I am beyond thrilled to see that the impossible seems to be happening and that plant-based cuisine is becoming more popular and more mainstream. Having said that, I am a big supporter of the whole foods plant-based movement which stands for eating foods in their whole, original form as much as possible, with little or … Read more

The low carb trend seems to rise and fall periodically and lately the not so new trend has also flooded the plant based circles. First of all, all plant based folks out there, seriously, if we stop eating carbs, what are we left with?! (I know sun diet seemed to work for one or two … Read more

This is a great treat/snack which is extremely popular in the Netherlands throughout December and the new year. The streets are full of stalls that are selling oliebollen and other sugary goods. Oliebollen are a sort of Dutch donuts that are usually risen with yeast and sweetened with sugar. Here I make my own take … Read more

When we were kids and my mother’s best friend, Rozana, would come to visit us, we would ask her to make her specialty, and we called it ‘Rozanichki’, after her name.  Later it turned out to be called cinnamon rolls. If I remember correctly, there was also a family tale that calimed that, judging by … Read more

As you might have noticed, I am very much into the comfort food kind of food lately. Creamy and smooth in texture… Something that makes you go like mmm… I think Autumn is the perfect time for this kind of food. You feel like eating something that gives you a warm hug from the inside. … Read more

Sweet potato is my favorite vegetable. I love to eat it in all forms. In a soup, fried, deep fried, but most of all- baked in the oven. In this recipe they come out perfectly caramelized, crisp on the outside and melting from the inside. A real treat to indulge on or to make for … Read more

Sometimes I do have a secret craving for this familiar and comforting taste of yoghurt. Dairy food was never really my thing, but there is something refreshing about sneaking into the kitchen in the very late night or morning or afternoon and eating a cold, fresh, sweet and sour yoghurt. And if there is any … Read more

It was last week during my time in the perma culture farm La Ferme du Bois-le-Comte in the Ardennes in south Belgium. The fresh lettuces just kept on coming fresh from the field and we kept on making more and more salads from it. It was 33 degrees outside and everything seemed to keep on … Read more

I was lucky to be introduced to healthy plant based cuisine by Velentina Nelissen, a great chef, cooking teacher, dear friend and back then, 10 years ago, a classmate at the dance academy where we were studying. One of the first dishes Valentina would cook for me was a miso soup. It was way before … Read more

Voor Nederlands, zie onderaan. In my wet dreams I dream about a peaceful world. A world where Christians, Muslims, Jews and Buddhists will celebrate all their holidays together. A harmonious world where we can all learn from each other and celebrate each other’s beautiful traditions. I want to fast at the Ramadan time and eat … Read more

Written for VEGAN magazine, Spring 2015. Voor Nederlands zie onderaan.  The heart is beating while thinking that spring is here again. It’s this heart beat that gets you so excited before a new adventure is coming. It’s this same heart beat before the first day in school, or the first day at work, or a far … Read more

In my mind I can still see the terrified faces of my friends to whom I told that I’m going to travel to Brazil. ‘Don’t worry’ I told them, it’s not as dangerous, many people are going to travel there. Saying that, I could notice their expressions turn even more worried and pitiful saying: ‘right, … Read more

Nature has its own funny and sad, obvious and mysterious, simple and complicated ways. And by nature I mean the nature of our environment in this time of the year, the nature of our soul in this time of the year and the nature of our life in this time of the year. Throughout human … Read more

click to read the previous part of this article 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 … Read more

 In the first part of this article I gave the first 3 easy steps towards a healthy diet. Here are the next steps: 4) Bread  The same that applies for Pasta applies for bread: choose whole wheat bread as opposed to white bread. In addition, it is also important to choose sour dough bread (zuurdesem brood in … Read more

Many people who eat my food say very often that they find it a wonderful way of eating, but that there’s no chance they can maintain it, as it takes too long to cook, the ingredients are unfamiliar and the preparations are too complicated. Actually, I find it quite an easy and approachable way of … Read more

My friend and vegan activist Debby van Velzen PMed me yesterday hysterically that in two days it’s going to be 30 degrees in Amsterdam and that she is urgently looking for an article about cooling foods. Now, I live in a country where people are born with a bike chair stuck to their buttocks, rain … Read more