Chickapea Chickapea Plus Greens

Sitting firmly in the keto pasta realm, with a tasty high protein/low carb pasta of chickpeas and lentils, Chickapea could’ve stopped there. We love that it went well beyond: The product is certified organic, and the company is a woman-owned B-Corp that donates 2% of revenues (yes, revenues) to address food access. Plus, in the Plus Greens line, Chickapea has added two full servings of spinach and kale to each serving of the tasty pastas. 

Fix and Fogg Everything Butter

Six unground seeds bring complexity and crunch to a base of two smooth nut butters to form a delicious smooth/crunchy, sweet/savory blend of the richest nut/seed butter we’ve seen. (So many slashes!) And that just might define this quirky blend. Peanut and almond butters are home to whole sunflower, pumpkin, flax, hemp, chia and sesame seeds. Full of texture and flavor, it’s delectable and fun. And bonus! Check out the company’s Lucky Dip Butter charitable program that reduces food waste in its New Zealand facility.

Primal Nutrition Hollandaise Sauce

This is a good shelf-stable ready-to-use hollandaise. Nice job, Primal Kitchen. But that’s just the beginning of the story. It’s also dairy free, sans soy and canola oils, keto/paleo-friendly and features several organic ingredients. It starts with cashew butter, adds white wine and lemon juice, fluffs in some egg powder and rounds it out with good flavor from nutritional yeast, onion, garlic and spices. We don’t love the plant-based claim in its marketing (beware vegans, eggs on board) but recognize there are multiple definitions of the industry’s newest slippery term. Innovation led the selection here, as it’s the best shelf-stable hollandaise we’ve tasted.

Solely One Whole Organic Spaghetti Squash

So simple, so basic. So … what’s the big deal? Solely takes roughly one organic spaghetti squash and does (almost) all the prep for dinner. This single-ingredient item defines the pantry category: placing healthy, organic foods on hand for those what’s-for-dinner? nights. And by working with farmers to collect less-than-perfect squashes, it also takes a step toward reducing food waste. Sometimes the simplest things are the most inspiring. Keep it simple, Solely.  

Yolélé Foods Fonio Pilafs

Fonio pilaf is exactly what it sounds like: a pilaf made of … fonio? Yes, fonio, a climate-friendly and climate-resilient grain from West Africa. The product tastes great (we tried the Afro-funk, flavored with pungent African locust bean, a.k.a. dawadawa, while other varieties feature other nutritious African crops, baobab and moringa). There’s much to like here, from helping West African silvo-agro-pastoral farmers find a market for this organic, irrigation-free crop, to the tasty gluten-free, cooks-in-five-minutes serving on the plate. When we look at the three I’s of the NEXTYs, Yolélé lands squarely in the all-of-the-above fourth I: Impact.