Who says eating healthy has to be boring?
Boost your brain power with these exciting recipes and ways that you can get your dose of superfoods.
But, before you jump straight into the recipes, let us tell you a little bit about superfoods.
What are superfoods?
Superfoods are those that contain higher than average nutrient levels, and usually a nice healthy mix of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and amino acids.
It’s important to eat a nutrient-rich diet as there are lots of compounds that we need but our body can’t create on its own. When you choose to add superfoods to your diet, you’re making it a whole lot easier to get your fix of the vitamins, minerals, and everything else you need!
When it comes to which superfoods you should add to your diet, it’s up to personal preference. Some superfoods contain more nutrients than others, and there is no one miracle super food that has absolutely everything that you need.
There are so many different varieties of superfoods, so even the fussiest of eaters will likely be able to find something they like to get their superfood fix.
And while there are so many varieties of superfoods out there, today we’ve compiled some of our favourite super mushroom superfood recipes!
Delicious ways you can use super mushrooms
1. No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Reishi Balls
This delicious vegan and gluten-free sweet treat is sure to keep you asking for more with every bite.
You’ve probably seen or tried a protein ball or two in your time, and while they can be pretty good, if you’re looking for something a little different, why not give a reishi mushroom ball a go instead?
You might think adding a tablespoon of mushroom powder is a surefire way to turn a sweet treat into something not so sweet, but the combination of cacao powder, dates, and peanut butter masks the mushroom flavour.
The recipe is simple and can be made with ingredients you might already have in your pantry. You’ll need a blender or food processor to ensure your batter becomes mostly smooth, and you can add in some cacao nibs if you’re looking for that lovely crunchy texture.
The best part of all is that there’s no baking involved here! All you need to do is place the chocolate peanut butter reishi balls in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, and voila!
To make around 20 or so of these, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter (if you’re not a fan of peanut butter, opt for another nut butter)
- ½ cup cacao powder
- 10-12 pitted dates
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon reishi powder
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons cacao nibs (optional, add for the crunch)
Instructions:
- Line a tray with baking paper
- Add all ingredients, except for the cacao nibs, to your food processor or blender.
- Blend until mostly smooth.
- Transfer your mixture to a bowl and stir in the cacao nibs.
- Using a tablespoon, grab some mixture, and then with your hands, roll it into a ball. Keep repeating this step until you run out of mixture.
- Place the tray in the fridge to firm, this usually takes around 30 minutes.
- Once the balls are hard, you can put them in an airtight container and keep in the fridge (if you have any left).
2. Energy Boosting Cordyceps Hero Smoothie
Feeling a little sluggish? Fret not, as this special hero smoothie recipe is here to save the day!
Basically, an elixir chock full of antioxidants and Vitamin C, combined with ten grams of plant protein, 8g of fiber, and half of the calcium and magnesium you need for the day – you’ll wonder how you were ever able to get through without it.
For this recipe, you’ll need one blood orange, a half cup of frozen mango and another half cup of banana, any non-dairy milk, hemp seeds, flax meal, and just 1/2 teaspoon of cordyceps extract. When all blended together, you get one hearty serving of a delicious, power-packed smoothie that’s sure to get your energy levels up.
You can always substitute the fruits for your favourites or what is in season, and if you aren’t a fan of milk, you can always add water. Adjust the amount of water or milk that you use based on how thick you like the texture of your smoothie!
3. Cookies & Cream Banana Turkey Tail Ice Cream
Right off the bat, that recipe name sounds like a dream!
It’s not often you’d see cookies, cream, and ice cream in a healthy eater’s diet plan, but trust us, everything about this vegan, gluten-free, and paleo-friendly masterpiece is just as heavenly as it sounds.
Turkey tail mushroom, the star of this dessert, contains prebiotic compounds that promote healthy digestion, thereby helping strengthen your entire immune system. So, this is certainly one sweet treat where you don’t have to worry about getting an upset stomach.
All you have to do is decide on your own vegan alternative choice to Oreos, replace cream with frozen bananas, splash in some of your favourite plant-based milk, add in some vanilla extract and cinnamon, and don’t forget the turkey tail mushroom extract. This one might take a little bit of work on the food processor, but it will be worth it!
If you’re only making enough for one, the amounts you need for each ingredient is below – you can adjust to suit however many servings you wish to make.
Ingredients:
- 2-3 frozen bananas
- 3-4 cookie of choice
- 1 tablespoon of plant-based milk
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon of turkey tail mushroom extract
Instructions:
- Start by blending the bananas and milk in your food processor until blended and smooth – this can take a while, depending on the strength of your processor.
- Add the vanilla, cinnamon, and turkey tail, and mix until combined
- Add your cookies and pulse to break them up and mix in. You can blend it for a little or if you like at this stage, it’s up to your preferences.
- Enjoy!
- This one is best made when you’re going to eat it rather than storing it for too long!
4. Sun Dried Tomato Chaga Mushroom Pasta
Upgrade your favourite pasta recipe with the uber-healthy, antioxidant-rich chaga mushroom extract!
This fantastic superfood supports healthy function of the immune system, aids in liver protection, reduces inflammation, and may even help lower your cholesterol. Talk about a win-win!
