If you’re a regular Coconut & Berries reader, you might have caught my Green Hummus Crackers recipe a few weeks back. I included Moringa green superleaf powder in the mix, produced by a company called Aduna.
I’ve since found out a lot more about the company, their backstory and their inspiring mission and wanted to share it with you too - as well as a yummy recipe using another of their amazing products - Baobab.
I’m also giving you the chance to WIN a whole hamper of Baobab goodies for yourselves! (Competition now closed)
I imagine Coconut and Berries readers might be more in the know than most about healthy foods so you probably have heard of baobab. However, 95% of people haven’t and that most definitely needs to change!
It’s packed with vitamin C, fibre, antioxidants and minerals including calcium, magnesium and potassium, which gives it an amazing range of potential health benefits.
BUT, not only is it an amazingly healthy (and tasty!) fruit that’s great for all of us who eat it, it also has the potential to transform millions of lives.
Baobab trees grow so abundantly in Africa that if there were a global demand for the superfuit then this existing crop could be worth $1bn to rural Africa and create sustainable income for up to 10 million African women.
The company has been working towards this goal on a shoestring since the launch in 2012 but last week were announced as Semi-Finalists in Virgin’s Pitch to Rich competition. If the company finishes in the top 3 they will win a £250K marketing campaign and get Richard Branson’s backing. This would transform awareness of baobab – and with it potentially millions of lives.
I think it’s awesome to see a social business get so far in the competition and hope you’ll agree that they should be in the final!
Anyone who votes can enter to win a whole hamper of Aduna baobab goodies, including their superfruit powder and raw energy bars) and, if that’s not enough, all voters are automatically entered to win £10K from Virgin Media.
Just follow the instructions in the image below and cast your vote HERE (Giveaway open worldwide)
GIVEAWAY IS NOW OVER. CONGRATULATIONS TO WINNER JESSICA!
I mostly use baobab in smoothies and love its slightly sweet, tangy taste, but I thought I’d experiment with it in savoury dishes too and loved the result in this Red Lentil, Spinach & Potato Curry. Tamarind, which is similarly sweet and sour, is traditional in curries after all, so it’s not all that wacky an idea!
There are lots of other recipes and serving suggestions on the Aduna website.
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp Coconut oil
- 1 Small onion, diced
- 3 Cloves of garlic, minced
- 2" ginger, peeled & minced
- 1 red chilli, deseeded & minced
- 1 Tbsp Curry powder (use your favourite blend)
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 C Red lentils, rinsed well
- 1 Can (400g) Chopped tomatoes
- 3 C Water
- 250g/8oz New potatoes, halved OR quartered if large
- 2 Tbsp Aduna Baobab powder OR 1 Tbsp Tamarind paste
- Couple of large handfuls of spinach
- Non-dairy yogurt
- Fresh coriander, chopped
- Wholegrain flatbread
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the garlic, ginger and chili and cook for a further couple of minutes. Add the curry powder, salt and red lentils and stir to coat well.
- Add the tomatoes,water and new potatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover the pan and simmer for approx 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. When cooked, the potatoes should be fork tender.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the baobab powder (or tamarind) and the spinach. The residual heat will wilt it.
- Serve with a sprinkle of fresh coriander, a dollop of non-dairy yogurt & flatbread on the side.
Hope you enjoy this recipe and let’s Make Baobab Famous!
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I was surprised when I discovered you could eat baobab and confess that so far I’ve only had it in chocolate (not so healthy!)! This savoury dish looks lovely and has me intrigued to experiment more with the ingredient.
I love that it actually tastes good! I’m not really one to use ingredients just for the health benefits.
It does work well with chocolate…I love it in my porridge or with yoghurt too.
looks super tasty!!! yumm
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I think you need to change the givaway as open only to UK Residents as you need to be one to vote on the Virgin site. . .
Non-UK entrants were actually able to vote! Sorry if you had problems doing so.
Great recipe, Emma! I would love to make this and I actually have some Baobab powder (from a different company) which has been a bit neglected, so here is a great excuse to use it!
Great stuff! I love that baobab actually tastes good, unlike so many superfoods out there. My favourite way to use it is stirred into yoghurt with a little drizzle of maple/honey. Yum!
The fruit pulp powder looks great. It seems like it would be a nice addition to a smoothie as well. I am going to try this for my kids who battle about the good greens.