ME G A N YO U N G
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Contents
Introduction
The Main Event
Festive Meal Plan Salads
Veggies On The Side Breakfast Ideas
Something Sweet
Acknowledgements
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This story starts with love and nourishment. The idea then continues along a path of taste, texture, colour, creativity, play and excitement with the end product, my opportunity to inspire, educate and provide a powerful record that ‘IT’ is possible. The book is intended as a place of inspiration and education. It is easy to make a beautiful recipe book filled with cakes and chocolate but not so easy to make one just as appealing about eating your veggies! Here lies my challenge and motivation. Why plant based…? Quite simply, it’s the best way to consume the maximum amount of nutrients with the smallest amount of calories. These nutrients and phytochemicals keep you young, healthy and happy. A diet high in plant material is your best defence against aging, heart disease and other chronic diseases like, cancer, Type II diabetes, obesity as well as a range of autoimmune diseases. About me I would describe myself as a plant-powered food blogger. My background is as a professional photographer and blogging has allowed me to combine my career in photography with my love for healthy plant-based food. Growing up in beautiful Tasmania, Australia, surrounded by nature, I couldn’t help but have a well-developed appreciation for fresh, wholesome and local produce. Over the years this love of fresh produce has awakened my interest in nutrition. I am currently studying nutrition and never cease to be amazed by the power of food. I pack my meals with whole plant foods to make sure I am fully nourished and remain happy and energized throughout the day. My favourite superfood is green leafy veg. I know that is very simple but they work for me. They are cheap, easy to get and always changing with the seasons. Optimum health cannot be obtained by popping a pill. We all need to take responsibility for our own health. It can be hard work and involves eating healthy whole foods, getting enough exercise and sunlight, working on our personal relationships and managing our stress. Stop trying “diets” and most of all listen to your body. If you are not feeling 100%, try eliminating a few foods and see if you feel any better. I am always amazed by how many people are constantly sick but continue to eat foods that cause the problem… simply because they “like” them. If something you are eating is causing you problems, of any sort, cut it out. Quotes I love “Eat mostly plants, especially leafs” – Michael Pollan “Salad is the main meal” – Joel Fuhrman “Here’s the good news. Your genes are not your fate” – Dean Ornish 5
Fighting Cancer with Plant Power I have recently completed a certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from the T Colin Campbell Foundation and Cornell Uni and have no doubt in my mind that, the best way to protect yourself from Cancer and to greatly reduce the risk of ever being affected by cancer, is to eat a diet made up of majority unrefined fruits and vegetables with an emphasis on raw leafy greens. T Colin Campbell was a researcher involved in the now famous China Project, described by Joel Fuhrman, in his book Eat to Live, as the most comprehensive study on the connection between diet and disease in medical history. The New York Times called this exemplary research the “Grand Prix of all epidemiological studies” and “the most comprehensive large study ever undertaken on the relationship between diet and the risk of developing disease.” Dean Ornish, MD, says of the China Project “Everyone in the field of nutrition science stands on the shoulders of Dr. Campbell, who is one of the giants in the field. This is one of the most important books about nutrition ever written – reading it may save your life.” If you are at all interested in nutrition and disease prevention, I recommend you get your hands on a copy of the book: The China Study. This research helps to make sense of a great number of human and animal studies dealing with nutrition and disease. I won't go into the details in this book but it is quite simply compelling reading. The question of protein is a common one these days with a strong emphasis, in the media, on large amounts of meat and dairy products suggested for weight loss and muscle gain. Diets like Paleo and Atkins might allow you to loose weight, for your muscles to grow in size and for you to become stronger quickly, but these diets can be seriously lacking in the phytochemicals, fibre and healthy fats so important in protecting our bodies from chronic disease. You might be surprised to know that “on average, 25% of calories in vegetables are from protein” (Joel Fuhrman, Eat to Live). While many people in the western world are currently overfed but undernourished, the chronic disease epidemic is only going to increase. To quote Dr Fuhrman again “Many large-scale epidemiological studies have shown conclusively that certain plant foods play a role in protecting the body against diseases that kill. There is no longer any question about the importance of fruit and vegetables in our diet. The greater the quantity and assortment of fruit and vegetables consumed, the lower the incidence of heart attacks, stokes and cancer.” Dr Fuhrman goes on to explain, in his book Eat To Live, that countless academic studies, published in peer reviewed journals, have time and again supported the growing evidence that the more fruit and vegetables you eat, the smaller your risk of developing all sorts of Cancers, e.g. breast, colon, rectum, lung, stomach, prostate and pancreas.
