15 Antioxidant-Rich Vegan Recipes to Help You Embrace Purple Food – One Green Planet

If purple is your favorite color, then 2017 might just be your year. According to a few trend reports, purple foods are going to be big in 2017. While we can’t actually look into the future and see just how big these lovely hued foods will be, we are ready to embrace the trend with open arms. Why? Foods that are purple are high in antioxidants, flavonoids, and some anti-inflammatory properties. This includes berries like acai, blueberries, and blackberries as well as vegetables like purple cauliflower, carrots, asparagus, and cabbage. If purple cauliflower is new to you, you can cook it just like you would regular cauliflower. Try it out in this Purple Cauliflower Peanut Coconut Curry and this Purple Cauliflower Thai Green Coconut Curry With Carrot Noodles.

First, here are  some supplements high in antioxidants:

Now, Ready for some purple food? Then, get ready for these 15 sweet and savory recipes featuring purple foods!

1. Purple Sweet Potato Mousse Shooters 

These Purple Sweet Potato Mousse Shooters embody all things great about cooler weather in an easy to prep and easy to gobble down dessert. Purple sweet potato is boiled until tender, then puréed with creamy coconut milk, maple syrup, and warm spices that are perfect for fall. Impress your guests (and your taste tubs) with this colorful dessert at the end of the meal — and don’t forget to top it with coconut whipped cream!

2. Raw Açai Mini Cheesecakes 

These adorable Raw Açai Mini Cheesecakes have got that creamy, authentic flavor down pat. It’s all thanks to the magical combination of cashews, lemon juice, and dates. Açai offers the perfect fruity note to balance out the citrusy lemon flavors.

3. Tofu Hors D’Oeuvre With Beet Hummus

These Tofu Hors D’Oeuvre With Beet Hummus are colorful without the use of artificial colors. The baked tofu slices get their golden yellow color from curry powder, the beet hummus is a natural, vibrant pink, and it’s topped with naturally purple cauliflower. So simple, but so tasty, and sure to be the star of any appetizer spread.

4. Probiotic Blueberry Yogurt Bites

These Probiotic Blueberry Yogurt Bites are a real treat in disguise! Fresh blueberries turn these cups a gorgeous purple color, but you can experiment with any kind of fruit. The added probiotics aren’t a necessity, but they give your gut that extra boost of healthy bacteria!

5. Raw Beet and Rosemary Tarts

These Raw Beet and Rosemary Tarts are a delicious way to introduce people to raw food! The purple filling is rich, yet subtle and light and the bases hold together well without needing to be dehydrated. This filling is really lovely and is great just as a dip or spread also if you wish to double the recipe and have extra.

6. Purple Mac and Cheese 

When mixed with vegetable broth and a bit of nutritional yeast, potatoes and vegetables like carrots are able to create a deliciously creamy and cheesy sauce! In the case of this Purple Mac and Cheese, the potatoes and carrots both have purple hues, creating a beautiful and uniquely colored dish when tossed with mac and cheese. Get a little more color on your table with this creative entrée.

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7. Steamed Purple Sweet Potato and Cocoa Rolls 

Steamed buns are typically made using wheat flour and are the most served breakfast food in the north part of China. But these Steamed Purple Sweet Potato and Cocoa Rolls are a whole new take on tradition. They’re gluten-free, but still soft and chewy and sprinkled with a cocoa filling. They get their gorgeous color the natural way: from purple sweet potato (also known as ube) purée.

8. Whole Roasted Cauliflower With Mint Parsley Pepita Sauce

The secret about cauliflower is definitely out these days, as people have turned it into pizza crusts, rice, breadsticks and even desserts, but sometimes, the simplest preparations are the best. In this Whole Roasted Cauliflower With Mint Parsley Pepita Sauce, purple cauliflower is gently rubbed it with garlic and drizzle it with oil and cooked it fully intact. The inside steams to a perfectly yielding texture while the outside develops a crisp, caramelized finish. The sauce, made from a quick blend of mint, parsley, and pepitas, is incredibly fresh and crisp, a burst of nature’s bounty on your tongue.

9. Raw Purple Sweet Potato Pie

This Raw Purple Sweet Potato Pie exudes happiness and makes us smile just looking at it – and taking a bite is even better. The purple sweet potatoes give this pie its unique coloring and provide a creamy base for the dessert. This pie is a show stopper, so get ready for some compliments.

10. Purple Sweet Potato Gnocchi 

If not cooked creatively, pasta can get boring even for the fiercest lovers of the dish. To prevent this from happening, it’s good to switch things up, be it the color of your pasta, the type, the shape, the filling, so on and so forth, like in this recipe for Purple Sweet Potato Gnocchi. It uses purple sweet potato to create an eye-catching gnocchi dish that is as visually pleasing as it is delicious.

11. Colada Morada: Ecuadorean Spiced Fruit Stew

This spiced fruit stew, or Colada Morada, as it’s officially called, is a family favorite in Ecuador. It’s packed with fresh pear, orange, and antioxidant-rich blueberries and blackberries that are slowly stewed with cinnamon stick, cloves, and juniper. Sprinkle a bowl of this with some chia seeds, berries, and other colorful toppings and it’s picture-perfect!

12. Blueberry-Vanilla Coconut Butter

You’ll want to put this Blueberry-Vanilla Coconut Butter on everything. The melt-in-your-mouth smoothness, the rich texture, and the naturally sweet taste combine to make the perfect straight-off-the-spoon experience. The wild blueberries turn the coconut butter into a fruity treat, and when topped off with a whisper of vanilla and a kiss of sea salt, you’ll be transported to coconut paradise. Try this spread on toast, bagels, or just grab a spoonful right from the jar.

13. Forbidden Black Rice With Ginger and Coconut 

This Forbidden Black Rice With Ginger and Coconut is a very simple dish. Just a touch of ginger, a hint of coconut, and a squeeze of lime are all that is needed for flavor. The grain cooks up slightly sticky and changes to a very deep and pretty shade of purple, so the rice is also called forbidden rice or purple rice. But the best news is that black rice is an absolute health bomb! Compared to other rices, it has the highest amounts of antioxidants (which is where it gets its dark purple color), fiber, minerals, and iron.

14. Flourless Lemon Cookies With Blueberry Whipped Cream

These Flourless Lemon Cookies With Blueberry Whipped Cream are dense, chewy, and delightfully lemony. Made with just cashew butter, lemon, and a bit of vanilla, you can have these from oven to table in just 20 minutes. And amazingly enough, the gorgeous whipped cream gets its vibrant color 100 percent from blueberries!

15. Cheesy Purple Potato Tart

This rustic Cheesy Purple Potato Tart is great for any time of year and any occasion, whether it’s weekend dinners, holiday meals, picnics, and more. It features a nutty crust, a creamy and flavorful cashew cheese filling and a gorgeous layer of purple potatoes. Enjoy a slice with a side of salad or vegetables of your choice.

So, tell us, Green Monsters: what do you think about purple food? Are you going to try it in the new year? Let us know in the comments!

Learn How to Cook Plant-Based Meals at Home

Reducing your meat intake and eating more plant-based foods is known to help with chronic inflammation, heart health, mental well-being, fitness goals, nutritional needs, allergies, gut health, and more! Dairy consumption also has been linked to many health problems, including acne, hormonal imbalance, cancer, and prostate cancer, and has many side effects.

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Here are some great resources to get you started:

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