Cooking Healthy
Over 75 Easy & Delicious Plant Focused Recipes For Everyday
Elaina Moon, BS, ACE Certified Health Coach and Weight Management Specialist
Cooking Healthy: Over 75 Easy & Delicious Plant Focused Recipes For Everyday
by
Elaina Moon, BS, ACE Certified Health Coach and Weight Management Specialist
Version 1.0 May 2021
Published by Elaina Moon
Copyright 2021 by Elaina Moon
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional services. If legal advice or other professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.
No responsibility or liability is assumed by the Publisher for any injury, damage or financial loss sustained to persons or property from the use of this information, personal or otherwise, either directly or indirectly. While every effort has been made to ensure reliability and accuracy of the information within, all liability, negligence or otherwise, from any use, misuse or abuse of the operation of any methods, strategies, instructions or ideas contained in the material herein, is the sole responsibility of the reader.
All information is generalized, presented for informational purposes only and presented "as is" without warranty or guarantee of any kind.
I will always remember meeting Elaina Moon for the very first time. Her kind smile and beautiful curls were nothing compared to the way she confidently navigated around the kitchen. A self-taught chef, she moves intuitively between bubbling pans and the cutting board, chopping and stirring, chatting and laughing, making everything she does look downright effortless.
Our shared love of cooking and eating was an instant connection and made us fast friends. I count myself lucky to know Elaina as a friend but also to have learned so much from her vast wealth of knowledge when it comes to embracing a plant-forward diet.
You know that friend who can see the last of the veggies in your refrigerator and somehow turn it into something not only healthy but delicious? Thats Elaina. She is also the one who can take any food-allergy or health-related restrictions and create a meal around it so darn delicious you would never know it might be missing something. In reality, it was never missing anything.
Elainas love of two things come together in this book her total delight in great food and complete commitment to offer allergy-friendly, healthy, plant-based food anyone can enjoy. Shes spent nearly a decade cooking, experimenting and helping people find better health through food. And all that wealth of experience and expertise is poured into these gorgeous pages.
Elainas book is just like her bright, fun, adventurous and deeply thoughtful. The recipes youll find on these pages are not only tasty and gorgeous but healthy and full of the good-for-you nutrients our bodies desperately crave. Youll find recipes that inspire, nourish and encourage you to fill your plate with plants and never look back.
I cant wait to cook my way through this amazing new book, knowing Elainas wisdom is right here for me every step of the way. Its sure to become as beloved to your family as it is to me.
Andrea McCoy, Cooking Instructor and Writer
thesaltandstone.com
Why this book came to be.
When I first started teaching cooking classes back in 2015, the guiding principle for how I taught was very simple: load your plate with whole plant-based foods and keep everything else as the garnish or a side dish. Its how we should be eating! In order to get everything we need from our food daily, whole plant-based foods have to be the foundation that we build our plates on. These include: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices. The healthiest foods in the world are plants so why not load up on them everyday!
Teaching classes in a smaller city was a fun challenge. However, I quickly realized how great a need there was for education on how to use plant-based foods in everyday cooking. I also found that people needed to be shown how to elevate simple, healthy ingredients to make them taste amazing.
What I love the most about these recipes is that they take the guess work out of what it means to eat healthy. Yes, there are some decadent recipes in this book like the but most of the dishes are a healthier modified version of a traditional recipe. When you reach around the table to fill your plate, make sure that 75% of it is whole plant-based foods. The other 25% is everything else in the meal. This concept is so simple and a great way to teach your whole family about healthy eating.
I hope you love creating these recipes and putting your own special touch to each one. This book was always intended to be a stepping stone to healthier eating. Never complicated, sometimes warm and comforting, and always delicious; these recipes will become some of your new favorites. I hope you enjoy cooking these recipes with your family as much as I have enjoyed creating them for all of you.
Health and Blessings,
Elaina Moon, BS, ACE Certified Health Coach and Weight Management Specialist
Owner Healthy Eats Nutrition Services and Cooking Classroom
Before you start cooking up all these delicious recipes at home, check out my go-to cooking tips below. I teach these techniques to my students in my culinary classroom and they will help you be more organized in the kitchen too.
1. Read the recipe first.
Its good to familiarize yourself with the recipe first before you start cooking. In my recipes, I give you some prep to do in the ingredient list before the actual cooking instructions start. By completing the prep work before the cooking starts, I find that people are calmer in the kitchen and enjoy the experience more when they are organized.
2. Mise en Place: everything in its place.
It is so important to prep your ingredients and your workspace before you start cooking. Get everything cleaned up and your station ready to cook. This includes washing, chopping, and prepping your produce, opening cans, measuring spices, and laying out all the tools youll need for cooking the recipe. Once everything is prepped and you have read the recipe, then start cooking!
3. Have a garbage bowl or bag near your station.
Most of the time I have an extra produce bag or disposable container left over from prepping my ingredients. Utilize one of those or a big mixing bowl near your station to use for collecting trash. This will help minimize movement in the kitchen.
4. Chopping is a matter of cutting in one direction and then the other way.
I like to think of knife cuts as a grid. The closer the cuts are together, the smaller the chop or dice. Cut vegetables, fruits and proteins in strips first, then turn and cut the other way just like a grid. This is a more effective way to prep and its going to save you lots of time. Check out this video for more instruction.
