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After the success of unusual ingredients Part 1 I thought I’d follow up with a Part 2 to look at a few more new ingredients I’ve been using recently and where to find them.

Item: Miso – brown rice miso, sweet white miso, barley miso etc.

Why and how: miso is a Japanese ingredient made from fermented soy beans with rice, barley etc to make a paste or powder that can be used to make miso soup, dressings, sauces, marinades etc. The stronger taste of dark miso is very different from sweet white miso which is much milder. I started using miso paste after coming across it in The Kind Diet. Miso is a living food containing micro organisms which some believe is beneficial to the body in a similar way to the probiotics in yoghurt – for more information on miso see the Clearspring website. I like to make a simple soup with fresh ginger, brown rice miso paste and hot water. At the moment my favourite is sweet white miso which I like to mix with oil and apple cider vinegar to make a creamy sauce, it tastes gorgeous!

Where to find it: My local Sainsbury’s stocks Clearspring Sweet White Miso and Brown Rice Miso in the ‘world foods’ section. I’ve also seen the brown rice paste in Holland and Barrat. Clearspring and Sanchi seem to be the two main brands of miso and Japanese ingredients in general. Both can be purchased via Goodness Direct online

Item: Shoyu – Shoyu is another Japanese ingredient, basically a Japanese soy sauce. Nama Shoyu is the raw version and is often used by Raw Food Chefs.

Why and how: I like the Sanchi and Clearspring Shoyu as they have nice simple ingredients lists and taste lovely

Where to find it: I got my Sanchi Shoyu from Sainsbury’s and I’m sure that Clearspring Shoyu is available at Holland and Barrat. If not both are available via Goodness Direct.

Item: Unusual grains and flours – such as quinoa, millet, bulgar wheat, wild rice, amaranth, wheat grains and grain flours such as brown rice, barley flour and even flours made from chickpeas (gram flour), soya flour, coconut flour etc

Why and how: I know a lot of you are probably familiar with these grains but I have to admit when I first started blogging I had never heard of half of these different grains, or had any idea how to incorporate them into my diet! I like to eat different grains to add variety and a range of nutrients. Quinoa is high in protein so great for vegans and veggies. Millet is a really tasty little grain (which I think may also be technically a seed?) that makes a nice porridge. Basically each of these different grains has a unique taste, texture and nutritional profile. Most of them can be cooked and eaten like rice. The flours also offer an alternative to regular wheat flours which can give baked goods a better nutritional profile. Both the grains and flours are good for people who have a gluten intolerance as most of them are gluten free. To be honest I could write a huge post on grains and flours, I think the best approach is to experiment and try them out!

Where to find them: Most supermarkets should stock a range of grains and flours, however I have found that the bigger Tescos have excellent whole foods sections that tend to stock a good range. Some grains such as amaranth and flours like coconut seem to be tough to get hold of but should be able to be sourced online. See my last unusual ingredients post for some online stockists.

Item: Mesquite – this is a pretty new ingredient for me. Its a flour made from the ground seeds of the mesquite tree and was a traditional food of the Native Americans (apparently!)

Why and how: Since buying it last month I have really grown to love mesquite. I add it to smoothies and porridge for extra sweetness as it has a lovely malty taste which is similar to maca powder (as covered in the last unusual ingredients post). Research has shown that mesquite can help to balance blood sugar levels and as I have been sensitive to that in the past I feel its a fun and useful ingredient to include in my diet. It can also be used in raw chocolate making.

Where to find it: I bought mine from Wholefoods but it is available online from Detox Your World, Viva Pure or a new website I’ve just came across, Detox Trading.

Item: Cacao nibs and raw cacao powder – basically chocolate in its most natural form, raw, without anything added:

Why and how: I like cacao nibs as they taste lovely! They are quite bitter and crunchy and I love using them to top smoothies. Cacao powder is great mixed with porridge, added to smoothies or used to make chocolate avocado cups! As they have not been processed you are getting all of the natural antioxidants present in the raw chocolate.

Where to find it: If not available in your local health food shop then check out Viva Pure, Detox Your World, iHerb or other online sources.

Item: Spirulina - a dark green powder that comes from blue green algae present in lakes and oceans:

Why and how: Another recent addition to my diet. I add the green powder to smoothies and juices to boost their nutritional value as spirulina is pretty chock full of nutrients and 1 teaspoon provides 2 grams of protein. Plus it makes your green smoothies ultra green!

Where to find it: I get the All Seasons Spirulina powder pictured above from Holland and Barrat.

Item: Xanthan Gum - a thickening agent that comes in a powder form. It is made by fermenting sugar with friendly bacteria. It is often used in gluten free baking.

Why and how: I use xanthan gum to add thickness to my smoothies and to make protein ice cream. I just use quarter to half a teaspoon at a time. As I love a good, thick smoothie in a bowl I love xanthan gum!

Where to find it: I use the Doves Farm Xanthan Gum as shown above which I find in the ‘free from’ section of my local supermarket. It can also be purchased from Goodness Direct or directly from Doves Farm.

Do you use any of the items I’ve covered above? Do you have any favourite brands or sources of health foods you would like to share? I know that when I started reading blogs I had no idea about half of this stuff so I really do hope that some of you find this useful :-)