Sweet & Savory Mallorca Salad + Natural Products Expo Recap
Key trends and 35 of my favorite products!
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Natural Products Expo recap of key trends + 35 of my favorite finds
Sweet & Savory Mallorca Salad with a Miso, Tamari, Honey Dressing - This salad is all about combining ingredients in flavors in unexpected ways…
This is a long-ish post, so let’s get right into it 👇🏼
Note: You might need to click “view in browser” to read the whole thing
This is my second year attending the Natural Products Expo (aka Expo West), and despite 75% of the foods there NOT being natural at all, there are also tons of amazing brands. Since last year, I’ve gone in-house at a CPG brand - Lineage Provisions - so it was extra fun for me to see all of the marketing and food trends, and how brands are marketing themselves.
Overall Expo West Takeaways
Protein is still trending: Protein is having a moment in the food world, and I’m happy about it. Research shows that many people—especially older adults—aren’t getting enough protein, which is essential for building strong cells, maintaining muscle mass, and keeping blood sugar steady so you feel energized after meals. Tons of brands have new protein bar SKUs or have changed up their marketing to position protein at the center of the product benefits. For example, Honey Mamas, a chocolate brand, now has a protein bar… only 8g protein but still delicious!
Fruit snacks are out, real fruit snack things are in: Although I very much loved Welch’s fruit snacks as a kid, I’m loving even more this trend of no-sugar added dried fruit, freeze-dried fruit, fruit snacks, fruit jerky (S/O to Soley) and more real fruit products. I saw no less than 20 brands at Expo West that were all WHOLE FRUIT, and nothing but the fruit. This means you get all the fiber, nutrients, and natural sweetness without the weird fillers. Plus, real fruit supports metabolic health, with its fiber to help keep blood sugar balanced, and vitamins, minerals and antioxidants to support cellular function.
Honey is back: For years, everything was about stevia and artificial sweeteners so people could say “zero sugar” or “diet soda”, but people seem to be waking up to the fact that 1) artificial sweeteners disrupt insulin responses, alter the gut microbiome, increase cravings and that 2) honey isn’t just a sweetener—it has real benefits! Honey is packed with antioxidants, trace minerals, and antimicrobial properties that actually support gut health, help fight inflammation, and even aid in blood sugar regulation when used mindfully. Raw, unfiltered honey is my preferred sweetener of choice and is not something to be afraid of. I use it mindfully of course, and my labs - like fasting insulin and fasting glucose - have never been better. (I use Lineage Honey - code SONJA10)
Kids are a bigger category: Either I’m starting to pay attention to kids’ foods more these days, or kids are a bigger category. From kid-friendly kombucha (Tim Tam Tummy For Kids) to snack packs with clean ingredients, there was a huge push toward products designed just for little eaters (because parents are over the junk!!). I saw tons of fun packaging, simple ingredients, and gut-friendly options for kiddos — and YAY it’s about time!
Meat sticks and snacks are cool, especially for women: I’ll be the first to admit I thought meat sticks were a macho, gas-station road trip snack for a long time. Not anymore! There were countless meat stick and snack brands this year catering to a broader audience — especially women 🙌🏼. From elevated, charcuterie-inspired options to fun, bite-sized packs and better branding (finally!), meat snacks are becoming more accessible, stylish, and convenient for everyone. The demand for portable protein is massive, and brands are stepping up with grass-fed and (some) regeneratively sourced options that go way beyond the old-school jerky aisle. I’m obviously biased, but I didn’t try a single meat stick or biltong that tasted better to me than the Lineage meat sticks or air dried steak. I’m proud that Lineage is still leading the way when it comes to a fully regenerative supply chain that supports co-ops and small local farmers.
Greenwashing is still alive and well: Expo West had plenty of innovation, but also plenty of greenwashing — especially from big brands trying to cash in on the “better-for-you” trend. Slapping a “natural” label on ultra-processed snacks, adding a dash of regenerative ingredients while keeping the rest questionable, or launching a single “clean” product line to distract from their not-so-clean portfolio— I saw it all! I am confident that consumers are getting savvier, and flashy packaging won’t cut it if the ingredients and sourcing don’t back it up because we are all READING LABELS now. I hope that the many brands out there that are truly prioritizing health and transparency will be winners in the long-term.
One of the wildest things I saw under the guise of “helping flatline landfills” was this new flat back oat milk sheets 🤯. The sheets still come in plastic…and you all already know my opinion on oat milk…
Expo West Product Recap with Instagram Links
Below is every product I came across that I liked (some new, some old time faves) that fit my Cooking in Color criteria:
Organic
No refined grains or sugars
No seed oils
Ingredients I can pronounce and that my grandma would have recognized
Must be delicious!
I was only there for one day, so I know I missed HUNDREDS of other products (it pains me, I’m definitely going for two days next year) but see my top 35 from this year below.
🍏🍓🍊Fruit Snacks:
🍏 Brothers All Natural - Freeze dried fruit products that are 100% fruit — all single ingredient whole food items.
