Meet Moringa
The latest superfood that will soon take over the world. Before Kuli Kuli reached out to me a few weeks ago, I had no idea about this amazing superfood. This magical tree has leaves more nutritious than kale and also provides powerful anti-inflammatory benefits rivaling those of turmeric! You know how much I love turmeric so finding another food that was better, I had to give it a try. Moringa is grown abundantly in the tropics, and is known in ancient cultures as the "Tree of Life.”
Compared to kale, moringa has two times the protein, four times the iron, three times the calcium, and 2.5 times fiber. On top of that it is also packed with protein, essential amino acids, 27 vitamins, and 46 antioxidants. I mean how do we not know more about this?! It has this vibrant green color, with a slight matcha (my favorite!) flavor. This power plant adds a healthful, mild burst of green to smoothies, savory dishes, and sauces.
This super plant is created by harvesting, drying, and milling moringa leaves. This may seem like a simple process, but soil quality, harvesting process, and processing procedures create varying levels of cleanliness and quality. At Kuli Kuli, they only source the highest-quality, sustainably-grown moringa leaves from their network of farmers across the globe.
The moringa tree is a bioaccumulator, meaning that it absorbs high-levels of minerals out of the soil that it is in. This is why Kuli Kuli sources its moringa in remote, rural areas far from industrial pollutants and they have naturally clean soil. Moringa is also a raw product and requires careful processing to avoid significant bacterial activity, pathogens, or mold. This amazing company vets suppliers on micro, nutritional, and heavy metal specifications and accepts fewer than 20% of suppliers that apply to work with them.
Another great aspect of this company is that they use this nutrient-rich power plant as a tool to improve nutrition and livelihoods worldwide. So far they have sustainably sourced their products, supported farmers, and planted many trees.
Now how was this amazing company started? Let me tell you. Founder Lisa Curtis got her first taste of moringa as a Peace corps volunteer in a small village in Niger. As a vegetarian, she was eating mostly rice and millet, eating this way made her feel sluggish. She mentioned her fatigue to women at the community health center and they suggested she try moringa. She bought some leaves from a neighbor’s tree, mixed them with a popular peanut snack called kuli-kuli and soon she felt better. She then realized the power of with super plant and began spreading the word to villagers encouraging them to use this more. Lisa founded Kuli Kuli to help women in West Africa use this super plant locally and earn a sustainable livelihood by selling a portion of each harvest to the US.
Kuli Kuli’s vision is to:
“Work with women-led farming cooperatives all over the world to drive economic growth, women’s empowerment, and sustainable agricultural development. We are creating a world where everyone has the resources and knowledge to access the nutritional power of moringa. By rejuvenating moringa as a tool for nutritional security, we hope a new generation will imagine a world without hunger.”
I mean it’s a no brainer to why I love this company so much. Not only are their products amazing flavor wise, their impact on the planet is one that can’t be beat. This is also why I was ecstatic when they reached out the collaborate with me. Full disclosure, I was sent these amazing products, but I am always 100% honest with you guys! Their products taste amazing and make me feel good after eating them!
I wanted to share a unique and different recipe with you, one that can show moringa in a savory way. I could have just done a step by step on how to create the perfect smoothie bowl, but where is the creativity in that?! So I developed Savory Veggie Pesto Muffins! These are perfect for a substitute for dinner rolls, or even add them with your savory breakfasts! As always these are vegan and gluten free!
I hope you enjoy these, and this product, as much as I do!
Xx, Nicolette
Yield: 12 muffins
Vegan and Gluten Free
Category: Savory muffins
Prep time: 25 minutes Total time: about 50 minutes
Batter:
½ cup finely chopped mushrooms
½ red onion finely chopped
⅓ cup chopped sundried tomatoes
1 cup oat flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill gluten free oats blended up)
½ cup chickpea flour
½ cup oats
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp black pepper
1 tsp himalayan salt
½ tsp red pepper flakes
¾ cup coconut or almond milk + 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp avocado oil
Moringa Pesto:
1 package moringa powder
2 cups fresh basil
¼ cup avocado oil
¼ cup raw cashews
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
½ tbsp garlic powder
Pinch salt
Pinch pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 F
First combine nut milk and apple cider vinegar together. This is a way to make vegan buttermilk.
Next, heat up a pan with 1 tsp avocado oil.
While pan is heating, add all pesto ingredients to a blender. Mix until smooth.
Then add red onion and mushrooms to heated pan, saute until completely cooked. This will only take a few minutes since they are cut so small.
Next, combine all dry ingredients together, stir a lot to make sure everything in evenly distributed throughout.
In a separate bowl, combine pesto, veggies, and nut milk mixture.
Slowly add dry into wet and stir until batter is formed.
To make presentation a little more fancy, I cut out 3-4 inch squares out of parchment paper, then lined each muffin tin with the squares.
I lightly sprayed each parchment with a little avocado cooking spray, then poured the batter about ¾ of the way full.
Place in heated oven for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.
Once slightly cooled, enjoy on its’ own or add your favorite vegan spread.
Enjoy! :)