The Veggie Expert

30/08/2020

In the kitchen this afternoon working on creating some new recipes for my online client. The garlic in this is smelling so good!

16/07/2020

Avocados as big as your head 😍

12/07/2020

When I was in high school, I wanted to be a food stylist. And my careers counsellor told me that job didn’t exist! 🙄⁣
⁣
Fast forward and everything worked out in the end, and it’s clear I don’t have great skills in this area 😄 but I do enjoy cooking (obviously!) and trying to make food look pretty.⁣
⁣
This is the delicious roasted carrot and ginger soup from ⁣
⁣
Almost as good as made it look?! 😂💁🏽‍♀️⁣
⁣

02/07/2020

😂

Meet Mr Soggy Celery. Approx 2 weeks old, sweet, and very versatile. This guy is standing up for all the other soggy fellas and trying to start the 'normalise soggy celery' movement .

Loves being made into a soup or chucked into pasta or stews or, anything. He's an all-round people-pleaser and gets along with all other vegetables.

Normally thrown in the bin, going to landfill, and impacting the environment - but this guy can be taken anywhere and used with anything!

He's more than happy to hang out in your freezer if you ain't got time for him right away.

Can't do long walks on the beach, but he will bulk out your soups like never before.

28/06/2020

I’ve never made smoothie bowls before! 😲⁣
⁣
But was inspired by this beautiful sunshine we’re having in Melbs today and my local .press ☀️👌🏼⁣
⁣
I even snuck some veg into these mini smoothie bowls, of course! Actually Lily knew I put spinach in and was cool with it 😄 ⁣
⁣
Ingredients for the ‘smoothie’ part:⁣
• frozen banana⁣
• big handful of spinach 🌱🌱⁣
• kiwi fruit⁣
• coconut water ⁣
⁣ @ Seaford, Victoria, Australia

24/06/2020

Can’t wait til it’s ice ream weather again ☀️

23/06/2020

Heard this one before?⁣
⁣
Maybe you should be taking supplements or expensive juice blends because you’re not getting the same amount of minerals from fruit and vegetables that people once did? 🤨⁣
⁣
A critical review article published in the Journal of Food Composition and Analysis looked into this claim.⁣
⁣
“THE HIGHLIGHTS:⁣
⁣
• Mineral nutrient composition of vegetables, fruits and grains is NOT declining⁣
⁣
• Allegations of decline due to agricultural soil mineral depletion are unfounded⁣
⁣
• Some high yield varieties show a DILUTION effect of lower mineral concentrations⁣
⁣
• Changes are within natural variation ranges and are not nutritionally significant⁣
⁣
• Eating the recommended daily servings provides adequate nutrition“⁣
⁣
Improved farming techniques and practices over the past 100 years have resulted in increased yields for growers – the benefit of this outweighs any small reduction (dilution) in nutrients.⁣
⁣
💫 Let’s focus energy on including more vegetables, fruits and wholegrains into our daily diet and we’ll be on the way to improving health.⁣
⁣
Article:⁣
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0889157516302113⁣
⁣

18/06/2020

⚡️ TOFU TRUTHS ⚡️⁣
⁣
WHAT IS IT?⁣
Tofu is made from soy beans, which are a legume.⁣
Soybeans are ground in water and heated. Minerals (including calcium) are added to help the soybean milk coagulate (turn solid or semi-solid) into curds, which is then pressed into blocks of tofu of varying softness.⁣
⁣
IS IT GOOD FOR YOU?⁣
Yes. Tofu is a great source of protein.⁣
It can also be a good source of calcium particularly for plant-based diets. It has very little saturated fat and is also a plant-based source of iron 👍🏻👌🏼⁣
⁣
IS IT SAFE?⁣
Yes. Soy foods do not disrupt your hormones.⁣
You might have heard that soy contains isoflavones, also referred to as phytoestrogens. This can cause confusion with the perception that they act the same way in your body as oestrogen. They do not, and studies have shown no effect on testosterone and oestrogen in humans. ⁣
⁣
PREPARATION⁣
Removing the excess water from the tofu will help it hold its shape in cooking. Usually recipes ask you to press the tofu in a tofu press.⁣
⁣
BUT I have cheats way! SEE PIC (I don’t own a tofu press!)⁣
⁣
Cut firm tofu into cubes and put on a non-stick baking tray. Bake in a 180 degree oven for 15 minutes, then you’re free to add it to curries, stir fries etc. 😋⁣
⁣

14/06/2020

Do you love trying new foods and dishes?! 🙋🏽‍♀️⁣
⁣
It’s one of my absolute favourite things to do! Also so excited to be out at restaurants again, although it was quiet! ⁣
⁣
LOVED this delicious beetroot curry from the vegan menu 🤤🤤🤤 @ Hardware Lane

12/06/2020

🖐🏻 You can FREEZE avocados?!⁣
⁣
YUP!⁣
⁣
I’ve been buying a LOT of delicious hass avocados lately and don’t always get to them before they’re over-ripe.⁣
⁣
Frozen when they’re ripe but still firm, in an airtight container or bag, these still had a creamy and firm texture great enough to put in salads and pasta dishes. ⁣
⁣
Frozen avos - almost as good as an avocado tree in your back yard 😜

04/06/2020

The number of Victorians that could be eating more vegetables each day, according to the AIA Vitality Wellbeing Index, quoted in today’s Herald Sun. 90%!⁣
⁣
Just try this: include more veg into your day.⁣
Don’t cut out foods/restrict/diet, just ADD more veg 🙌🏻