiment”), adding in colorful powders, vivid fruits, leafy greens, and chia seeds (of course!) before creating the most awesomely delicious kid-friendly sludge.

Did I mention he’s five?

Kids may be picky, but it’s not the nutrients in food they’re picky about; many times it’s the way nutritious food is offered in the first place. When presented with tasty healthy options — and given the opportunity to make their own choices — the beneficial foods children gravitate toward is often genuinely inspiring.

A while back, I read about a fascinating study done on sugary cereal. The goal was to test how much sugar made a child happy enough to eat his or her breakfast. In the study, two separate groups of young children were allowed to help themselves to cereal, fruit, sugar packets, milk and juice for breakfast. The only difference between the two groups was that while one group was offered sugary cereal like Fruit Loops and Frosted Flakes, the other group was given low-sugar cereal like Rice Krispies. The children were instructed to simply prepare breakfast for themselves.

Although both groups ate almost the same amount of calories, the calories derived from sugar in the sugar-cereal group were almost double compared to the low sugar cereal group — even though many children in the low-sugar group added sugar packets to their bowl. Additionally, “more than half of kids given low-sugar options added fruit to their bowls, versus 8 percent of those eating sugary cereal.” Can you imagine the results if they included a third group, with a make-your-own smoothie option?

Children eat profoundly instinctively — very much on a “want” basis — and although taste (and presentation) is a defining factor too, sometimes it’s just about presenting a child with a choice (such as the choice to include sugar in cereal as opposed to a pre-sweetened variety). Including abundant nutrient-dense superfoods like yum-worthy seeds, berries, and even hidden greens, can be excellent ways to keep children happy, stocked with healthy nutrition, and inevitably too full/satisfied to crave refined or sugary foods. This method is known as the “crowding out” theory.

In fact, the crowding out theory works with adults too. Which, if I’m not mistaken, means the Grand Chia Master indeed has a lesson to share with us all.

Bryce’s Grand Chia Master Superfood Smoothie Recipe

frozen mango chunks, to taste

frozen mixed berries, to taste

1 frozen acai smoothie pack

1 banana

18 drops Chloroxygen (liquid chlorophyll drops)

2 tablespoons chia seeds

2 tablespoons ground flax powder

2 tablespoons hemp seeds

2 tablespoons cacao nibs

2 cups arugula

1 scoop Macro Greens powder

2 cups coconut water

Blend until awesome, and serve.

It’s high-time we feature a delicious recipe from Superfood Cuisine here, don’t you agree? Doing so, on my end at least, has not been a particularly easy process. Indeed, like picking a favorite child, I’ve been utterly at loss while deciding which of the 100+ superfood recipes to share. Seriously! I love them all (obviously), and each is worthy of the extremely fancy spotlight of a blog post. Which oh which recipe to choose?

Attempting to summon my recipe decision-making mojo earlier today, I took a walk outside. Ironically, it was there I found my answer staring me in the face, right inside my little herb garden. If you have a garden or have visited the produce section at the market lately, you’re likely aware that this time of year has a way of making some herbs, like basil, a little, well, “overly ambitious.” My homegrown basil is certainly no different, and though I love its flavor, I couldn’t help but pass a little judgment upon the plant today as I observed it unabashedly hogging up almost the entire pot it’s supposed to share with other green savories. Calm down there, basil; clearly it’s time we put you to use. And by “use,” I of course mean it’s an ideal time to make my “Secret Pesto” recipe from the cookbook.

I call this recipe a secret not because I’m not going to tell you how to make it (I’ve never understood recipe secrets – I mean, it’s FOOD, not the blueprints to a rocketship). Rather, this pesto is “secret” because it includes a profoundly nutrient-rich superfood within the sauce that you would NEVER guess was there: wheatgrass. Wheatgrass? You bet I’m serious. While most people easily embrace “everyday” superfoods like spinach or quinoa, if you have family or friends who are skeptical of including more niche superfoods like wheatgrass, this is the perfect way to show them just how easy it is to boost a meal’s nutrition with superfoods without compromising flavor. I like to sneak in the “secret,” serve this awesome meal up, and then share the extra good news after the bowls have been licked clean.

Like all the recipes in Superfood Cuisine, the food is designed not only to be aesthetically attractive and full of fabulous flavor, but also packed with health-giving purpose. From this recipe, here are just a few of the things you can look forward to…per each fabulous serving:

• 8 grams of protein from grain-like quinoa
• 5 grams protein + iron and minerals from hemp seeds
• Anti-inflammatory Omega 3 fats from EFA Oil
• Around 50% RDA Vitamin A from basil and spinach leaves
• Over 70 vitamins & minerals from wheatgrass powder

Amazing, yeah? I think so too. Some secrets are too good not to share.

Quinoa with Secret Pesto & Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Makes 4-6 hearty servings

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup (packed) sun-dried tomatoes
2 cups (packed) chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup hemp seeds
1/3 cup EFA oil
1/3 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon freeze-dried wheatgrass powder
1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon minced garlic
4 cups cooked quinoa
2 cups (packed) baby spinach, cut into chiffonade (aka extra thin)

DIRECTIONS:

Soak the sun-dried tomatoes in some hot water for 30 minutes or until soft. Slice thinly.

Use a food processor to blend the basil, hemp seeds, both oils, wheatgrass powder, nutritional yeast, sea salt and garlic into a pesto sauce. In a large bowl, toss some of the pesto (use as much as desired) with the quinoa, sun-dried tomatoes and spinach. Serve cold or gently heat.

- Recipe and photo from Superfood Cuisine: Cooking with Nature’s Most Amazing Foods