🌱 Happy Village - Organic and regenerative dried and frozen fruits.
🍌 Solely Fruit Jerky 👶 - JUST FRUIT. I love the jerky and the fruit snacks.
🥝 Chiwis Snacks - I didn’t know I needed kiwi chips in my life until last week.
🍒 Ugly Fruit and Veg- Whole dried fruit using “ugly” product with zero added sugar — these are my go to dried cherries for my Chicken Salad recipe.
🍊Rind Snacks - Dried and freeze dried snacks that include the rinds (YAY, because that’s where all the fiber is!).
🍍 The froot thief 👶 - 100% fruit with “no baddies”!
Fruit snack packaging is so colorful and fun
👶 Kid Products:
🌞 Feel Sunnie - Super intentional founders, great snack packs for kids (and adults) with zero bad stuff. The s’mores + pizza snacks are AMAZE.
🍵 Tim Tam Tummy For Kids - Kombucha with no alcohol, lower sugar, and more of a gentle fizz. I honestly loved it.
👶 White Leaf Provisions - Regeneratively farmed baby foods. Tested for heavy metals!
💪 Mary Ruths Organics - Amazing supplements and immunity support for kids and adults.
🍫 Treats:
🍪 Honey Mamas - Incredible chocolate sweetened with raw honey. They have a Girl Scout collab coming out and the Thin Mint Honey Mama is NOT TO BE MISSED. If only all girl scout cookies had real food ingredients — imagine what an amazing nationwide campaign that could be!
🍫 Wild West Chocolate - Sweetened with fruit, they do heavy metal testing, and very fun packaging — would be a great hostess gift.
🥓 IceCream For Bears - Grass-fed milk ice cream from regeneratively managed farms. Their mission is to use ingredients as they exist in nature to create ice-cream that is good for cows, good for us, and good for earth! I’m in!
🍩 Eat Glonuts - Delicious donut thingies by my friend Kristin!!
❣️ Jolies - Organic California dates tested for glyphosate. Perfect to use when you need to add a little sweetness to an otherwise balanced meal, or for a dessert with a little nut butter and dark chocolate chips. They also have a new-ish “Ugglies by Joolies” to reduce waste because there are really no bad dates!
🍫 Seedly Seed Bark - Organic dark chocolate with seeds and fruit! Their slogan is “all life begins with a seed” 🥹
🍶 Condiments:
🍛 Eat Sunny - They have a BIG line of seed oil free sauces and dips coming out this summer that I can’t wait. Think miso caesar, chipotle bbq, ginger ponzu, green curry, dill pickle and more. Their classic tahini is one of favorite condiments for salads, eggs, fruit etc.
🥗 Primal Kitchen Foods - The OG seed oil free dressing and condiment brand. This year they launched a sundried tomato pasta sauce (their take on the viral Marry Me chicken), and it was GOOD. A perfect weeknight staple.
🥑 Chosen Foods - More avocado oils, dressings, and non-seed oil based condiments.
🍯 Local Hive Honey - Amazing hot honey for pizza, pasta, toast, literally anything.
😋 Snacks
🫒 Big Picture Foods - Organic olives, peppers, and other ferments from small farms.
🥜 Mamame Tempeh Chips- These are fermented black eyed pea chips in coconut oil. Amazing texture and taste.
🫘 Tarwi foods - Very fun lupini and tarwi bean snacks, the macros honestly felt too good to be true, but they were delicious.
🥖 Flackers Crackers - You know I love Flackers, and I LOVE their new maple flavor. I will be using those for s’mores this summer, and I’m sure whoever I am doing a bonfire with will roll their eyes but don't knock it until you try it!!
🫘 Brami Lupini Beans - Sea salt and vinegar is honestly still my fave. Great travel snack.
🥤 Beverages
🥤Sprindrift - They are launching a “Soda” line, but it’s really just more % fruit juice! Zero added sugar and every flavor (Shirley Temple, Orange Creme Float, Ginger Ale, Strawberry Shortcake, Grape etc.) was 10/10!
🍹 Sparkling Botanicals - One of my long-time faves. I treat myself to these almost every time I go to Erewhon.
🍲 Bonafide Provisions - If I’m not making bone broth at home, I’m buying bonafide provisions. They have a new lemon, turmeric single serve bone broth in a cute little single serve cup that has been taking up space in my brain it was so good.
anddddd some other amazing stuff (that didn’t fit into one of my categories above lol)
😋 Laird Superfood - I love the Laird products and use their Turmeric creamer as a chicken marinade. Alex loves their creamers in his coffee.
🌮 Eat Coyotas - I’ve been a fan of these for a few years now. They are just cassava flour, water, coconut oil and sea salt and somehow they DO NOT BREAK! Best GF tortilla.
🌾 Eat Simpli- Regenerative, organic certified beans, and an amazing brand. They helped me re-stock pantries after the LA fires, and I LOVE their gigante beans.
