May - Raw Organic Goodness : 100 recipes, 100% raw and plant based for everyone who loves food

First published in the USA in 2015 by

Fair Winds Press, a member of

Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc.

100 Cummings Center

Suite 406-L

Beverly, MA 01915-6101

www.fairwindspress.com

Visit www.QuarrySPOON.com and help us celebrate food and culture one spoonful at a time!

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

Digital edition: 978-1-62788-716-8

Softcover edition: 978-1-59233-708-8

Digital edition published in 2015

The information in this book is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to replace the advice of a physician or medical practitioner. Please see your health care provider before beginning any new health program.

First published in 2014 by Beatnik Publishing

Revised and reprint in 2014 by Beatnik Publishing

Text: copyright Megan May & Little Bird 2014

Design, Typesetting & Cover Design: copyright Beatnik & Little Bird 2014

Art Direction & Cover Design: Jeremy Bennett

Design: Kitki Tong

Photographs: copyright Lottie Hedley 2014

with exception of pages Patrick Reynolds 2014

Recipe Development, Food Styling & Testing: Nicole Majsa, Lucia Plowman, Maria Fernandez Salom, Carter Were, Harriet Were

Chefs & Bakers: Megan May, Xander Cameron, Rejina Yoon

100 recipes, 100% raw and plant based, for evryone who loves food

MEGAN MAY

photography lottie hedley

This is a celebration of organic, raw, plant-based food; a collection of recipes that reflects a lifelong love affair with creating and sharing food for wellbeing and pure pleasure.

Packaging it up into one perfect bundle of recipes was no mean feat. This is a treasure chest of recipes from home, from our little bird unbakery and cafs, and from our talented chefs. I wanted to make the recipes accessible to anyone beginning to experiment with raw foods, while still revealing how varied and truly delicious they can be.

While these recipes are 100 percent raw and plant-based, this book is not designed for only those on a purely, or even predominantly, raw diet. Few people would argue that eating more fresh fruits and veggies is not a good thing. These recipes are to inspire you to get creative with raw, plant-based goodness how far you want to take it is entirely up to you.

I grew up in Waimauku, West Auckland, on an organic market garden and small farm, surrounded by an abundance of beautiful food. It was heaven what kid doesnt love eating fresh strawberries and sugar snap peas straight from the vine? Looking back I realize how lucky I was to learn from the outset that the freshest, most fragrant and amazing food comes from the ground and not from a tin or a box.

But food wasnt just an early passion it was a poison too. At the age of six I was diagnosed with allergies to gluten, dairy and sugar an unfortunate predicament for a child in 1980s New Zealand. Per capita, this country is one of the largest producers of dairy products in the world if you couldnt eat cereal drowned in milk, a cheese sandwich or hokey pokey ice cream, what could you eat?

As a six-year-old, I preferred to suffer from tummy aches and endless colds than eat a special diet, so when Mum wasnt looking I rebelled. (Sorry Mum!) This meant I was often unwell, but at least my sneaky pleasures were somewhat balanced by all the fresh produce I was enjoying.

And we didnt just eat the best of fruit and veggies. My mum and grandmother made everything from scratch; there were no sauces from tins or packets of pastry. We made butter from fresh cow milk, eggs came from chickens and meat from our own animals. Id try any food and I was lucky to be able to indulge my curiosity. My father helped farmers in Third World countries receive organic certification so they could negotiate better trade prices (in fact, my parents still do this), so we would often have people from exotic cultures staying at our house, sharing their different perspectives on cooking and ingredients.

Ive been making food since I was big enough to stand on a stool. Baking was always a favorite activity. We were independent children who prepared our own lunches and, as I grew older, I started making the family dinners. Even in my flatting years, I carried on making everything from scratch using organic ingredients.

It was then when Id left home to study environmental sciences at university that I realized mine was not an ordinary passion for food. My peers werent making gluten-free pizza bases or whipping up their own sauces. Nor were they spending their student loans at organic and gourmet food stores.

Still, sometimes it takes a while to recognize your passion even when its staring you in the face. I was 24 and working in the planning department of the Auckland City Council when I realized I was far more excited to win the office baking competition than I was about anything else at work. I decided to turn my back on my chosen career and take the plunge into a different one. I resigned nervously and went to work for minimum wage as a commis (junior) chef at Herons Flight Matakana vineyard.

Being in a kitchen, creating food and learning from professionals felt exhilarating and right. Keen to prove myself, I embraced the lifestyle of high stress and long shifts. I also ate the food everyone else in the kitchen was eating regardless of my allergies. Needless to say I soon became exhausted and unwell.

I took a couple of weeks off work thinking I just needed a break. Those two weeks would turn into almost three years. I had done such a swell job of depleting my body that one thing after another simply stopped functioning.

At around this time my partner Jeremy and I moved to London. I was already in a bad way physically but, being in my mid-20s, was determined to ignore that and try to cut it as a chef in London. Unfortunately it was there that I realized the extent of my ill health. I had, in no particular order, malignant melanomas, the bone density of a 60-year-old, hormone imbalances (or just no production of them), adrenal fatigue, parasitic infections and depression.

Getting well was a gradual and often frustrating process. Every step forward seemed to result in two steps back. I was incredibly lucky to have Jeremy who stood by me and supported me, while I had only enough energy to work part-time. The rest of my hours were spent visiting an array of medical professionals and alternative specialists. All of these believed they knew what was wrong with me, but each was focused on only one aspect, when my whole physical ecosystem was clearly a mess. I was spending thousands on specialist tests that invariably made the story more complex and sent me down yet another garden path. I was despondent, depressed and had large parasites coming out of my body of their own accord. That was the final straw. I decided Id had enough of other people telling me what was happening in my body. I was in a very rough place, about as low as I could get, but the decision to take my health into my own hands felt good. I knew the only person who could fix me was me.