What’s on the menu for 2014?
2013 was a year full of quinoa, kale, cake pops and we can’t forget our favorite condiment, sriracha. Already a month into 2014 and we can already tell it looks promising of new healthy food trends. Here are the food trends we foresee in the upcoming year (fingers crossed sriracha is still on the list!)
Ancient grains, specifically teff: Last year quinoa was the trendiest grain around, and this year we will see a continuation of healthy and hearty grains. We’ve been seeing bags of millet, barley, farro, more quinoa, and one that has really caught our eye— an Ehtiopian grain called teff. Teff is tiny grain, poppy seed sized high in calcium, vitamin C, and fiber. All of these benefits help manage blood-sugar, weight, and colon health. Sounds good to us! Teff can be used as an ingredient in pancakes, snacks, breads and cereals. It’s also a great option for our gluten-free friends.
Cauliflower: Sorry kale, but cauliflower is going to be huge this year. We’re going to see everything cauliflower. Another great gluten-free and paleo-friendly food, cauliflower can be made into just about anything. Fried cauliflower (instead of french fries), roasted cauliflower, curried cauliflower, cauliflower crust (our favorite!!), soup, cauliflower rice, even cauliflower couscous. We’re excited to try all of these ideas and let us know if you find any recipes to add to our cauliflower to-do list!
Tea: Tea is making a huge comeback this year. Toss out the Lipton because this year we’re all about the loose-leaf teas. By using loose-leaf teas you’re able to create fusions of flavors never combined before. We’re talking chai with lemongrass, lavender with black, oolongs, rooibos’, you name it. The loose-leaf trend is also great for using the tea as an ingredient rather than just a drink. The tea leaves make for a great flavoring additive in almost any recipe. Not only will this tea trend have tons of uses, tea is great for bone strength, heart health and hydration— just to name a few of the many benefits.
Hybrid foods: In 2014 we’re looking at more hybrid foods, too. Toward the end of 2013 we saw the craze of hybrid foods such as the flaky and delicious croissant-doughnut, or as hip foodies liked to call, “cronut.” We can expect to see more of these interesting combos in the upcoming year! What will we come up with next?!
Happy eating, Maniacs!
