8 Food Trends for 2017: What to Expect

The New Year is a great time to broaden your food horizons and experiment with different versions of familiar foods. Let’s explore some exciting new trends expected for 2017.

1. Turmeric. This spice has been trending for a few years now and continues to rise in popularity. Along with adding wonderful flavor to dishes, it has been linked to reducing inflammation and playing a role in disease prevention. Commonly used in curry-based dishes, this spice can also add delicious flavor to scrambled eggs, roasted veggies and meats like chicken or salmon.
2. Vegetable noodles. With the rise of “spiralizer” gadgets, people are now making noodles from zucchini, butternut squash and beets for a tasty and healthy pasta alternative. Swapping veggie noodles with regular noodles is a great way to pack a nutritional punch to your diet.
3. Less food waste. In efforts to make the earth a better place, people are finding ways to repurpose leftover food parts that are often thrown away. These include broccoli stems, fennel fronds, or “ugly” fruits and vegetables that can be used in slaws, soups, broths, stews or vegetarian dishes.
4. Fermented foods. These are all the rage due to their natural probiotics. Companies are releasing lines of tasty fermented vegetables like curry cauliflower, ginger beets and orange ginger carrots. And you can now find kombucha, a fermented tea, in many grocery stores.
5. Seeds. From pumpkin seeds to chia seeds to watermelon seeds, you’ll find them in snackbars, salads or side dishes. Most seeds are rich in protein and minerals. Try making your own trail mix with seeds as the main ingredient.
6. Healthier vending machines. Ditch the soda cans and bags of processed chips! Temperature-controlled vending machines offer healthier on-the-go snack foods like popcorn, hummus cups, fresh fruit, hard-boiled eggs and yogurt.
7. Time savers. Weekly meal subscription delivery services are popping up everywhere. These meals need assembly, but the recipe planning and basic food preparation are done for you. Also, most grocery stores now offer pre-cut vegetables and display recipes that allow you to prepare a meal in minutes.
8. Plant-based foods. More people are taking up a plant-based diet, limiting their consumption of meats. Many food businesses are using more fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and grains to meet the demand of this consumer health preference.

While these eight food trends can all contribute to healthier eating habits, not all food trends are healthy. Stay informed, and bon appétit!

Want to start using these trendy food ingredients in your cooking? Try this delicious vegetarian burrito bowl with cauliflower “rice.” Many grocery stores sell this pre-packaged, but all you need to make it is a head of cauliflower and a food processor.

Vegetarian Burrito Bowl

INGREDIENTS:

2 heads of Romaine lettuce, shredded

1 ½ cup kale, chopped

1 pack of cauliflower rice

2 red peppers, sliced

8 mushrooms, sliced

1 onion, diced

½ teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon ground coriander

pinch of salt and pepper

½ cup black beans, cooked or canned

½ cup sweet corn, cooked

½ medium avocado

4-ounce Greek yogurt

4 medium tomatoes, diced

½ red onion, diced

1 tablespoon lime

Optional: jalapeno slices

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Wash the Romaine and kale and divide between bowls.
2. Spray oil in a pan, add the peppers, onion and mushrooms and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until soft. Add the spices; cook 1 minute and add to the bowls.
3. Combine chopped tomato with red onion, jalapeno and lime juice, mixing well, and then add to the bowl of greens.
4. In a food processor, add the avocado, Greek yogurt and 1 tablespoon water; blend until smooth.
5. Cook the cauliflower rice and divide between the bowls and top with the avocado yogurt.

Authors

By Ann Caldwell and Maureen Shackelford, nutritionists and registered dietitians at Anne Arundel Medical Center. To reach them call 443-481-5555.