Julie Morris has come up with a delightful assortment of recipes all having a super food (or two) as an ingredient. Many of her recipes in Superfood Kitchen use quite exotic items—you know those items you see in the health food store that you are not quite sure how to proceed with.

Hemp seeds, quinoa flakes, maca powder, and dried yacon find a home with myriad of fresh ingredients in meals you can eat throughout the day. A glossary fills you in on all the health benefits of the superfoods, plus flavor notes and ways to use them.

It’s a book you can get into a little at a time, and savor the knowledge. Photo, above left, shows Kabocha-Quinoa Risotto with Sage Cream & Sun-Dried Yacon Root, and photo, right, is our featured recipe for a chewy, healthy dessert. You can see more recipes with Super Foods in my party plan for hosting a healthy gathering.

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featured recipe

MACA-MACAROONS

Cookies with benefits—now that’s the way to live! Easy to make and deliciously full of natural ingredients, the combination of maca and brazil nuts in these macaroons tastes almost like peanut butter … with a lovely coconut-ty embrace, of course. The results are quite irresistible.

Makes about 20 cookies

1 CUP raw brazil nuts
1 1/4 CUPS unsweetened shredded coconut, plus extra for rolling
1 1/2 TB maca powder
3/4 CUP (packed) soft Medjool dates (about 7 or 8), pits removed
1 TB maple syrup
1 TB vanilla extract
1/4 tsp sea salt

Grind all the ingredients together in a food processor until a coarse dough has formed. Check the consistency: pinch the dough and make sure that it sticks together, yet still crumbles like a cookie. If the dough is too dry, add water a teaspoon at a time until the dough sticks. If the dough is too wet, add spoonfuls of extra coconut until the dough is just right.

Form the dough into balls, about a tablespoon at a time, and roll exterior in extra coconut. Flatten into cookies and serve. Kept covered, these cookies will last several weeks.

—Reprinted with permission from Superfood Kitchen © 2012 by Julie Morris, Sterling Epicure, an imprint of Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. Photography by Julie Morris

See more healthy party recipes featuring Super Foods in 05 Healing Foods