In summary, after my own extensive reading and research, I am sure about a few facts. In order to dramatically reduce your risk of cancer: • Get the majority of your daily food from un-refined fruits and vegetables. • Include raw leafy greens in as many meals during the day as possible. • Maintain an alkaline body by greatly reducing foods such as sugar, salt, caffeine, animal products and refined grains such as white flour and make sure to drink plenty of water, manage stress and eat your veggies. • Reduce the chemicals in your household and personal care products. • Maintain healthy gut bacteria. • Get plenty of good quality sleep, exercise moderately and maintain a slim body with an emphasis on keeping the fat off your middle (high levels of visceral fat are linked to many chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease). Fighting Diabetes with Plant Power Diabetes is a disease, which has affected my own family and group of friends. It is a disease on a steep increase and it’s prevention and treatment is strongly linked to good nutrition. There are two different issues at play when discussing diet for Type One and Type Two Diabetes sufferers. Let’s start with Type One: This is an autoimmune disease, which generally presents in younger people (anywhere from childhood to 30). Type One Diabetics are insulin dependent and must closely monitor their blood sugar levels each and every day. To assist in maintaining healthy blood sugar levels a healthy, low sugar diet is critical. By keeping blood sugar levels stable and in turn avoiding the associated secondary medical conditions, which arise in Diabetics with poor nutrition, Type One Diabetes can be managed well. Type Two diabetes is one of the most concerning diseases of the 21st century due to its rapid rates of increase. This degenerative disease generally presents in middle-aged and older people who are often overweight and eat a poor diet (which is now unfortunately seen as being a standard diet). The best news is that Type Two Diabetes can be avoided or reversed in many cases simply with good nutrition.
The interesting fact about Cancer is that it is much easier to prevent than to treat or cure. The phytochemicals we receive through a diet rich in plants allows us to “detoxify and deactivate cancer-causing agents and block the initiation process leading to DNA damage” (Joel Fuhrman, Eat to Live). This DNA damage is the start of cancer, when normal healthy cells are damaged and then multiply in their new damaged/altered form.
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Did you know? • Every five minutes an Australian is diagnosed with Diabetes. • An estimated 1.5 million Australians are affected by Diabetes. • Diabetes is the fastest growing chronic disease in the country: forecast to become the number one burden of disease in Australia in the next five years. Source: Diabetes Australia 2013
Foods to avoid are added sugars, refined grains, fried foods, trans fats and processed meats. You might be really surprised by which pre-made foods, even the savoury ones, include added sugar. It is staggering the sheer quantity of sugar that is added to many of our favourite drinks, snacks and desserts. The best way to minimise added sugar is to cook from scratch. That way you know exactly what’s going into you and your family’s food. The best foods are leafy green vegetables, non-starchy vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds and fresh fruit. Eating healthy is all about crowding out the bad stuff with heaps of the good stuff. Fill your plate with crisp, fresh salad bursting with flavour from herbs and lemon juice. And ditch the white carbs to make room for sweet potatoes, brown rice and wholemeal sourdough bread. Or try swapping grains for beans and legumes. As long as the majority of your meal is made up from high nutrient fresh food, you are looking good and are guaranteed to be feeling lighter and more energised. Cinnamon and Coconut Oil are both handy foods to include in a diabetic friendly meals as they help the body to regulate blood sugar levels.
