Traditionally, a new year is a time of resolutions and a focus on improvement. Discard the old and bring on the new. My challenge for 2016 is to move to a plant based diet. Health is the prime motivator but the environment is fighting for equal first place in the motivation stakes. I'm not interested in starting slowly (i.e. meatless Monday). The best way (for me) is to go 'cold turkey'! Or in this case, 'cold cucumber'! That means no dairy, no eggs, no fish or foul, no red meat. And while we are setting boundaries, let's go wheat/gluten free too!
Now that the boundaries are declared, the challenges start to emerge: I really need a little cracker to dip into the hummus. Too much soy isn't healthy, so what are the alternatives? Is there a way to make a cheese replacement that is satisfying? If bread is the staff of life, what are the best ingredients for wheat free bread? And the waffle maker I got for Christmas, what am I going to do with that?
This blog will be full of recipes, some my own and some from others. It will also include principles and techniques for cooking and baking to help create healthy, plant based food that looks good, tastes great. Since the motivation is for a healthy body and a healthy planet, this blog wouldn't be complete without reference to the science behind the produce choices. Finally, you can expect to see a book review or two.
