The new superfood

Now, let's be honest here. The term 'superfood' is a marketing ploy. There is no real legal or medical definition, and the purpose of using the term is often to get us to buy things we might not otherwise consider purchasing. Don't get me wrong, I am the biggest sucker around ("Sure, I need three 5lbs packets of stone-ground, shrimp-and-maple-syrup marinated buckwheat, seeing as you are offering me a 3 for 2 on those! And while you're at it, yes, I do need a box of 10 new efficient light-bulbs that last 50 years each, given that I am almost certain to live to the ripe old age of 200")

If you look it up, then the definition of 'superfood' is 'a food that is considered to be beneficial to your health and that may even help some medical conditions' (Macmillan Dictionary).  Ach, that's just way too narrow, people! Nowadays, all the buzz is about how linked our emotional and physical wellbeing are. If we are to take this kind of more holistic view of health, then, it's about time we placed a greater value on the mental health benefits of food, and added a few items to the growing superfood list. Forget acai berries and walnuts, how about ketchup? When my kids have ketchup available, they will eat things they otherwise wouldn't touch, with smiles on their faces, and a lower whine-quotient. This leads to immeasurable health benefits for their mother. It might not cure my medical ills, but hey, I can get through dinner with a smile on my face! Hence, ketchup is a superfood in my book. And do you know what benefits are reaped by my precarious mental health, when I am blessed with a bar of Milka Swiss Chocolate? Why, I feel those benefits even before I've completely unwrapped it. And if I don't have to share it? Why then, I am within reach of peak mental fitness!

Another candidate for the list is surely pesto. What child does NOT like pasta with pesto (I am deliberately excluding my youngest son from this scientific survey. It's the pasta he doesn't like, the pesto is fine. If that doesn't count as a technicality, I don't know what does)? And add a smear of pesto to the bread when making a grilled cheese sandwich and this humble dish soars to new heights, which surely make it fully deserving of the superfood designation.

This recipe is a great celebration of the basiley wonderousness that is pesto. It's a lovely side dish for some grilled meat, perfect take-along for a potluck, and a great lunchbox entrée for children yet to embrace the joy of the sandwich.

Italian Pesto Pasta Salad
From Better Homes and Gardens
Serves 6

8 oz elbow macaroni
1 7oz jar of purchased pesto
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 15 oz cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
3 cups washed arugula
2 oz grated/shaved parmesan cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

1. Cook macaroni according to package directions, drain and rinse well under cold water. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, mix together pesto, vinegar and salt.
3. Add beans, cooked macaroni, arugula, half of cheese and half of pine nuts. Toss together gently to combine.
4. Serve sprinkled with remaining cheese and pine nuts.