Quinoa is a champion of both vegetarian and gluten free cooking. It’s high protein content makes it very attractive to vegetarians. It is easy to prepare and completely versatile lending itself to be used in salads and with curries, bean dishes and stir fries. Chickpeas too, are a wonderful ingredients for vegetarians. They are also high in protein and work well with Mediterranean and Asian flavours. Chickpea flour is particularity appealing due to it’s unique flavour and versatility. Coeliac out there… you should really give this a try. Fighting heart disease with Plant Power Nutritional science is very challenging as hard evidence is often misrepresented. Pharmaceutical companies are very powerful as well as marketers and advertisers. Our high consumption of carbohydrates, in the form of processed grains and cereals, has a lot to do with the high rates of degenerative diseases (including heart disease) due to the inflammatory effect they have on the body. Meat and dairy along with processed oils are also responsible for inflammation. I believe the widely published and respected medical professionals: Dr T. Colin Campbell, Dr Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr, Dr John A. McDougall and Dr Dean Ornish are leading the way in this area of research and treatment for heart disease. They are all strong advocates for the whole food plant-based diet.
Plant-powered gluten-free eating These days everyone knows a Coeliac or someone with wheat intolerance. According to Coeliac Australia, “Coeliac disease affects approximately 1 in 100 Australians. However 75% currently remain undiagnosed. This means that approximately 160,000 Australians have coeliac disease but don’t yet know it.” Luckily there are so many alternatives to wheat, spelt, semolina, barley and rye, the grains containing gluten. I am a big advocate of constantly mixing up the foods you eat. Your body thrives on eating a wide variety of grains, vegetables and proteins. Great alternatives to the gluten grains are corn, millet, rice, amaranth, quinoa, buckwheat and legumes, like chickpeas. By cooking with these whole food alternatives you get the full nutritional benefits as opposed to buying other highly processed products with the gluten chemically removed. With a small bit of research and a trip to your local food co-op or whole food store you can easily cook a wide range of foods you love completely gluten-free. The thought of entertaining guests with special dietary requirements can be enough to make even adventurous home cooks nervous. A tart is a great option to cover a range of pallets and requirements. They are delicious, vegetarian, and can be made coeliac friendly, for example, by using chickpea flour pastry. There is always a great sense of achievement when you can tell your guests that you made everything from scratch. 8
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Veggie Lasagna For those of you out there trying to reduce your meat and dairy consumption, or simply introducing more plant-based meals to your family, this recipe is a winner. My “meat loving” hubby James has named this dish his new favourite… so that is saying something. It makes for great left overs, but there is more likely not going to be any… its just that yummy.
Veggie Bolognese Sauce 2 x 700g jars of tomato
Make the Veggie Bolognese sauce in advance, by adding all the sauce ingredients to your slow cooker.
passata (with no added
Place on the lid and cook on low for 4 hours.
salt or sugar)
Alternatively, if you don’t have a slow cooker, you can cook all the
¾ cup washed red lentils
ingredients together in a large pot over a very low heat for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
½ teaspoon pure garlic powder 1 tablespoon dried mixed Italian herbs 1 red onion finely diced 1 low salt veggie stock cube 500ml water
Veggie Pesto
While the Veggie Bolognese Sauce is cooking, soak the macadamias and cashews in a glass jar covered by the filtered water. Make the Veggie Pesto by adding all ingredients to your food processor and combining on high speed until just smooth. Set aside in a bowl and wash your food processor for making the nut ricotta. Strain the water off the soaked nuts and add them to the clean food processor.
1 large bunch of fresh basil
Add in the remaining ingredients and process until the mixture forms the texture of ricotta.
½ cup pine nuts
Blend a small bit at a time so as not to over-blend the mixture.
