This is a feast that creates an interactive space with food. It allows you to share what you have created and gives those who you share it with an immersive food experience by assembling their own meal. Encourage them to take a deep breath and the time to assemble a beautiful plate. We eat with our eyes first and creating a meal that is visually appealing can not only create excitement, but ultimately leads to deeper satisfaction. As always, the energy you put into your meal when cooking and assembling it is the energy which you will consume.
Quick and easy tofu kebabs
These are a beautiful contribution to that dinner party that you’re going to, and can wow with the beautiful colours while still being minimal effort to create. Most vegetables can be used as a substitute if there’s something you don’t like so if I encourage you to explore the vast array of vegetables available at the supermarket to switch out between the tofu. Be sure to buy a firm tofu for this recipe, as you’re going to grill it and don’t want it to fall apart. Every time you make a decision to eat more vegetables, not only to you naturally crowd out junk food, but you decide to nourish your body with the wide variety of macro and micro nutrients.
Ingredients:
4 sprigs fresh rosemary leaves
1 red pepper, seeded and cut into bite-size chunks
1 yellow pepper, seeded and cut into bite-size chunks
300 g cherry tomatoes
2 large courgettes, cut into 2 cm chunks
1 red onion, quartered and layers separated
200 g firm tofu, cut into bite-size cubes
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup (100%)
1/4 teaspoon chilli flakes
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
2 cloves garlic, crushed
salt and pepper
Instructions:
Heat a grill pan over medium heat until it is hot. Tie the rosemary sprigs together with string to make a basting brush. Set aside. You can also cook this recipe over a braai or bake it in the oven for 20 minutes at 200 °C.
While the grill pan heats up, thread the vegetables and tofu onto skewers, alternating the different ingredients and packing the vegetables tightly together.
Place the turmeric, honey, chilli, coconut oil and garlic into a small bowl and mix well. Place the skewers into the grill pan. Using the basting brush made with the sprigs of rosemary, dunk the brush into the oil and lightly brush the vegetables every 5 minutes until evenly coated. Cook them for 20 minutes, rotating every time you brush them.
Once the vegetables are cooked and have some grill marks on them, season with salt and pepper and serve.
-Melissa
for baby, roasted butternut and almond butter
Balinese Gado Gado
This dish was inspired by my love of and travels to Bali. This is my take on a very traditional dish and the fun part is that you can change things up when it comes to the vegetables. There is so much wisdom in traditional culture and I hope to honour tradition in some small way through recipes like this. Western culture often considers Eastern medicine and culture as ‘woo woo’ medicine. The truth is wisdom that has been passed down is centuries older than Western medicine and if we just take the time to learn, we can heal.
Matcha and turmeric smoothie
Matcha is made from green tea and comes in powder form. It is naturally high in antioxidants and can boost brain function because it contains L-theanine, which also supports sleep. Matcha also relieves stomach pain and supports digestion. With matcha being naturally high in caffeine, it is something that I include in my mornings and avoid in the evening.