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.

It's hard to believe that these biscotti are completely whole-food plant-based.  They are sweet and can be quite firm for dipping.  If you want to make them harder, just allow them to cool and bake them a second time (hence the name biscotti - twice cooked).

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.

A fibre-rich smoothie suitable for any time of the day and a wonderful way to incorporate more oats in your diet.  It just takes 2 minutes in the evening to put the ingredients together in a glass and place in the fridge to soak and then 3 minutes the next day to make into a smoothie using a stick-blender.  If your glass is wide and strong enough, you can even blend it right there in the glass to avoid any washing up!

Due to me having a back injury, my eight year old son has taken on a large part of the cooking in our household.  Together we're creating new recipes that he is able to do fairly quickly.  We wanted to create an easy plant-based flapjack recipe that didn't require any special equipment.  

Back in the summer this year my son requested a WFPB birthday cake, so I created a chocolate cake based on a brownie recipe. The main ingredient? Sweet potato.

It’s not that easy to get sweet potatoes into our family’s diet, but with the equivalent of half a potato in each portion of this brownie, it’s a winner all round. There are no complaints about eating them this way. Whatsoever. From anyone.
 

But…why the obsession with sweet potatoes? Well, for a start in Okinawa, known to be a ‘Blue Zone’ due to the longevity of its population, sweet potatoes used to make up 69% of calories consumed. The life and health expectancy were amazing - unfortunately it’s changing there at the moment and statistics are proving that the old ways were the best for the Okinawans - before the fast food places were introduced.

A lot of research has been done on sweet potatoes and their benefits - including slowing down the spread of cancer cells. They are really high in anti-oxidants and represent fantastic value for money.

My original recipe contained nuts, but as not everyone can have nuts I decided to experiment and see if it tasted as good if I substituted the almonds with sunflowers: success. It tastes amazing. Must go and get another slice!

One slice (about a 10th of the brownie) provides (based on the requirements for a small woman):

23% of daily fibre requirement
12% of protein
11% of iron
9% of vitamin C
13% of zinc
…lots more, including a massive dose of vitamin A

Salad is wonderful - all that lovely raw food!  We particularly enjoy shredding red cabbage into ours.  However, when you're avoiding oily dressings, a salad can leave you hungry again too quickly.  It was with this dilemma in mind that we created this garlicky, creamy pesto style dip.

Why is it called lucky muesli?  Well, everytime we eat something so beautiful and so healthy and delicious, we are very lucky indeed.  It's a filling, nourishing breakfast - and the true beauty of it is that you can customise it to how you like it.