These four recipes, developed by Linda Monastra, chef, recipe developer, and graduate of the Natural Gourmet Institute in New York City, are a delicious way to introduce more brain-healthy magnesium into your diet.

Kale Salad with Cashew Dressing and Chickpea Croutons

Serves 6

Cashew Dressing:

• ½ cup raw cashews, soaked overnight in water in the refrigerator or for 30 minutes in very hot water
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tablespoon capers, drained
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ¼ cup warm water
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

To make dressing, put ingredients in blender and blend on high until a thick dressing forms. If the dressing is too thick, add a tablespoon of water and blend again.

Chickpea Croutons:

• 1 (14-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400°F. Pour chickpeas on dish towel and rub them dry, then place in medium-sized bowl. Add olive oil, salt, oregano, garlic powder, and pepper, and stir to evenly coat chickpeas. 

Pour chickpeas onto baking tray and spread them out so they are not crowded. Bake for 15 minutes, then stir chickpeas. Continue baking for an additional 15 minutes. Set aside while you assemble the salad.

Kale Salad:

• 2 bunches of curly kale, de-stemmed and roughly chopped or torn into pieces

Place kale in large bowl, pour about ¾ of the dressing on it. Using your hands, spread dressing evenly on kale. Top with the chickpea croutons and serve immediately.

Per serving: Calories: 194.7 / Protein: 7.015 g / Carbohydrate: 20 g / Dietary fiber: 1.804 g / Magnesium: 62.5 mg / Total sugars: .698 g / Total fat: 11 g / Saturated fat: 1.609 g / Sodium: 487.3 mg

Lentil and Potato Soup

Serves 6

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves
• ½ cup chopped leeks (white and light green parts only)
• 1/3 cup diced celery
• 1/3 cup diced carrots
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1½ cups brown lentils
• 4 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
• 12 ounces Russet potatoes (with skins on), diced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons minced parsley

Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and leeks and sauté 3 minutes, stirring occasionally so leeks don’t burn. Turn heat to low and add celery, carrots, curry powder, salt, and pepper. Stir ingredients and cook over low heat for 2 minutes. Add tomato paste and stir until incorporated. 

Add lentils, vegetable stock, potatoes, and bay leaves to pot. Increase heat to high, cover, and bring to boil. Once mixture is boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 25 minutes. If mixture is too thick, add 1 to 2 cups of water and heat through. Once lentils and potatoes are fully cooked, turn off heat. Stir in the vinegar. 

Divide evenly among six bowls and top each soup with a teaspoon of minced parsley. 

Per serving: Calories: 282 / Protein: 14.3 g / Carbohydrate: 45 g / Dietary fiber: 16.3 g / Magnesium: 80 mg / Total sugars: 4.102 g / Total fat: 5.2 g / Saturated fat: .74 g / Sodium: 529.5

Broiled Mackerel with Spinach and Pumpkin Seed Pesto

Serves 6

Pesto:

• 1 tightly packed cup baby spinach (1 ounce)
• 1 tightly packed cup of basil leaves (½ ounce)
• ½ cup toasted unsalted pumpkin seeds
• ½ cup olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice

Put all ingredients in a food processor (or blender) and mix until combined.

Mackerel:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 6-4 ounces Spanish mackerel fillets with the skin on (make sure to pull out any bones before cooking)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice

Preheat the oven to broil. Line baking tray with foil. Spread olive oil evenly over foil with fingertips or cooking brush. Place fish fillets, skin side down, on foil. Pour lemon juice on fish and rub in with fingers or cooking brush. Mix salt and pepper in a small bowl and sprinkle over fillets. 

Broil fish about 8 minutes, or until flesh is opaque. If fish is not cooked through, cook an additional 1-2 minutes.

Top each fillet with 2 tablespoons of pesto. Spread pesto over entire surface of fillets and serve immediately. 

Per serving: Calories: 396.5 / Protein: 25.1 g / Carbohydrate: 2.201 g / Dietary fiber: .829 g / Magnesium: 97.3 mg / Total sugars: .241 g / Total fat: 32.3 g / Saturated fat: 5.715 g / Sodium: 363.7

Groundnut Stew with Brown Rice

Serves 6

Brown Rice:

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 cup short-grain brown rice
• 2 cups water

Warm olive oil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add rice and stir to coat with oil. Cook until rice is dry and toasted, about 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly add water and bring to boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low and cover pan. Cook on low heat for 45 minutes, then remove from heat.

Groundnut Stew:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup diced white or yellow onion
• 1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, no salt added
• 6 ounces Swiss chard, stems removed and roughly chopped
• ½ cup smooth salted peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons minced cilantro

In large sauce pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally so onions don’t burn. Add ginger, garlic, cumin, coriander, salt, cinnamon, cayenne, and black pepper. Sauté for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add stock and sweet potatoes. Bring to boil and simmer over medium-high heat, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes, until sweet potatoes are soft. Add crushed tomatoes and Swiss chard. Cook an additional 5 minutes, until Swiss chard is soft and stew is heated through. Add peanut butter and stir well until it is incorporated into the stew.

Divide rice evenly among six bowls. Ladle the stew over rice, and top each serving with minced cilantro.

Per serving: Calories: 406.1 / Protein: 11.7 g / Carbohydrate: 53.7 g / Dietary fiber: 8.234 g / Magnesium: 133.8 mg / Total sugars: 11 g / Total Fat: 17.2 g / Saturated fat: 3.197 g / Sodium: 670.6 mg

For good food sources of magnesium, keep this list handy:

Beans

Black beans, cooked, ½ cup (60 mg) 
Kidney beans, canned, ½ cup (35 mg)

Bread

Whole-wheat bread, 2 slices (46 mg) 

Cereal

Shredded wheat cereal, 2 large pieces (61 mg) 
Breakfast cereal, fortified with 10% of the DV for magnesium (40 mg)
Oatmeal, instant, 1 packet (36 mg) 

Dairy

Soy milk, plain or vanilla, 1 cup (61 mg) 
Yogurt, low-fat plain, 8 ounces (42 mg) 
Milk, 1 cup (24-27 mg) 

Fruit

Avocado, 1 cup (44 mg) 
Raisins, ½ cup (23 mg)   
Apple, 1 medium (9 mg) 
Banana, 1 medium (32 mg) 

Grains

Brown rice, ½ cup (42 mg) 
White rice, ½ cup (10 mg) 

Greens

Spinach, boiled, ½ cup (78 mg) 

Meat, poultry, fish

Ground beef, 90% lean, broiled, 3 ounces (20 mg) 
Chicken breast, roasted, 3 ounces (22 mg) 
Halibut, cooked, 3 ounces (24 mg) 
Salmon, cooked, 3 ounces (26 mg) 

Nuts

Almonds, dry-roasted, 1 ounce (80 mg)
Cashews, dry-roasted, 1 ounce (74 mg) 
Peanuts, oil-roasted, ¼ cup (63mg) 
Peanut butter, smooth, 2 tablespoons (49 mg) 

Veggies

Edamame, cooked, ½ cup (50 mg) 
Potato, baked with skin, 3½ ounces (43 mg) 
Broccoli, cooked, ½ cup (12) 
Carrot, raw, 1 medium (7 mg)