Product Review: Ruth's Goodness Hemp, E3Live & Maca powder

I bought a 16 oz pack for the first time the day before I left New York for Paris. Last time I was in Paris, I was very happy to have arrived with a batch of hemp powder and Maca powder, and thought it'd be handy to have both combined in one. Since France is a land of leafy greens and leek soup (ever wondered why that cheese doesn't cause that much trouble? More on that soon...), I kept adding a scoop to my salads and soups to have enough protein, and managed my first week in Paris wonderfully as I prefer to eat light the week of a long flight. 

Because I'm also in the habit of adding Maca and Hemp to my cacao  drinks, I thought this new product would come in handy at breakfast hour.

I thought so many things...forgetting two small details:

1-I hadn't tasted it

2-I'd completely forgotten about E3Live.

For those who don't know E3Live: it's an aquae botanical food from Lake Klamanth, mineral rich and with amazing detox properties (for more information you can go to: http://www.e3live.com/). But it's an algae, and like other algae, we must tread carefully, because their particular taste isn't for all markets.

To make things a little worse, my first try was at breakfast with a hot cacao. I prepared my drink as my roommates were buttering their Poilane bread and brewing their coffee. We all sat down. We all began, and I nearly spat my drink out.

After a few more tries, it became clear to me I would not drink this as part of a hot chocolate. So since the instructions suggest blending with fruit, I tried. This was actually worse, unless you put so much fruit with it that the sweetness of the fruit overpowers the algae. Since I'm sensitive to all sweets, including fruits, this was not going to work.

Next were salad: the presence of apple cider vinegar made the taste impossible, while the Maca did not seem at home either, unless you like a salad with a sweet-ish taste.

Finally, I made soups. Soups with lentils, with green beans, with leeks...and it worked! It wasn't the best culinary experience to date, but it was decent. Same went for guacamole nori rolls: not the best, but decent.

This powder is an amazing source of nourishment (100% of daily required amounts in Vitamin D, 190% for Manganese, 60 % for Magnesium, 50% for Phosphorus and 14g protein per serving), so I would definitely recommend it for those who are on the go. However, it's best to just mix it with pure water for breakfast, with fellow algae, or with dark green vegetables and legumes. 

I will leave you with what worked best for me so far, i.e. a guacamole wrap with spicy sprouts.

Sea Avocado Wrap & Sprouts

Ingredients (1-2 servings)

1 nori sheet

2 scoops Ruth's Goodness Hemp E3Live & Maca powder

1 ripe avocado

1 minced crush garlic clove

1 minced seeded chili

1 shredded carrot

1 handful spicy sprouts (red cabbage or radish, though alfafa and broccoli work too)

the juice of half a lime

1 pinch sea salt

Mash avocado with garlic, sea salt, lime juice and chili. Add the powder. Layer the nori sheet with the guacamole, top with shredded carrots and sprouts. Roll it up so it make a maki or burrito. 

Serve and eat up!

And for more information on Ruth's Goodness products:

www.ruthsfoods.com