Graham - Super Natural - Over 130 Plant-Based Recipes

Also, Luisa, besides bringing all of my recipes to life so beautifully, thank you for being such a special friend in food. You are a treasure. Ania, you are sunshine in our lives. Thank you for being utterly wonderful. To Peter and Precious Bhasa, thank you for your generosity, patience, kindness and endless smiles. Pete, thank you for so many hours spent in the kitchen testing recipes with me.

We couldnt do this without you both. And to some of my friends who were recipe testers (again!), youre scattered around the world and are precious in so many different ways your input is invaluable. A sung-from-the-rooftops and very sincere thank you to Lucy Bell; Pamela Berry; Kimbo Brown-Schirato; Debbie Buchner; Kim Coetzee; my dearest and endlessly generous and kind and clever Mum, Wendy Conolly; Tracy Dane; Tam Paterson; Carmen de Villiers; Caryn Edwards; Luce Eve; Caro Gooding; Jenna Hutchings; Ang Isbister; Mandy Liddle; Meg Massingham; Trudi Naylor; Justine Passaportis; Angela Ridge; Shelley Steyn; Louise Schookwinkel; Ruth Tanser; Niks Timmerman; Ania Utton; Claire Van Tonder and Elle Velacott; Nix Wood Sarah Graham First published in 2020 by Struik Lifestyle (an imprint of Penguin Random House South Africa (Pty) Ltd) Company Reg. No. 1953/000441/07 The Estuaries, 4 Oxbow Crescent, Century Avenue, Century City, 7441 P O Box 1144, Cape Town 8000, South Africa Copyright in published edition: Penguin Random House South Africa (Pty) Ltd 2020 Copyright in text: Sarah Graham 2020 Copyright in photographs: Penguin Random House South Africa (Pty) Ltd 2020 ISBN 978-1-43231-051-6 All rights reserved. Publisher: Beverley Dodd Managing editor: Cecilia Barfield Designers: Marcus Viljoen and Helen Henn Photographer: Henk Hattingh Stylist: Luisa Farelo Proofreader and indexer: Linda de Villiers CONTENTS HELLO AGAIN! I FEEL RIDICULOUSLY LUCKY TO BE BACK HERE, WITH ANOTHER BOOK. Publisher: Beverley Dodd Managing editor: Cecilia Barfield Designers: Marcus Viljoen and Helen Henn Photographer: Henk Hattingh Stylist: Luisa Farelo Proofreader and indexer: Linda de Villiers CONTENTS HELLO AGAIN! I FEEL RIDICULOUSLY LUCKY TO BE BACK HERE, WITH ANOTHER BOOK.

AND THATS MOSTLY THANKS TO YOU ALL FOR BEING PART OF THE STORY. This book is a celebration of vegetables (and their humble friends: fruit, whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes and pulses). I loved every minute of writing it and being inspired by how miraculous and wonderful the bounty of nature really is. Following on from my previous book, Wholesome, I hope that this will be a companion in the kitchen for eating more close-to-the-earth and carefully grown, seasonal plant-based food thats full of goodness and which nourishes our bodies and minds. Having travelled my own healthy eating journey over the last few years, Ive realised that vegetables are the real unsung heroes of our kitchens, and its been a joy to create recipes that celebrate their diversity, as well as their ability to nourish us. I grew up on a farm, eating mostly simple food that was full of goodness and grown in the back garden or just down the road.

Our milk and meat were pretty much organic by default, and I had no idea how spoilt I was. We ate a lot of meat (good meat), and I definitely never pictured myself writing a cookbook all about veggies. There are countless reasons why we should be eating a little less meat and a lot more veggies, both for our own health and that of the planet, and as Im exploring this way of eating more and more with my family, I know that my body definitely prefers it. And although my diet isnt exclusively plant based, Im edging closer all the time, so you could call this the flexitarians guide to vegetarianism, if you like. Whichever way you look at it, Michael Pollan, one of my favourite food thinkers and writers, says it perfectly simply: Eat food. Not too much.

Mostly plants. Here are a few thoughts on how to make the most of this book, how to eat more veggies, and get more goodness out of life one step at a time. 1. PLAN AHEAD Map out a week or two of recipes, and shop accordingly. Try shopping just once a week this saves so much time and money, I promise. 2. STOCK YOUR PANTRY If you have the essentials, youre that much closer to a quick, fuss-free, healthy, home-cooked meal.

Also, buying basics such as grains, pulses, seeds and nuts in bulk sets you up for success and is also kinder on your wallet. 3. KITCHEN KIT Simple gear like a good food processor and blender, a simple hand mixer, really sharp knives and a few quality pots and non-stick pans will all definitely up your efficiency and reduce effort. Start a birthday list so that family and friends can help you along if thats the easiest way to get your hands on them. 4. COOK ONCE, EAT TWICE Take a little time out once a week to stock your fridge a few examples are batch-making breakfasts and smoothies to eat on the go.

I also like to have cooked staples such as quinoa and brown rice, and good pasta in the fridge for speedy lunches and evening meals. See more tips on this under Bounty Bowls (). A cup of quinoa can be used for a trout and avocado salad or a beetroot and feta salad, and then as a base for a simple curry. Cook once, eat two or three times. Dont be afraid of your freezer. 5. 5.

EAT SEASONALLY This sounds obvious, but food thats in season is more nutritious and delicious, and shopping with this in mind will really keep your food budget down. 6. EAT WHOLE FOODS Food that is unprocessed, unrefined, as close to its natural state as possible and carefully produced:Dairy I do use dairy in this book, and while its slightly more expensive, I cant over-stress the importance of it being carefully sourced (preferably organic). Sugar An excess of processed sugars can have a devastating effect on health and wellbeing (I covered this in more detail in my previous book, Wholesome). As far as possible in this book, Ive used unrefined sugars such as coconut sugar, maple syrup and honey, but even these should be used in moderation. Grains I cook and eat grains that are unrefined and as close to their natural state as possible.

This means that our bodies have to work harder to process them, which in turns means their sugars are released more slowly into our systems. Where I use wheat flour, I opt for organic, stone-ground flour, which is kinder to our digestive system, not that much more expensive and now widely available. Fats and oils Fat has been villified for so many years, and theres a lot of confusion surrounding good and bad fats so its worth doing a little reading and research. I love to incorporate beautiful, healthy, natural fats into my food, and can definitely see and feel the benefits. These fats are highly nutritious and full of slow-releasing energy, but obviously need to be eaten in moderation. I use a lot of avocado, coconut oil and milk, nuts and nut butters, seeds, good-quality cold pressed extra virgin olive oil.