Simpson - Detox Kitchen Vegetables

Contents Joyfulness and good health First and foremost, I want to clarify that this book is not just for vegetarians. It is a book about vegetables, to show how versatile and delicious they can be. In 2012 I launched Detox Kitchen, a food business with natural ingredients at its core. Since then, I have had the pleasure of creating and sharing hundreds of vegetable-based dishes with thousands of customers and have seen first-hand how moving towards a diet that is abundant in good-quality, predominantly plant-based foods can have a truly beneficial impact on your health and well-being. Over the years I have also mastered the art of cooking without wheat, dairy or refined sugar. While these are not necessarily foods that we all should avoid or completely eliminate I believe that there is a place for every type of food in a well-balanced diet I do think that we tend to over-consume them.

Through the recipes in this book, I hope to show you how easy it can be to eat in a more balanced way. At home and at work I want to create food that makes you feel good and that makes you feel nurtured; I also want to celebrate the fact that we are able to enjoy three meals a day. From breakfast-time, sitting on the rug with my kids a hot cup of tea carefully placed out of their reach to the dinner I rush home to prepare (at home even chefs have to wing it sometimes!), it all culminates in total calmness once I am settled at the table with the people I love most. My way of cooking and eating is guided by two clear principles: everyday joyfulness and good health. When both of them are in balance youll find that youre enjoying a nutritious diet that can make you feel truly happy. Cooking with vegetables The food that we put into our bodies has a huge effect on our overall health and well-being.

Ultimately, we all know that fresh, real food is much better for us than food that has been over-sprayed with chemicals and industrially processed. Eating well can be very easy and inexpensive as well as entirely delicious. Enjoying an abundance of vegetables will ensure that you consume a wide variety of the nutrients that play such an important role in your bodys health. This is because vegetables contain a huge array of essential vitamins and minerals. When I started to write this book I was not a vegetarian. I was raised in a meat-eating household where no main meal was complete if chicken, lamb, beef or pork didnt feature.

But over the past few years, because of a growing concern for animal welfare and the environmental impact of rearing animals for meat, I have taken the personal decision that I dont want to make the problem worse and would stop eating meat. I believe that anyone can cook their way to a delicious diet by eating less meat generally, even without becoming a full-time vegetarian. The thirty-three vegetables in this book are the ones that are always in my kitchen, that I like to grow in my garden and that I look forward to when they are about to come into season. But what is a vegetable, when you get right down to it? The general rule, botanically speaking, is that an edible plant is a fruit if it has seeds; if it is seedless, then it is a vegetable. The culinary classifications, however, sometimes differ. I have followed the basic principle that if you use something like a vegetable, then thats what it is so tomato, cucumber and squash, for example, have made the cut.

I have snuck rhubarb in because technically it is a vegetable that just happens to be treated like a fruit. In this book youll see that the only frozen vegetables I use are peas, broad beans and sweetcorn. These often contain as many nutrients as freshly picked peas, broad beans or sweetcorn as they will have been prepared and frozen within a few hours of being harvested. As a general rule, however, fresh vegetables in season have the best flavour and texture, and are likely to be the most nutritious. Stocking your larder Today we are lucky enough to have a fabulous variety of vegetables to cook with, from beautifully coloured heirloom tomatoes and heritage carrots to knobbly little Jerusalem artichokes, architectural Romanesco cauliflowers and perfect podded peas. With this cornucopia comes a great opportunity to play with flavours and textures.

By pairing vegetables with carefully chosen grains, herbs and spices, I hope to encourage you in a bolder approach to cooking with them. My recipes can be adapted and developed to suit your own palate (and store cupboard or fridge contents). If you dont have all the ingredients for a recipe, dont be afraid to experiment and throw other things in you might end up creating a new dish! Herbs Finding confidence in your herb selection will open up wonderful ways of cooking vegetables. Pairing a vegetable with its perfect herb can transform its flavour. Below I have listed my most used herbs and indicated how best to cook with them, but my advice is simply to experiment and work out the flavour combinations you prefer. Coriander You either love it or hate it.

For me, the complex flavour of coriander fresh and citrussy with nutty notes can really bring a dish to life. Used widely in Asian and South American cuisine, the leaves of this herb work well in fresh, crunchy salads, as well as to garnish curries, soups and stews. Using the stalks in curries will add a deep, floral flavour. Dill This delicate, feathery leaf adds a light aniseed flavour to salads, soups and stews. Its fragrant taste is similar to fresh coriander, with a sweet undertone. Dill is best used as a finishing touch or garnish, as the flavour decreases when cooked.

Parsley Parsley is the hardiest soft-leaved herb, so can be cooked in a dish for a long period or added raw as a garnish. When cooked, it develops a woody, savoury flavour, which is why it works so well in stocks and stews. Widely used in Middle Eastern cooking, parsley adds a grassy, fresh flavour to contrast deep, smoky notes of other ingredients. I prefer flat-leaf parsley for its more robust taste. Basil Basil is found in many cuisines but it is most frequently used in Mediterranean cooking, in particular Italian. This sweet, strongly aromatic, soft-leaved herb is the perfect garnish for tomato salads; it is delicious as the base of a pesto, and it will bring many classic pasta dishes to life.

Chives Chives will give a fresh, oniony kick to any dish, and can always be on hand if you grow a pot of them on a windowsill. This herb is particularly good in dressings, where it adds a subtle savoury flavour and a flash of bright green colour. Mint I use mint often in salads, especially one that will accompany a spicy dish. I love the combination of mint and coriander they complement each other to give a complex, lingering flavour. I also love fresh mint tea and have a cup every day, which means that mint is always in my fridge or growing on the windowsill. Rosemary Rosemary is a hardy herb that works amazingly well with root vegetables.

Its easy to grow and should take up residence in every garden. Its best to cook this herb, as the sweet, nutty, floral notes will develop more and the texture of the rosemary spikes will become softer and more palatable. Thyme With its pungent aroma and flavour, thyme is perfect for slow-cooked dishes. It works well in savoury recipes and, teamed with citrus flavours, it creates an aromatic Middle Eastern twist. Spices When cooking vegetables, a bit of spice can open up a new world of exciting flavours and aromas. The following are my favourite spices, always on hand in my store cupboard.