Hello! How are you? Last weekend I was at The Good Life Experience, where my brain was blown with lots of inspiring talks I saw around eating and living well.
From the importance of soil health (yes, the stuff beneath your feet matters both to the nutrients of the plants we eat, and the animals it feeds) to the problem of monoculture, and the growing issue of food sustainability, I’m going to be making some changes in eat coming months based on what I’ve learned.
In the meantime, I wanted to post a few thoughts from the plant based eating debate I went to. Most of us know that eating less meat is a good option for the planet (not up for debate) but we don’t always consider both sides of the coin – i.e. what would happen if we all turned to plants in their entirety. Things I didn’t know – when cows are allowed to graze, they lock carbon into the ground (which matters for soil health). Hedgerows (which keep animals inside) are important for wildlife. And then there’s problem of monoculture. If we all drink almond milk, there will be some major issues – farmers are already tearing up biodiverse citrus groves to feed the demand for the nut milk.
So much to learn, but the message I came away with is that eating less meat (and when you do, choosing better quality) is the way forward – but we also need to diversify what we eat and farm more responsibly too. Looking forward to learning and reading more.
For now, I wanted to share a #meatfree offering – a cauliflower and cashew nut curry, with ingredients found in my new local veg shop.
INGREDIENTS
1 tbsp coconut oil
2 onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves chopped
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp ground turmeric
1 bunch coriander leaves and stalks, chop both but leave separate
1 head cauliflower, cut into bite size pieces
1 can coconut milk
75 grams cashew nuts
About 300ml water
Salt, pepper
Squeeze of lemon juice
HOW TO:
Heat the oil in the pan. Fry off the onion and garlic until golden
Add the spices and fry until fragrant
Tip in the cauliflower and coriander stalks and stir to coat with the spice mix
Add the coconut milk, water and nuts and bring to a simmer.
Cook for about 15-20 mins until the cauliflower is soft
Add lemon juice then season to taste, top with chopped coriander leaves
Serve with rice or pitta and some garlicky yoghurt.
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