Happy Mother's Day - Healthy Sustainable Food ideas

If you are following me on Instagram, you have probably seen that I've participated in a workshop about the sustainable, vegan and wholesome diet held by Journey to Real Life. It was a really informative workshop with quick, easy and delicious recipes. And because today is Mother's Day and since we all know that the way to the heart goes through the stomach, you can surprise your Mom with this beautiful and healthy menu:

#1 STARTER: WHOLE GRAIN BREAD WITH OLIVE SPREAD

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyLiZncBEfQ

WHOLE GRAIN BREAD

Ingredients:

300 g/11 oz wholegrain spelt flour (or wholegrain wheat flour)
1 tbsp baking powder

Directions:

Knead the flour, the baking powder, a pinch of salt and 200 ml water in a big bowl into a dough. Place the dough on a baking tray that is covered with baking paper. You can form it the way you like. Then, your bread has to be baked at 180C/356F until the outside becomes a little crispy (approx. 35 minutes without preheating).

OLIVE SPREAD

Ingredients:

12 green olives, stoned
1 tbsp olive oil
pepper, oregano

Directions:

Blend the olives and the olive oil with a pinch of salt and some pepper in a high vessel. Spread this on a slice of bread and sprinkle some oregano on top.

Find video for OLIVE SPREAD here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1IOVg49K0s

Find more detailed instructions and other spreads here: http://www.journeytoreallife.com/6-recipes-3-less-ingredients-quick-wholegrain-bread-chocolate-spread-olive-spread-mulled-wine-roasted-trail-mix-cinnamon-apple-sauce/

#2 MAIN COURSE: ZUCCHINI CAULIFLOWER CARBONARA

© Journey to Real Life

plant-based (vegan), lactose-free, soy-free, gluten-free - 4 servings - Preparation time: 20 min - Level of difficulty: easy

Ingredients:

1 zucchini
200 g/7 oz cauliflower
1 clove of garlic
50 g/1.8 oz cashews
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice (optional)

Directions:

Cut the zucchini into small pieces and fry them in a large frying pan with a pinch of salt and olive oil. Then you have to cut the cauliflower and cook it with a little salt in a covered pan. In a high vessel, puree the garlic and the cashews with 250 ml of water. Briefly cook the resulting sauce before pureeing it again. Add some nutmeg, some pepper, white wine vinegar and optionally lemon juice and more salt. At the end, mix the white sauce with the zucchini and serve it with pasta.

Find more detailed instructions here: http://www.journeytoreallife.com/zucchini-cauliflower-carbonara/

#3 DESSERT: VEGAN AND SUGARFREE CHOCOLATE MUFFINS

Ingredients:

26 dates, stoned
150 g/5.3 oz wholegrain spelt flour
1 tbsp baking-powder
1 tbsp neutral oil (eg. olive oil)
7 tbsp cocoa powder
100 g/3.5 oz cashews

Directions:

Slightly over 20 dates with water and blend them. Put this date puree in a big vessel. Add the spelt flour, the baking-powder, the oil, 4 tbsp cocoa powder and a pinch of salt. Mix it into a batter. You might need to add a bit of water for the right consistency. Fill the greased muffin cups with the batter and bake at 180C/356F for 20 to 30 minutes. For the topping, blend the cashews, 6 dates and the rest of cocoa powder with a little water. As soon as the muffins cool down, cover them with the topping cream.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBCs-Z-eIIk

#4 LAST BUT NOT LEAST

I want to thank Lisa and Prosper from Journey to Real Life for this informative and delicious workshop and that they let me publish their recipes on my blog. It was interesting to see how they chose to incorporate sustainability into their lives through food. It was awesome to meet like-minded people that also see the incorporation of sustainability into their lives as a journey.

Here are the main 5 SUSTAINABLE FOOD LESSONS I took with me:

Buy organic and seasonal
Cook with wholesome instead of processed ingredients in order to get more nutritions.
Get to know your options: Educate yourself on different food groups.
Switch it up. Use the variety of the food groups (whole wheat pasta/bread, Quinoa, buckwheat, spelt, lentils, beans, chickpeas etc.)
Try going vegan or vegetarian a day a week.

You should definitely try out the recipes, if you want to become as strong and big as Prosper ;)