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  2. 18 Recipes to Boost Your Brainpower 

18 Recipes to Boost Your Brainpower 

April 28, 2022
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Credit: Greg DuPree
Want to boost your brain? Studies show that eating foods like fatty salmon, leafy greens, berries, caffeinated drinks, and walnuts can help to slow your cognitive decline and even improve test scores. The following recipes make these brain-beneficial ingredients the star of the show in everything from smoothies to baked goods. 
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Supercharged Salmon Salad

Credit: Photo: Greg DuPree
View Recipe: Supercharged Salmon Salad

Aim to eat salmon (or other fatty fish) twice a week to maximize your heart-protective and brain-boosting benefits. Salmon is particularly rich in the omega-3 fatty acid DHA, which can slow plaque buildup in your arteries.

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Steamed Broccoli with Peanut Sauce

Credit: Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Missie Neville Crawford
View Recipe: Steamed Broccoli with Peanut Sauce

If using a crown of broccoli, trim into florets and place in a steamer basket over a saucepan filled about halfway with boiling water. Cover and steam 4 minutes or until the florets are crisp-tender. Add a little crushed red pepper to the sauce if you’d like a little heat. Serve alongside Tofu and Vegetable Lo Mein. 

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Easy Greek Salmon Bowls

Credit: Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Easy Greek Salmon Bowls

Heart-hero salmon teams up with protein- and fiber-forward quinoa to fill you up; spinach delivers a hit of iron, while green beans and cucumber up the veggie count. Great warm or at room temperature, this also makes a standout packed lunch.

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Frizzled Kale with Chiles

Credit: Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Frizzled Kale with Chiles

Massaging the kale first helps tenderize it slightly; this technique is also handy when using this fibrous green in raw preparations like salads and slaws. Serve with steak or top with sunny-side up eggs.

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Berry Green Smoothie

Credit: Photo: Colin Price
View Recipe: Berry Green Smoothie

Smoothies are a quick way to kick-start your day with extra fruits, vegetables, and fiber. Avoid juices and powders with added sugars; instead choose whole ripe fruit to add a sweet touch naturally. Dairy-free option: Use a (5.3-ounce) container dairy-free soy yogurt alternative.

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Spinach Salad with Smoked Salmon

Credit: Cooking Light
View Recipe: Spinach Salad with Smoked Salmon

The crunch from the sunflower seeds, apple, and onion is magical with the creaminess of the avocado and the saltiness of the feta cheese and the smoked salmon.

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Chocolate Oatmeal Latte

Credit: Photo: Rachel Johnson
View Recipe: Chocolate Oatmeal Latte

Combine your two needs to start the day, breakfast and caffeine, in this easy recipe. Get yourself in a zen moment and focus on the the most important part of your morning: coffee. Treat yourself to a Chocolate Oatmeal Latte - which you can sip or spoon.

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Berry and Walnut Salad

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Berry and Walnut Salad

Best enjoyed at the height of summer, this blueberry, strawberry, and walnut salad is a delicious way to use up fresh produce in your fridge. The use of honey and buttermilk makes for a creamy dressing you won't soon forget.

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Figgy Walnut Muffins

Credit: Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez
View Recipe: Figgy Walnut Muffins

"Healthy" bakery muffins can hide plenty of refined flour and sugar. Our Figgy Walnut Muffins with dried figs, walnuts, and cinnamon save about 300 calories and 22g sugar per serving, are 100% whole grain, and are still tender and moist.

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Maple-Glazed Salmon

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Maple-Glazed Salmon

This weeknight recipes comes together quickly, but you can shave off a few additional minutes by premixing the seasonings and storing in an airtight container. Brushing the fillets with maple syrup adds a touch of sweetness.

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Banana-Pineapple-Kale Smoothie

Credit: Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Banana-Pineapple-Kale Smoothie

The banana and pineapple provide the sweetness necessary to balance the bitter bite of the kale while the light coconut milk adds lots of richness. Feel free to add ice to the blender if you like a slushier texture. If you like, purchase pre-cut fresh pineapple in the produce section.

