By Earthsprout.com for Wellandgood.com Swedish health guru Elenore Bendel Zahn—natural-nutrition coach, organic gardener, and the chef behind Earthsprout, a wellness website—first tried rose hips as a child in a not-very-virtuous soup served with cookies and ice cream.
“I wanted to create a healthy version of that snack,” she says of the Swedish staple, which she calls “free medicine from mother nature.” Her resulting recipe is bursting with nutmeg, cinnamon, banana, and a nice amount of chia seeds, so it’s seriously nutritious. But the real star is rose hip.
With 50 percent more vitamin C than an orange, the small fruit can help ward off nasty infections and treat seasonal colds (back in World War II, the Brits used rose hips as an immune-booster in place of hard-to-transport citrus fruits). Rose hips are also anti-inflammatory and are loaded with cancer-fighting antioxidants, making them a real superfood.
And they work wonders on your skin, too (see: dewy Aussie Miranda Kerr, for reference). When turned into an oil, rose hips encourage the growth of healthy skin cells, fight dark spots, and even prevent wrinkles. When eaten, they keep you “positively glowing and fabulous on the outside,” Bendel Zahn raves. Sold! —Sarah Sarway
Beautifying Rose Hip Mousse
Rose hips, or rose seed pods, are left behind after the petals fade and fall off the stem. (Photo: Earthsprout)
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups of the plant-based milk of your choice
3 Tbsp chia seeds
4 Tbsp rose hip, powdered
2 Tbsp rose hip, dried shells
1 Tbsp goji berries
2 tsp raw honey (or coconut sugar)
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp pure vanilla
A dash of lemon juice
Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and blend on very low speed for five minutes. Refrigerate.
Base
3 1/2 ounces raw whole hazelnuts
1 pinch good quality salt
Roughly chop the hazelnuts and toast them in a dry frying pan on low heat with the salt until lightly toasted.
Creamy “ice cream” topping
3 large organic bananas, chopped and frozen
A dash of pure vanilla
Combine the frozen bananas and vanilla in a food processor and blend until creamy.
Assembly
Divide the nuts into four separate glasses, setting aside a few for a garnish. Add a layer of mousse to each, then top with a scoop of the creamy banana “ice cream.” Sprinkle with cinnamon and the remaining nuts.
Serves 4