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With summer in full swing, those cravings for sweet and refreshing superfood recipes are undoubtedly tempting your taste buds—and we're here for it! This month, Kali is giving you the inside scoop on how some of our superfoods are processed so you can better understand what is (or isn’t) within them to help you create your best summer superfood recipes yet!
1. Some of your superfoods come as both a powder and a whole food. Other than texture, is there a difference?
While the difference between a whole food and a powder can be as simple as a quick whirl in a grinder, some of our superfoods involve a bit more processing. Here’s the scoop.
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Goji Berries & Goji Powder
Made from the same beloved super berry, these two products are actually quite different.
Our organic Goji Berries are vine-ripened, hand harvested berries that are gently washed and low temperature dehydrated for a tasty and nutritious snack, topping, or mix-in.
To make our Goji Powder, the same fresh berries are juiced and then the juice is freeze-dried, resulting in a soluble fruit powder that is delicious in smoothies, juices, sauces, and wellness shots.
While these two products won’t produce quite the same results if one is swapped for the other, you can adjust the measurements to use either one in blended recipes, like smoothies. To do so, use a 3:1 ratio of goji berries to goji powder. For example, if the recipe called for 1 tablespoon (3 teaspoons) of whole goji berries, add 1 teaspoon of Goji Powder. Both are rich sources of antioxidants, vitamins, and—of course—delicious goji flavor!
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Chia Powder & Chia Seeds
This is a simple one; to make our Chia Powder, we take our whole Chia Seeds and gently mill them into a fine powder. You can swap one for the other in almost all recipes, so which you choose depends on whether you like chia seed’s signature pop of texture or prefer a smoother superfood experience. Both provide a healthy dose of omega-3s, fiber, and minerals to your smoothies, bowls, baked goods, and more.
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Hemp Seeds & Hemp Powder
To turn our Hemp Seeds into Hemp Powder, the hulled seeds are milled and then cold-pressed, which gently extracts some of the natural oil content. The remaining solids form a fine, dry powder with a high concentration of protein, minerals, and fiber, making hemp powder the perfect choice for a satiating smoothie, yogurt bowl, or energy bite.
The whole Hemp Seeds retain all their inherent oils, making them a great source of omega-3 and omega-6, and a deliciously nutty topper for smoothie bowls, salads, and soups. You can also blend them into vinaigrettes for instantly creamy dressings and sauces!
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Cacao Nibs & Cacao Powder
Both cacao nibs and cacao powder are made from the seed pods, or beans, of the tropical cacao fruit. After harvest, these beans are naturally fermented for up to three days before they’re turned into two of the most popular superfoods on the planet!
Cacao Nibs are made by roughly chopping whole cacao beans for chewy-chompy chocolate bits that are perfect in smoothie bowls, oatmeal, yogurt, trail mix, and baked goods. While they do not melt, they can be used as a nutritious and toothsome substitute for chocolate chips in most recipes.
Cacao Powder is made by grinding cacao nibs into a fine paste, then cold-pressing that paste to to remove most of its fat content. The result is a shelf stable powder that can be used for decadent smoothies, energy bites, or anywhere cocoa powder is called for in a 1:1 ratio.
2. Can I use the Superfood+ Blend in something other than a smoothie?
While we designed our Superfood+ Blends specifically to simplify your morning smoothie routine, don’t let that limit you! These superfood powders can be enjoyed in everything from cozy mocha lattes to no-bake granola bars. Each blend contains three organic, whole food ingredients with no fillers or additives, so you can comfortably experiment with them anywhere you’d like to add a boost of nutrition.
Do you have a superfood question for Kali? Send it to her at askus@navitasorganics.com!
See what other burning superfood questions customers are asking in our candid "Your Questions Answered" Blog Series here.
