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7) Organic
Whenever you can, eat organic! Organic vegetables, fruits and other foods are grown in a slow natural way with less chemicals, fertilizers, pesticides and hormones. They are richer in vitamins, minerals and nutritional values in comparison to non-organic vegetables. So in a way it is more efficient to eat organic as it is much more nourishing.
I must say that after so many years of cooking with organic vegetables and ingredients I can really feel the difference in the taste and the energy levels when I eat non-organic vegetables.
8) Green Vegetables
Whatever diet you are following, don’t be shy to use green vegetables in a meal. Leafy green vegetables. Broccoli, chinese cabbage, pointed cabbage, pak choi, rucola, parsley, spring onion, coriander, basil, lettuce, spinach, swiss chard, kale, savoy cabbage, mustard greens, watercress to name a few.
Leafy greens are extremely rich in minerals and vitamins and have a very strong alkaline and anti-oxidizing effect on the intestines and blood. Greens bring balance to every meal, and have always been part of human diet and nutrition, again, whatever system you are following.
Whatever diet you are following, I almost always see that people don’t eat enough greens. Don’t be shy- use greens in your cooking. There’s never too much.
A year ago, I was working in Orval, Belgium with natural gourmet chef Kevin Storms. I was surprised how in every meal that Kevin cooked he used at least 4 kinds of greens. I was so inspired by it.
9) Color
Don’t be shy to make your plate colorful and nice. One of the nicest things you can do is to go once a week to the organic vegetable market and to choose absolutely the most beautiful and colorful vegetables, to come back home and to make a beautiful meal with all these colors, like a painter, like an artist.
Different colors correspond with different energies and different nutrients. Make your meals and plates colorful and you will notice the effect on your health.
Come on, go for it! Make it colorful! Don’t be shy!!!
10) Delicious
Don’t be shy to cook tasty, attractive, delicious food from scratch. Sometimes I have the feeling that people are too shy to cook tasty. So don’t! Add enough tasty ingredients to make it tasty.
And cook! Cooking has been part of human practice since the beginning of history!
Again, whatever diet you are following, use pure and honest ingredients, preferably organic. Use foods that you know where they come from, that were treated with respect, that the land they grew on was treated with respect, that the environment they grew in was treated with respect, that the people that work so hard and grow and package these foods were treated with respect and can make a decent living. That these foods with which you are nourishing your body, your daily essential fuel, are nourishing your body in the best way it can.
Make this food nice! Make it attractive to look at! Share it with the people you love!
Chinese cabbage-tempeh rolls
This is what I mean. Easy, colorful, nice, and nutritious. Have fun!
For 4 people
8 leaves Chinese cabbage, white part removed
1 pckg tempeh, cut into long thin stripes
2 medium carrots cut into matchsticks
2 medium beet roots cut into matchsticks
2 cloves garlic, cut into matchsticks
4 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper for taste
0.5-1 liter deep frying oil or sunflower oil
For the marinade:
7 tbsp shoyu
7 tbsp rice syrup
Few thick pinches of chili
Bring water in a pan to a boil, lower the fire and simmer the Chinese cabbage leaves for about 1 minute till more flexible.
Preheat deep frying oil to 180 degrees and deep fry the tempeh for about 4 minutes till golden-brown and crispy. You can check if the temperature of the oil is right by putting chopsticks inside. If the chopsticks bubble vigorously the oil is hot enough. The oil shouldn’t be too cold neither too hot.
Marinate the tempeh in the marinade.
Sauté the carrots in olive oil with salt pepper and 1 garlic clove for about 5 minutes till soft. Do the same with the beet root for about 10 minutes.
Spread the Chinese cabbage leave nicely and place the sauteed carrots, sauteed beet root and tempeh next to each other. Roll it nicely and tightly and serve.
Mmmmm, lekker! Enjoy! I’m already jealous of you for this nice dish!!!
Thank you Lize Jansen and Wouter van der Wolk for these wonderful photos! You did such a great job this year!