Chilled Beetroot Soup
I have been getting the most amazing organically-grown beetroots through my food co-op lately, and they – along with Sydney’s sweltering weather – inspired the creation of this chilled soup. It’s perfect for either lunch or dinner. Ingredients: 1/2 cup roughly chopped celery 1/2 cup roughly chopped carrot 2 cups water 1 onion, peeled 2…
Why do we do things we know are bad for us?
Why do we humans do things that we know are bad for us, like smoking, eating junk food, and drinking alcohol to excess? It’s a simple enough question, but for millennia it’s occupied the minds of philosophers, researchers, public health officials, psychologists, writers… and of course, countless people who are frustrated with their inability…
Pinto Bean and Corn Salad
A bumper crop of basil from our garden, a batch of pinto beans that I bulk-cooked in the pressure cooker, and Sydney’s heat wave inspired this delicious salad, which makes a perfect lunch or dinner when served on a bed of greens. Ingredients: 2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels 1 1/2 cups cooked, drained…
Drugs vs food
You’ve probably heard the saying, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” that’s attributed to the Greek physician Hippocrates, who is often called the father of medicine. But have you ever thought about what it really means? A couple of articles I read this week caused me to reflect more deeply…
Beetroot, Chickpea and Coriander Burgers
Have I mentioned that I love burgers? I honestly don’t think it’s possible to have too many plant-based burger recipes! This one emerged out of some fresh beetroot that needed to be used up, and a pressure cooker full of chick peas. Ingredients: 4 medium beetroot, peeled and diced 1/2 cup aquafaba (liquid from cooking…
Which ‘you’ are you changing for?
It’s a truism that you should never try to change yourself to please somebody else. People who attempt to quit smoking, lose weight or get off drugs or alcohol because a loved one told them to, rarely stay quit, slim or sober… assuming they made any attempt to change in the first place. The…
Asian Eggplant, Beanshoot and Mushroom Stir-Fry
I used spirulina noodles for this recipe, but any thin noodle will work well. Ingredients: 1 onion, peeled and diced 500 g Japanese eggplant, trimmed and cut into 5 mm rounds 1 carrot, scrubbed and cut into matchsticks 300 g green beans, topped and tailed 300 g mushrooms, sliced (I used a mixture of button…
Crossword puzzles or pumping iron – what’s best for maintaining your marbles?
and Dementia. We all make jokes about it: grey nomads put ‘Adventure Before Dementia’ stickers on the back of their Winnebagos; middle-aged people ascribe forgetting a familiar name or fact to ‘having a senior moment’; and the ‘silly old bugger’ character is a standard fixture of TV shows and movies. But if you’ve…
Are you health-minded or orthorexic?
As so often happens in my practice, in the last week or so the same topic of concern has arisen in conversation with several of my clients: “How can I tell if I’ve crossed the line between a rational, healthy level of interest in my own well-being, and an unhealthy obsession with eating ‘right’…
Vegan Spanakopita
My high school boyfriend was Greek, and his mother made the most delectable Spanakopita (spinach and cheese pie) ever. After I went vegan, I assumed Spanakopita was a lost pleasure. Luckily for me, it is not so – this vegan version uses almond ‘feta’ in place of the usual goat’s or sheep’s milk feta. The…