Don’t worry, there’s no complicated processes here. This recipe is basically the same as how you would go about cooking regular ol’ sun dried tomato pasta, only when everything’s in the pan, you add in two teaspoons of chaga extract. It’s sure to bring about a remarkable bounce to your pasta dish, not to mention enormous health benefits.
You can use any kind of pasta for this recipe as well, it doesn’t have to be the traditional style. You can use lentil based, pulse pasta or even zoodles.
Just make sure you’re got lemon juice, sun-dried tomatoes, your favourite veggies, garlic and of course your chaga extract. There’s no complicated sauce with this one, the sun-dried tomato is the star of the show.
5. Blood Orange Lion’s Mane Hot Chocolate
Fight those winter blues with this amazingly delicious cup of hot chocolate, made even better with a zest of blood orange and a teaspoon of lion’s mane extract!
It’s easy to make and will only take all of five minutes.
All you need is half a cup of non-dairy milk, 2 tablespoons of raw cacao powder, ½ teaspoon of lion’s mane mushroom extract, 1 tablespoon of maple syrup (if you like things sweet), a blood orange where you will use 1 teaspoon of zest and 2 tablespoons of juice, half a cup of water, and a tiny pinch of salt to balance the flavours.
For best results, use a small pot to heat and whisk the ingredients together. Bring everything to a boil, strain, and pour the delightful mixture into your favourite mug. You even have the fun of decorating it with some enchanting-looking slices of blood orange.
Did you know lion’s mane has some of the most astounding benefits found in superfoods? Not only can it help speed up recovery, but it protects against ulcers, reduces risk of heart disease, and relieves symptoms of depression and anxiety, but it could also even help protect against dementia!
6. Meatless Shiitake Mushroom Sliders
Another mouthwatering entry on the list! These faux pulled pork sliders will be the best meat-free dish you’ve had in ages! Whether it’s meatless Monday or you’re a long-time vegan on the lookout for new recipes, you’re sure to get a kick out of this terrific recipe.
Good for eight whole sliders, the “pulled pork” will be made from around 120 grams sliced shiitake mushrooms, which is more than enough to reap their extraordinary benefits. They can aid in the reduction of your blood cholesterol levels and contain beta-glucans that help reduce inflammation and aid in preventing the intestines from absorbing too much cholesterol.
There are a few different ingredients to get, but nothing that you shouldn’t be able to find at your local grocery store.
Ingredients:
- Slider buns – this can be any style of bun, roll or bread – you can even opt for bunless sliders and opt for lettuce leaves instead!
Shitake Filling:
- Avocado oil (or any oil of your preference)
- ½ cup of diced onion
- 120g shitake mushrooms, sliced
- 1 garlic clove, minced or finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/3 cup of barbeque sauce
Slaw Filling:
- 1 cup of both green or purple cabbage, so you have 2 cups total, shredded (you can use only purple or only green, as well)
- ½ cup carrot, grated
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil (or your preferred oil)
- Juice of 1 lime
Instructions:
- Heat oil for your slider filling in a heated pan
- Add mushrooms and onion and sauté for 6-8 minutes
- Once your onions and mushrooms have started to soften, add the remaining ingredients from the slider filling list and stir to combine.
- Reduce heat and cover with a lid, leave to cook for around 8 more minutes.
- Add salt and/or pepper to taste.
- While your slider filling is cooking, mix all your slaw ingredients together
- Toast your slider buns in the toaster or oven, or you can use them untoasted.
- Once your mushroom mix is cooked and your buns are toasty, add a couple of tablespoons of mushroom slider mix to the bun, along with some slaw, and enjoy!
7. Reishi Shilajit Chocolate Bites
This recipe combines two superfoods in one delicious on-the-go dessert. Ready in just forty-five minutes (15 minutes work, 30 minutes chill time), this treat gives you shilajit’s benefits of boosting immunity, improving immunity, and upping energy levels, along with reishi’s ability to alleviate fatigue, lower blood pressure, and promote better brain health.
Here’s what you need:
- 3 tablespoons cacao butter
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter (or nut butter of your preference)
- 1/2 cup cacao powder
- 2.5 tablespoons of sugar or sugar substitute
- 2 tablespoons maca powder
- 1 teaspoon shilajit extract powder
- ¼ teaspoon of reishi extract powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Not only do you get your mushroom fix in three, but you’ve also got the energy boosting maca powder and of course delicious flavours of chocolate and peanut butter.
To make these bad boys, all you need to do is follow these instructions:
- Best made with a double boiler, you want to melt your cacao butter and coconut oil together.
- Once melted, add your peanut butter, or nut butter of choice to the mix and stir to combine.
- Mix all your dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
- Pour your melted wet ingredients into your dry ingredients, and mix, then add your vanilla extract.
- Once everything is mixed, pour into a chocolate mold or silicone baking tray, and place in the fridge to set.
- If you’ve only got a silicone baking tray, once your treat has set, you can chop it up – though it might take a little elbow grease.
- Take out of their mold or tray and keep in an airtight container in the fridge until they are gone – which probably won’t be very long!
Get your superfood fix with some help from the pros
As you can see, adding superfoods to your diet doesn’t have to be boring!
If you’re looking to get your hands on the superfoods we’ve mentioned in our recipes, or any other varieties, check out what we’ve got here at Superfoods Australia.
We’ve been providing the people of Australia with their superfoods for years now and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Shop with us today!
