The founder of popular food blog Be Good Organics, Buffy Ellen, is passionate about plant-based living, which she says is ‘kinder to people, animals and the planet’. By switching to a plant-based, whole-food diet, reducing her stress, and harnessing the power of natural medicine, Ellen overcame Graves’ disease and disordered eating. Now, she shares her journey to wellness and passion for food in her debut cookbook, Be Good: Plant-based recipes for everybody. Here is one of the recipes from the book.
Ingredients:
Salad:
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 tsp veg stock powder salt and pepper
- 1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed
- ⅓ cup hazelnuts
- 6 cups lettuce (buttercrunch, fancy, mesclun or rocket)
- 2 radishes, finely sliced 1 avocado, sliced
- seeds of ½ pomegranate
- ½ cup micro greens (optional)
Balsamic dressing (makes 2 cups):
- ⅓ cup balsamic vinegar
- ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
- ⅓ cup water 1 shallot
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 Tbsp wholegrain or Dijon mustard
- 3 dried dates, pitted 2 tsp sea salt
- ½ cup cold-pressed olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh herbs (e.g. basil, parsley, oregano or thyme)
Method:
- Preheat oven to 180°C fan bake.
- Rinse quinoa (or soak overnight), drain, then cook with 2 cups water and the stock powder for 15 minutes. Leave to dry out for 5 minutes with the lid off, then season with salt and pepper.
- On a baking tray, toss asparagus in a little olive oil, if desired, season with salt and pepper, and roast for 10 minutes until golden. Put hazelnuts on another baking tray and pop on the bottom rack of the oven for 5 minutes while the asparagus is cooking. Remove both from oven and set aside to cool.
- Blitz dressing ingredients (except oil and herbs) in a blender until smooth. While the blender is on low, slowly pour in the oil until it emulsifies. Add the herbs and pulse until finely chopped. Place in the freezer for 5–10 minutes to thicken up quickly.
- Arrange the salad in two layers. Place half of the lettuce, quinoa, asparagus, radish, avocado, pomegranate seeds, hazelnuts, and micro greens on a dish. Drizzle with a few tablespoons of dressing, then add the remaining ingredients in a second layer and top with more dressing. Eat straight away while fresh!
Notes:
- NF: Use sunflower or pumpkin seeds instead of hazelnuts.
- OF: Replace the olive oil with ⅓ cup chickpea liquid.
- If you soak your quinoa overnight, reduce the cooking water to 1¼ cups and cook for just 12 minutes.
- Bang the pomegranate half, cut side down, with a wooden spoon to dislodge the seeds. There’s a video on how to do this on my website if you want to see it in action.
Be Good features 100 simple, quick, and delicious plant-based recipes alongside comprehensive facts about healthy eating and including her top ten list of nutrients and how to incorporate them into balanced meals. Every recipe includes easy swap-outs, helpful notes for dietary requirements, prepping your pantry, filling your fridge and meal planning.
Ellen’s book also includes a comprehensive introductory section in which she covers everything from what it means to be plant-based to the nutritional qualities of individual ingredients and eating plant-based on a budget.
Ellen packs an abundance of taste and imagination into her sweet and savoury recipes, as well as staples, sauces, and sprinkles, and puts the fun back into healthy eating. It is impossible to resist her Next-Level Louise Slice, Chocolate Espresso Tart, Golden Morocco Bowl, and Mushroom Melt Quesadillas!
PUBLISHED BY BATEMAN BOOKS
31 October 2022
RRP: $45.00
