When our family decided to drop oil from our diet it was mainly very easy. We quickly learnt the techniques of dry-frying and substituting whole foods for any added fats in recipes.  However, roasting potatoes turned out to be our biggest challenge.  

Standard potatoes might not be the highest in anti-oxidants or the most nutritious of veg, but they are wonderful for filling up hungry people and if they're cooked right, they are a delicious addition to a roast meal.

The challenge was on to find the answer.  It was surprisingly simple.  Although the complete cooking time for this method is long, the preparation is actually less than conventional cooking and does not require any peelers or knives.

Research shows us that in order to have a robust and diverse microbiome we need to eat a wide variety of (plant) foods.  In this dish we use samphire, which is a very salty plant grown on coastlines.  As it is so high in sodium, it's not one to eat too often, however, good samphire is delicious with a succulent crunch.  The petits pois help to increase the protein profile of the dish and add a touch of sweetness.

Ratatouille contrasts well with the mash, being tangy and full-flavoured.  We find that it always takes longer to cook to perfection than anticipated - but it's worth the wait.  Don't be tempted to rush in before it has had a good amount of time in the oven.  You could also do this whole dish on the hob instead - you'll just need to be nearby and stir regularly.

If you have some ready-to-eat black rice, this is a quick meal that is much more tasty than it looks!  It combines black rice with black cabbage and black beans - hence the name.

A compromise recipe (plant based but not whole food)

A creamy, plant based version of stroganoff with sweet smoked paprika and thickly cut portobello mushrooms.  Served with whole grain pasta and broccoli, this makes a reasonably quick and tasty meal.  It's not whole foods due to the use of Oat Cream.

If you're cutting out refined foods, that includes olive oil! Although it can seem strange cooking without oil at first, it gets easier - and your tastebuds will come alive. To make a completely whole foods pesto, I use some macadamia nuts to add creaminess.

It's perfectly possible to make a whole-foods plant-based roast, but in this instance we opted for a very slight compromise in that we did use some (vegan) shop-bought ready to bake pastry. 

However! Wrapped up snugly in the pastry is a delicious, plant-based mixture with a robust umami flavour. Coupled with dry-roast potatoes and lightly boiled veg, this meal was epic in its flavours.

The mixture we used for the filling is, in fact, a recipe I created for bean-balls, but it worked really well for this variation.

Most of us need to eat more greens. Here's a pasta bake dish based on familiar ingredients - with added spinach and cavolo nero. The cavolo nero becomes the star, absorbing all of the lovely flavours.

A sweet, fragrant curry.

At last! At last! After three weeks of obsessing about how to produce a completely whole-foods plant-based passanda, I have finally cracked it! No animal products, no refined ingredients, no salt, no sugar and no added oil...just beautiful healthy veg, pulses, nuts and spices.

For those who use the Dr G point system, it's a 7!

Mushrooms cooked in the right way can seem quite 'meaty' - so this recipe should be of comfort to anyone trying to reduce their red meat consumption who still wants a rich casserole on a cold day.

This is a great introductory curry for any plant-based (or omni!) eaters that are new to cooking spices. The recipe is completely WFPB compliant. It's not the quickest recipe, but it's not particularly labour-intensive either - it just takes quite a while simmering to get the rich flavours.