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Creamed Curried Spinach

Credit: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Creamed Curried Spinach

Curry powder adds warmth and earthiness to this speedy version of creamed spinach. Whole milk yogurt gives the side a luscious mouth feel and plenty of body. Serve with steak or with seared planks of spice-rubbed tofu.

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Green Tea and Ginger Tonic

Credit: Photo: Rachel Johnson
View Recipe: Green Tea and Ginger Tonic

Refreshing ginger and mint steep in antioxidant abundant green tea, for a supremely soothing tonic. If enjoying before bedtime, opt for decaffeinated green tea bags for an easier sleep.

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Creamy Salmon Dip

Credit: Elizabeth Laseter
View Recipe: Creamy Salmon Dip

Classic salmon dip boasts one of our favorite sources of Omega-3 fats—but globs of mayo don’t make this easy appetizer the healthiest option. Our mayo-free version is just as satisfying and indulgent, thanks to Greek yogurt and Neufchâtel cream cheese, which contains 1/3 less fat than regular cream cheese. 

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Blueberry-Basil Kombucha Smash

Credit: Cooking Light
View Recipe: Blueberry-Basil Kombucha Smash

A fruit-forward cocktail with a probiotic boost is something we all can stand behind. Blueberries are rich in disease-fighting antioxidants—namely anthocyanin—that have been linked to a range of cognitive-function benefits. We recommend using either original (unflavored) kombucha, which has a more tea-centric flavor, or a fruity summer flavor, such as Kevita Master Brew Blueberry Basil. Adding the kombucha last helps preserve the carbonation, making this summer cocktail extra crisp and refreshing. 

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Seared Salmon With Zucchini Noodles

Credit: Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Seared Salmon With Zucchini Noodles

If you like crisp salmon skin, this cooking method is for you. Just be sure when you place the salmon, skin side down in the pan that you don’t touch it for the full 6 minutes while it cooks—that’s the key for the crispiest browned skin around. After turning the fish, cook it to your preferred degree of doneness. The barely warmed vegetables are still crunchy and flavorful. Serve with lemon wedges, if you like.

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Banana-Walnut Bread

Credit: Victor Protasio
View Recipe: Banana-Walnut Bread

This easy banana bread recipe is healthy, nourishing, and incredibly indulgent. Quick-cooking oats, tangy buttermilk, brown sugar, a double nutty dose of chopped walnuts and walnut oil, and of course—bananas—take this moist banana bread to a whole new level.

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Salmon With Kale, Walnut, and White Bean Salad

Credit: Greg DuPree
View Recipe: Salmon With Kale, Walnut, and White Bean Salad

Boost your brain and treat your taste buds with this quick and easy salad. The vinaigrette features turmeric, Dijon mustard, honey, and red wine vinegar for a beautiful balance of peppery, savory, sweet, and tangy flavors. 

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    1 of 18 Supercharged Salmon Salad
    2 of 18 Steamed Broccoli with Peanut Sauce
    3 of 18 Easy Greek Salmon Bowls
    4 of 18 Frizzled Kale with Chiles
    5 of 18 Berry Green Smoothie
    6 of 18 Spinach Salad with Smoked Salmon
    7 of 18 Chocolate Oatmeal Latte
    8 of 18 Berry and Walnut Salad
    9 of 18 Figgy Walnut Muffins
    10 of 18 Maple-Glazed Salmon
    11 of 18 Banana-Pineapple-Kale Smoothie
    12 of 18 Creamed Curried Spinach
    13 of 18 Green Tea and Ginger Tonic
    14 of 18 Creamy Salmon Dip
    15 of 18 Blueberry-Basil Kombucha Smash
    16 of 18 Seared Salmon With Zucchini Noodles
    17 of 18 Banana-Walnut Bread
    18 of 18 Salmon With Kale, Walnut, and White Bean Salad

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