🐟 Safe Catch foods - Mercury tested sea food — tuna burgers, canned seafood, and more. They test every single fish, and their mercury limit is 10x stricter than the FDA limit. Here’s 1 min from my new friend Kevin all about it 👇🏻
🥥 Cocojune Organic - Another example of a brand doing a protein extension — they are starting a protein yogurt line. When you see brands starting a protein line, you have to check the protein source/quality in the product. For Cocojune, I personally will be sticking with their classic pure coconut unsweetened and was excited to see they are doing an unsweetened strawberry next! It’s a great snack with nuts, nut butter, honey, berries etc.
🥛 Alexandre Family Farm - Regenerative Organic - One of my long-time faves, if you have not tried their kefir, go find it!! I had also never tried their grass-fed aged sharp cheddar and it was beyond.
I also put all of these on a product highlight on my IG if you want to re-watch the recap. 😘
The Sweet and Savory Mallorca Salad with a Miso, Tamari, Honey Dressing… You know when you have a meal that is so delicious, pleasurable and flavorful, that you still dream about it? That is this salad for me.
It’s got it all — it’s sweet, savory, just a tad spicy, with crunch and multiple different textures. It’s honestly like a flavor playground. I had a version of this when I was in Mallorca last summer, and I’ve been recreating it ever since.
This salad is all about combining ingredients in flavors in unexpected ways. This is a skill every home chef should learn to master, as it’ll make you more confident in making things up as you go and improvising with what you have on hand.
When you look at these ingredients, you might not immediately think they go together in a salad. If I was at a salad bar making my own salad, I probably would not combine them. But, that’s what makes this salad so magical. It’s incredible how well all the ingredients compliment each other and come together with the sweet and savory miso-tamari-honey dressing. I have an amazing book called The Flavour Thesaurus (great hostess gift for someone who likes to cook) that has reminded me that so many more things go together than we think.
Some examples from the book:
Beetroot & Chocolate – The deep, earthy sweetness of beets enhances the richness of chocolate, working well in cakes and brownies.
Strawberry & Black Pepper – The heat of black pepper enhances the natural fruitiness of strawberries, making them pop.
Carrot & Cardamom – Cardamom’s floral, spicy warmth pairs unexpectedly well with the sweetness of carrots.
Banana & Bacon – The salty, smoky flavor of bacon contrasts with the creamy sweetness of banana. I think I need to make banana bacon pancakes next?
Cauliflower & Cocoa – The bitterness of cocoa deepens the nutty, slightly sweet taste of roasted cauliflower. I’m going to do something with this soon…
Raspberry & Fennel – The anise-like flavor of fennel enhances the tart fruitiness of raspberries. Have you ever tried raspberries and fennel in a salad? SO GOOD!
Lamb & Rhubarb – The tartness of rhubarb cuts through the richness of lamb, working well in slow-cooked dishes. Apricot works great too!
This Sweet & Savory Mallorca Salad combines a number of things:
Chorizo & Apple: This is a classic sweet-spicy-fatty contrast. The juicy, crisp apple balances the smoky heat of chorizo, which helps keep the salad vibrant vs. super rich and heavy. Btw, for chorizo I like Force of Nature or Primal Pastures.
Beans & Manchego: Manchego’s nutty, salty taste pairs so well with the creamy, mild earthiness of beans. Since Manchego is (often) made from sheep’s milk, it has a grassy depth that enhances the legume's subtle sweetness. For beans, I use Simpli or Beanstory.
Manchego & Snap Peas: You might be thinking…huh…but the saltiness in manchego is lifted by fresh slightly sweep crispy snap peas. It adds contrast to the other deeper, richer flavors of the rest of the salad.
Cashews & Pickled Onions: These are both things I just love on their own, but the pairing plays with fat and acid — the creamy, buttery nature of cashews gets a lift from the tart bite of pickled onions, again keeping the salad from feeling too heavy.
I could go on and on describing each ingredient, but you get the point. The salad has spice, sweetness, crunch, umami, fat and acidity, and they all work together SO WELL.
It’s a perfect salad for March, in my opinion, because it’s hearty but also bright and spring-y, and it uses produce that’s coming in season (at least in California) like snap peas, radishes, lettuces, etc.
It’s also extremely versatile — it’s nice enough to serve for dinner, but it’s also a great lunch. I’ve made this salad when friends have come over for lunch and co-working and it’s been a hit. It’s also super easy to chop/prep in advance and then just do the chorizo right before (or prep that too!)
Lastly, on the metabolic health front, this salad is also packed with protein, fiber, micronutrients and healthy fats. It’s got 11 colors (at least), and it was just what I needed this week when trying to recover from a cold and lots of travel.
COLOR CLUB RECIPE LINK HERE
If you make this recipe (or ANY of my recipes!), I’d love nothing more than to hear how it turned out and any feedback you have! Comment below or on the recipe in the Color Club, and if you are on IG, tag me @sonjakmanning.
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Chefs kisses,
Sonja