August 2012 – Supercharged Food

Lentil and Sunflower Seed Moussaka

As winter subsides, I can spy a tiny glimpse of summer on the horizon. Until the hot weather finally arrives, I’ll continue to dream of island holidays and balmy nights. This week I’ve been dreaming of Santorini sunshine, and all of the culinary delights that come with the beautiful country of Greece. I love to immerse my imagination and let it become fully involved in cooking; if I feel like a Greek island holiday, I’ll make it a reality with my mixing spoon. Even though I’m not globetrotting at this point in time, why should I let that stop me from experiencing the sensory delights of the world?

If you can’t get your mitts on a plane ticket, working your magic in the kitchen is the next best thing to a travel adventure. With the wonderful World Wide Web supplying a wealth of knowledge and information, you can find thousands of recipe ideas that’ll zip you off to Rome, Nairobi, even Beijing at the drop of a rolling pin. But if you’re after a Greek getaway, you can’t really go past the illustrious moussaka.

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Mixed Leaf Seeded Salad with Cashew Nut Mayo

Move over apples, I think the age old saying needs to be re-written to “a SALAD a day keeps the doctor away”. I know that whenever I’m feeling a little under the weather, if my body feels a tad on the acidic side, or if I can sense a bug coming on; a beautiful, colourful, crunchy salad is the perfect pick-me-up.

If you don’t include at least one raw salad into your day, now’s the time to start. Millions of people, especially in the western world, eat diets that are dominated by packaged, lifeless, additive, and sugar filled foods. When illness arrives (which will inevitably happen with this kind of lifestyle), the answer is generally some form of pharmaceutical medicine. But eating a diet that is plentiful in raw veggies in a range of colours is probably one of the cheapest forms of medicine; both preventative, and in many cases curative, that you could ever access; minus the side effects!

The wonderful thing about salads, is that they’re quick, easy, and have the potential to be one of the most delicious meals you’ve ever devoured. Don’t for a second think that salads have to be a drab, flavour-less experience; you can mix and match, or add and subtract a multitude of components to get the exact blend of flavours for your own personal taste. You can also add nuts and seeds to give it some protein and bulk your spectacular salad up into a satisfying lunch or dinner. Also, concocting your own delicious dressings, whether creamy, zingy or sweet, is so much more satisfying than any of those watery supermarket creations that are designed to survive longer than the average human! (more…)

Black Bean Burgers with Green Salad

Black Bean Burgers

A true enjoyment of food can never exist when your focus is constantly on what you can’t have. Instead of battling through lengthy diet rules, and running for the hills from your fast food foes, start focusing your creative mind on turning any sugar filled treat, or preservative laden burger into a meal full of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. This approach to food brings a joy to both your mind and your body, and is a fun, freeing experience. The journey of appropriating meals will open your eyes up to a world of exotic flavours and ingredients that you never thought existed, and you’ll be constantly surprised at the astounding impacts that the everyday components of your meals are having on your health and wellbeing. When you embrace this lifestyle of true appreciation and passionate interaction with your food, the local fast food franchises will be like a distant memory and the locavores will be top of mind.

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Roast Pumpkin and Tamari Seeded Brown Rice Salad

The perfect winter salad

This recipe is legen...wait for it...dary. I absolutely adore pumpkins, and they’re really going off at this time of year. Whenever I’m blessed enough to have one of these golden girls at home, the first thing that comes to mind is pumpkin soup. But there are so many other possibilities with this versatile wonder vegetable, and limiting it to a standard soup, or even a jack o’ lantern isn’t giving this vegetable the recognition it deserves.

Pumpkins are one of my favourite veggies, because they’re so sumptuously sweet and oh-so comforting. In the cooler months that’s all you really want right? Something that’s going to fire off your senses, but also give you that big hearty cuddle that wholesome cooked veggies can bring. A raw salad is often the last thing you want to dig into in the middle of an icy, wearisome day. It can sometimes feel like a punishment having to dig your teeth into such a crunchy, cold concoction. When the warm weather hits, sure; bring on the raw, juicy, cold veggies. Pile them on high. But when the cooler months arrive, you need something a little bit more welcoming; and a bit of gorgeous, glowing, roasted pumpkin can really make the difference. (more…)

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