9 New Food Trends PLUS Recipes

Foodie fortune tellers have predicted the hottest food trends of 2015. To keep us all on trend, I’ve rounded up healthy recipes featuring nine of next year’s highly anticipated ingredients. At the end of this roundup, you’ll have 28 new recipes and some serious street cred.

Trend 1: Matcha:

What it is: A powdered Japanese green tea traditionally used in tea ceremonies. Matcha is made by finely grinding the entire leaf, and has triple the amount of the tumor-fighting antioxidant EGCg found in most green teas. The high concentrations of antioxidants in green teas have been linked to the prevention of cancer, heart disease and high blood pressure.

Recipes: 

Peppermint Mocha Matcha Latte – The Organic Dietitian

Matcha-Dusted Caramel Almonds – Food & Wine

Matcha Shortbread Cookies – Chocolate & Zucchini

 

Trend 2: Fermented Foods

What they are: Fermentation produces Lactobacillus, a bacteria that makes B-vitamins, magnesium and zinc easier for your body to digest. It may also create chemicals that act like antioxidants, protecting cells from damage, and improve digestive health. Acidic foods have a lower glycemic index, which can aid in blood sugar control.

Recipes:

Raw Pickled Ginger Carrots – Fermented Food Lab

How to Build a Perfect Grain Bowl – An Avocado a Day

Lacto-Fermented Mixed Pickles – The Kitchn

 

Trend 3: Smoke

Recipes:

Smoky Chipotle Chicken Chili – What’s Gaby Cooking

Katie’s Chili – Prevention RD

Smoky Cardamom Ginger-Molasses Cookies – Food52

 

Trend 4: “New” Ancient Grains: Kaniwa and Teff

What they are: Kaniwa is quinoa’s smaller, crunchier cousin. It’s also a high protein, gluten-free seed (widely thought of as a grain), but it doesn’t have quinoa’s bitter saponin coating that requires rinsing before use.

Tiny, quick-cooking teff has more calcium than all of the other grains, and is high in resistant starch, a type of undigested fiber that’s been linked to improved blood sugar control and weight management. It’s also gluten free.

Recipes:

Blueberry Kaniwa Muffins (gluten free) – Zocalo Gourmet

Simple Kaniwa Salad – Bon Appetit

Banana Almond Teff Porridge – Eating Bird Food

Teff Porridge with Apples, Dates and Pecans – Kitchen Vignettes, PBS Food

 

Trend 5: Kalettes

What they are: Kalettes are a new vegetable: a cross between kale and brussels sprouts. They look like little cabbage flowers and have a sweet, nutty flavor. They’re on the shelf at Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods.

Recipes:

Tomato Feta Kalettes – Kalettes

Oven Roasted Kalettes – Shape

 

Trend 6: Creative Multicultural Flavor Combinations

Maple-Sriracha Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Cranberry Wild Rice – The Sriracha Cookbook

Maple Sriracha Baked Chicken Wings – Taste, Love and Nourish

Salmon with Sriracha and Lime Sauce – Self (recipe courtesy of Gwyneth Paltrow and Julia Turshen)

A Medley of Roasted Potatoes with Homemade Za’atar & Aleppo Pepper – Food52

Za’atar Pita Chips with Yogurt Dip – The Kitchn

 

Trend 7: Flavored Nuts

Honey Chipotle Pecans – littleturtle for Food.com

Fig and Walnut Cookies – Giada De Laurentiis

 

Trend 8: Tea

Turmeric Tea – Nutrition Stripped

Tea Glazed Gingerbread Loaf – Running to the Kitchen

 

Trend 9: Middle Eastern Mezze

Red Beet & White Bean Hummus – Weelicious

Beet and White Bean Hummus – Two Lazy Gourmets

Techina (Tahini Dip) – Saveur

Honey Roasted Carrots with Tahini Yogurt – Yotam Ottolenghi in The Guardian (scroll down the page to the recipe)

 

Sources: 

• Fine Dining Lovers 2015 Food Trends: https://www.finedininglovers.com/blog/news-trends/food-trends-2015-kara-nielsen/
• Food Navigator 2015 Flavor Trend Predictions: http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Trends/Trendspotter/Comax-flavors-predicts-top-flavor-trends-for-2015
• Food Navigator 8 Flavor Trends to Watch in 2015: http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Suppliers2/McCormick-flavor-forecast-8-flavor-trends-to-watch-in-2015?utm_source=copyright&utm_medium=OnSite&utm_campaign=copyright
• Determination of catechins in matcha green tea by micellar electrokinetic chromatography. J Chromatogr A. 2003 Sep 5;1011(1-2):173-80.
• Medicinal benefits of green tea: Part I. Review of noncancer health benefits. J Altern Complement Med. 2005 Jun;11(3):521-8.
• Benefit of drinking green tea: The proof is in — drinking tea is healthy, says Harvard Women’s Health Watch – Harvard School of Public Health
• The 3 R’s of Glycemic Index: Recommendations, Research, and the Real World – American Diabetes Association, Clinical Diabetes.
• Tufts Health & Nutrition Letter: Discover the Digestive Benefits of Fermented Foods. February 2014.
• Meet Kaniwa, The New Quinoa. Epicurious. 2013.
• Teff and Millet – November Grains of the Month. Whole Grains Council.
• About Kalettes. Kalettes.com
• Za’atar. The Spice House.