Mills - Natural Feasts

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Also by Ella Mills

Deliciously Ella: 100+ Easy, Healthy, and Delicious Plant-Based, Gluten-Free Recipes

Deliciously Ella Every Day: Quick and Easy Recipes for Gluten-Free Snacks, Packed Lunches, and Simple Meals

This book, like everything I do, is for my readers. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share health and happiness with you every day. Your love of my recipes inspires me more than I can say.

Its also for my husband, Matthew, and our amazing team at Deliciously Ella and the delis; without their love and support, none of this would be possible.

FOREWORD

I never expected my blog, Deliciously Ella , to grow into the community it is now. As many of you know, my journey started back in 2011 after I was diagnosed with an illness called Postural Tachycardia Syndrome. It had a pretty devastating effect on my life, both mentally and physically. I started reading all I could find about the link between diet and lifestyle, and the way they can help manage illnesses. I was incredibly inspired by what I was learning and decided to change my life by adopting a whole-foods, plant-based diet and removing most processed foods from my meals.

Slowly but surely, I began to regain control of my symptoms. It took me about two years, but eventually I came off my medication, and Ive been working on stabilizing the condition ever since. I have recurrences every now and again, but Im now able to live the life that I want to and no longer feel held back by this chronic illness. Its been a challenging but incredibly empowering process. I never thought Id be a businesswoman or an entrepreneur, but over the last few years my husband, Matthew, and I have spent all of our waking time creating a company in London that is passionate about natural food, the environment and social responsibility. Our passion is to change the conversation and perception around natural food.

Deliciously Ella has always served two purposesinspiring me to learn to cook and giving me a positive outlet, both of which hugely helped me to become the person I am today. Sharing what I was learning was my way of turning a negative into a positive and its been truly amazing to see so many people enjoy the recipes. More than anything Ive wanted to use this space to show how easy it is to create beautiful, nourishing and, most important, delicious meals from simple, natural ingredients.

As the community grew, so did my following in the United Statesa country I count as one of my major sources of inspiration. I spent a few months living in Venice Beach in 2014 and was incredibly energized by the food scene there. Its influenced so much of what Matt and I have done so farwith our delis in London, with the cookbooks and the appand Im really excited to start spending more time in the US and to get to know you all!

INTRODUCTION

Over the last few years healthy eating has really grown in popularity, which has been wonderful to watch! Its given me such a thrill to see people realize how good they feel when they eat foods that nourish their bodies. The best part of it all, though, is that everyones started to see how incredibly delicious healthy living can be. The stereotype that its all about lettuce and cucumber is vanishing and is being replaced with dreamy visions of blueberry pancake stacks with caramelized banana bites and crunchy cacao and almond butter, bowls of creamy sweet potato noodles with satay sauce, mango and mushroom ceviche and chocolate orange tart.

So many of my readers say that they love eating whole foods and incorporating plant-based meals into their routine... but that their husbands, wives, children, friends and colleagues are more skeptical and, as a result, theyre not particularly open-minded about trying new, veggie-laden dishes. Lots of people also struggle to know what to cook and how to put menus together when theyre entertaining, especially when theyre new to this way of eating. When I first started eating a plant-based diet, I found it hard to know which dishes would complement each other best. I got it really wrong a few times with my friends and Im pretty sure they left the table thinking I was a bit mad! The good news is that this book is designed to solve both these issues.

Each chapter is focused on delicious meals. Ive got your mornings covered with brunches and breakfasts, followed by lighter meals that work well on the go; big healthy feasts and celebration menus; essential side dishes, party staples and, of course, everyones favoritedesserts. Ive also given meal suggestions that cater to your every sociable need: think brunch for the girls, or a grab-and-go breakfast, pantry saviors, delights for your desk, cold-weather comforters, Mexican fiestas and even dishessuch as a knockout Sunday lunchdesigned to impress the skeptics in your life! So once youve worked your way through the book youll feel inspired, knowing exactly how to put Deliciously Ellastyle meals together in a way that persuades your friends and family to try some healthy versions of their favorites. Plus, youll get to cook more than one hundred delicious new recipes. Well be making so many lovely things, from peanut butter and jelly cake to quesadillas stuffed with garlicky beans, cashew sour cream, salsa and guacamole; almond butter rocky roads; pea, zucchini and coconut risotto; chickpea chili with baked sweet potatoes; and chocolate peanut butter pie! Get ready: this is a seriously tasty book.

Well start with my favorite breakfast and brunch recipes: think on-the-go menus with crumbly blueberry squares, roasted almond butter bars and honey and lemon breakfast bars. Or awesome savory brunches with stacks of sweet potato rsti piled high with maple and rosemary butter beans and spread with a thick layer of herby guacamole. Were also having toasted buckwheat and coconut granola with zesty mango and pineapple bowls and passion fruit yogurt, as well as baked garlicky tomatoes, scrambled turmeric and red pepper tofu and thyme fried mushrooms. Theres a great range of options, from easy dishes you can throw together to help rushed mornings when youre time poor, to fancy brunches to share on lazy weekends.

Well then go through some fantastic lighter recipes that work well for quick weekday suppers, as well as portable lunches. Well look at fresh bites like mango and mushroom ceviche and sushi rolls filled with cauliflower rice, sesame and avocado; after-work catch-up menus of spiced potato cakes with garlicky tomato sauce and green beans; and perfect picnics with charred coconut corn and vibrant salads filled with mango, pepper, cucumber and a peanut dressing. This chapter is full of my go-to meals, quick and easy, but still so delicious! The chile and ginger pho, sesame slaw, pistachio and apricot quinoa and sesame and maple summer rolls are real favorites here. I make these for Matt and me during the week when were at home, or when I have a couple of girlfriends coming over for weekday supper.