Hot Food Trends You Should Definitely Look Into

Plant protein

Move over tofu and soymilk! Vegetarian foods have long been on specialty shelves but now more conventional foods are incorporating plant proteins, in all things from egg substitute and yogurt, to bratwurst and sausage. Ingredients like seitan, tempeh, lentils, pea protein, rice protein, mung bean, fava bean, and vegan protein powders are making their way into mainstream foods. It is no secret that replacing animal protein with plant protein can improve blood sugar control in diabetes¹, lower cardiovascular disease risk², and reduce the risk of various cancers^3,4. Plus, vegetarian and plant-based diets are associated with lower body weight⁵.

Air fryers

As an alternative to conventional frying in oil, these countertop convection (fan-powered circulated hot air) ovens can produce a similar crispy texture, color and flavor with substantially lower fat content⁶. French fries and chicken nuggets that are deep fried do rate higher in crispness, mouth feel and acceptance, though^6,7.  Air-fryer outcome is good if instructions are followed properly for lightly breaded foods cooked in small batches, but the process is slower than deep frying⁶. If you’re really craving a fried food taste, you can still lightly brush food with oil before cooking. If you need to crisp wet battered items or prepare party-size quantities, an air-fryer won’t do the job.

Root-to-stem cooking

This no waste, whole food approach is not new, but restaurants and chefs are offering more culinary guidance to consuming fully edible plant parts. By utilizing all the parts of your produce – the leaves, stems, rinds, stalks, and skins – you get a boost of nutrition and flavor. Plus, it’s cost-effective and environmentally conscious.  Here are some tips to embrace more of your produce:

• Wash or scrub potatoes, carrots, cucumber, and apple thoroughly instead of peeling.
• Revive wilted vegetables by cutting near the base and submerging in cool water for 20 minutes.
• Blanch the leafy tops of carrots, radish, turnip and beets to use in salads.
• Chard stems can be diced and sautéed to give crunch to cooked leaves.
• Blenderize the cut ends of cooked string beans and add to a green smoothie.
• Broccoli stalks can be shredded for slaw.
• Pickle watermelon rinds for a creative chutney or summer side dish.
• Cabbage and cauliflower cores can be chopped and saved for soups.
• If you must peel bruises or remove brown spots, use these trimmings in a compost bin.

Edible essential oils

!! Recommended to avoid

Unlike flavor extracts, essential oils are not intended for ingestion. Though the FDA indicates they are generally recognized as safe in commonly used amounts (approx. doses in the range of 1 to 3 drops, 1 to 3 times per day), you should only use food grade essential oils orally with the expertise of a professional. They are highly concentrated and can cause damage internally if administered without expert dilution, even those based on culinary ingredients (cinnamon, ginger, oregano, wintergreen). The International Federation of Aromatherapists doesn’t recommend the ingestion of essential oils. The Alliance of International Aromatherapists (AIA) also doesn’t endorse oral therapeutic use of essential oils “unless recommended by a healthcare practitioner trained at an appropriate clinical level.⁸”