¼ cup nutritional yeast
Add a small bit more water, a dash at a time, if the mixture is too dry.
1 clove crushed garlic ¼ extra virgin olive oil pinch of Himalayan salt and ground black pepper Nut Riccotta ²⁄³ cup unsalted macadamia nuts ²⁄³ cup unsalted cashews 2 cups filtered water ½ cup pine nuts
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Slice the veggies into 1 cm slices and grill, either on a griddle pan, BBQ, or in your toasted sandwich press. I use my toasted sandwich press as the veggies cook on both sides at once and each batch only takes 5 minutes. Assemble the Lasagna by layering the Veggie Bolognese Sauce, then a layer of grilled eggplant, a layer of grilled zucchini, a layer of pesto, baby spinach leaves and then the pasta sheets in a large baking dish. Repeat the layers until the dish is full to the top, finishing with a layer of Veggie Bolognese Sauce. Bake in a moderate oven (180ºC) for 30 minutes.
recipe continues on page 16
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (from an unwaxed
Take the dish out of the oven and arrange dollops of the nut ricotta all over the top.
lemon)
Return to the oven for a further 10 minutes.
juice of 1 lemon
Serve hot with a simple side salad.
¼ cup nutritional yeast ½ cup water pinch of Himalayan salt and ground black pepper Other Ingredients 2 large eggplants 5 medium zucchinis 1 packet of fresh Lasagna pasta sheets (optional) 4 cups baby spinach leaves
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Serves 6 – vegan, diary free and gluten free without the addition of pasta sheets
Potato and Veggie Gratin with Cashew Cream As much as I do love potato it is not a vegetable I eat frequently as there are so many other less starchy veggie options available. However… they are more than welcome on my table once in a while in the form of this wickedly delicious vegan spin on Potato Gratin. Cashew cream is a really great recipe component that you can use to replace béchamel or cheese sauces. I like to flavour it up with whichever herbs I have in the fridge. In this version I have used just parsley, but a combination of herbs would work beautifully also. Basically, this entire recipe can be customized to accommodate any vegetables you have in the fridge. I have made this recipe, layered with spinach leaves, but for this one I had cauliflower in the fridge, so that is what is in the recipe. Simple as that! I served this on a plate with grilled asparagus and tofu “steaks”, marinated in coconut oil, chili and Tamari soy sauce.
2 cups raw unsalted cashew nuts
Soak the cashews in a bowl covered in water, overnight (fill so the height of the water is 1cm above the nuts).
filtered water 1 medium bunch of parsley
Blend the cashews, water, salt, pepper and herbs in a food processor until they resemble the consistency of cream.
pinch of Himalayan salt and ground black pepper
You may need to add a small amount more water if the mixture is too thick.
2 tablespoons olive oil
Grease a large ovenproof baking dish with olive oil and add a thin layer of the cashew cream to the bottom.
5 medium potatoes washed but with the skins on 1 head of cauliflower 1 teaspoon of sweet paprika
Slice one potato very thinly with a mandolin slicer and spread out evenly, over the cashew cream, in the base of the dish. Slice about a ¼ of the head of cauliflower with a mandolin sliver and evenly layer over the slices of potato. Spoon on about ¼ of the remaining cashew cream evenly over the sliced vegetables and repeat the layering process. Continue to layer, cashew cream, potato slices, cauliflower slices but finish with a layer of potato. Sprinkle the top with the sweet paprika and drizzle over 1½ tablespoons of olive oil. Bake in a moderate oven (180ºC) for 50-60 minutes or until the potato is soft all the way through. Serves 6 – vegan, gluten free
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Mushroom and Leek Arancini Is it just me… or are there Arancini balls on the menu of most trendy restaurants at the moment? These are the traditional “fast food” of Sicily and are made from a ball of cooked rice with a centre of meat or cheese, rolled in breadcrumbs and deep-fried. I knew I could make a healthy version. Arancini balls are perfect for a lunch with friends. A simple dressed salad makes a perfect accompaniment. They are also a handy lunchbox filler and can be served either hot or cold. Fresh and hot out of the oven is my preference!
5 cups soft cooked
Cook the rice as per the packet instructions.
brown rice 1 teaspoon coconut oil
Slice the leek in half lengthways and wash thoroughly between the layers.
1 leek zest of ½ an unwaxed lemon
Slice thinly and then chop finely.
400g button mushrooms
Sauté the chopped leek, in a pan with the coconut oil, over a low heat for 20 minutes until soft.
½ cup nutritional yeast
Using a microplane zest the lemon into the pan and stir for a minute.
1 teaspoon garlic powder juice of one lemon ¼ cup chopped parsley pinch Himalayan salt and ground black pepper ¼ cup sesame seeds olive oil
Spoon the leeks and zest mix into a bowl and set aside. Grate the mushrooms (the easiest way is to use the grating attachment for the food processor) and sauté in the same pan for 10 minutes or until soft. Combine the cooked rice, cooked leeks and mushrooms along with the nutritional yeast, salt and pepper, lemon juice and parsley in a large bowl then set aside to cool. Pre-heat the oven to 160ºC. Lightly oil a baking tray covered with baking paper. Spread the sesame seeds out on a dinner plate. Roll the rice mixture into fist-sized balls with your hands. Then roll each ball in the seeds before placing them evenly on the oiled try. Brush each with a very small amount of olive oil and bake in the oven for 45min -1 hour until crunchy on the outside.
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makes 10-12 Arancini balls – vegan, gluten free
Home Made Baked Beans Baked beans in a can be so sugary and salty, so I always make them myself. They take no time at all and you can cook them with different veggies each time to keep your taste buds guessing. I whole heartedly believe in rustic cooking and never bother with removing the skins from tomatoes. You can add this step to the recipe if you like.
1 teaspoon coconut oil ½ head fennel 1 clove garlic 6 medium tomatoes 400g cooked white beans of your choice 1 handful fresh parsley leaves pinch Himalayan salt and ground black pepper lemon
Finely slice the fennel with your mandolin slicer and sauté in a heavy pan, with the coconut oil, over a medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the finely chopped garlic and sauté for a further 2 minutes. Roughly chop the tomatoes and add to the pan, stirring a few times. Cover with a lid and allow to simmer over a medium to low heat for 10 minutes. Add the washed and drained beans and stir gently. Allow to simmer for a further 5 minutes or until the beans have warmed through. Season with salt and pepper and stir through the freshly chopped parsley. Serve with a lemon wedge. serves 2 – vegan, gluten free
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Pumpkin Soup with a Kick Pumpkin soup is always delicious but I like to give mine a little kick. Soup is a perfect winter warmer. Peel and chop up some veggies, add to the pot with some stock and hey presto… soup! I find it so simple that I never use a recipe. I simply combine whichever veggies I have in the fridge with either some lentils or beans and it works out great every time. Soup is great for your body as your digestion does not have to work as hard to absorb the nutrients. Leftovers are great for lunch the next day!
1 teaspoon coconut oil 1 clove garlic 1 onion 1 tablespoon red curry paste 600g pumpkin 1 medium sweet potato
Peel and chop the onion and garlic and sauté, with the coconut oil, in a large soup pot over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until the onion is soft. Add the curry paste and stir for a minute to release the flavours. Add the peeled and roughly chopped vegetables, washed lentils and stock cube. Add the hot water to the pot until the veggies are just covered.
2 carrots
Simmer over a medium heat for 30 minutes or until the veggies are soft.
¾ cup red lentils
Blend using a stick blender or counter top blender until smooth.
1 low salt veggie stock cube 1-1.5 litres hot water pinch Himalayan salt and ground black pepper
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Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with your favourite crusty bread. serves 4 – vegan, gluten free