Pretty Fast, Pretty Tasty: Plant Based Food Prep Tips

Wanting to eat well but pushed for time (and energy?) I've lived a plant-based life for 28 years, and I want to share my top tips with you here...

Change up your environment.

Don’t be afraid to leave your traditional cooking space. Get out of the kitchen. Include others in your preparation. Have some good conversation. Food holds a special place in our lives – allowing it to expand to new and different spaces can revitalize your enthusiasm, and your plate. In the theatre of food, a set change can mark a pivotal shift in mood, no matter what the task or dish.

When I first went vegan I hung out a lot at my friend Ana's house. She was vegan too and had a tiny galley kitchen. Our crew of friends would talk for hours in her sitting room (there was no TV at Ana's house, and the conversation wasn't to be missed). She’d bring her veggies, chopping board and bowls of water out onto the sitting room floor. The kitchen became a backdrop used only when grabbing a new ingredient or throwing something on the stove. We all would have missed out if Ana had been cooking away alone in her galley. Even better: washing, chopping, grating, grinding spices and mixing dressings became a beautiful, communal effort.

When I first began my life on raw, I  was too weak to stand. So I sat on the floor. Feeding veggies into the Vitamix blender worked from this unusual vantage point just fine. Consciously incorporating music while chopping lettuce or juicing created a mini party with me in the VIP seat. You can do the same.

Flexibility  + creativity = possibilities. Be open to them.

Maximising Enjoyment and Minimising Prep Time

Still not convinced you can adore your plant-based life while having a life that extends beyond hours of food- labour? Try incorporating a few of these raw-centric pointers for great raw meals that are quick, cheap and yummy:

• Juices can be a meal or a part of one. Think outside the box! Try a savoury green juice with garlic and basil with your next “rawgetti” dish

• Smoothies are a healing meal in a glass

• Dip and a spoon. Dip isn’t just for dipping into! A nutritious raw dip can be a meal unto itself. Grab a spoon and pair up a scrumptious pâté with salad for a lovely lunch

• Nori rolls. Roll up your dip and salad in a nori wrap for a meal on the go. Lettuce leaves can be used as a substitute (lollo rosso lettuce and romaine are prefect wrap material)

• Bountiful buckwheat. As a snack or cereal, buckwheat is awesome. Soaked and sprouted buckwheat can be a cereal with nut mylk or dehydrated to make it a storable cereal, flour or  alkaline trail mix base

• Nut mylk. Jazz up hemp or almond bases with sesame for extra calcium, or cashews for extra creaminess. Included in a snack or incorporated into a meal they add nutrition and texture

• Whipped up on their own, nut mylks make super calcium and protein powered shakes in mere minutes

• Nut butter + fruits or veggies. Amped up crudités! Whip out carrot, celery or cucumber sticks, your sliced apples and leafy greens to enjoy with your favourite nut butters. This raw foodist's equivalent to a sandwich is scrumptious and always satisfying

• Chia pudding. Mmmmmm. ‘Nuff said

• High-raw hummus. Never keen on sprouted chickpea raw hummus, I regularly make a base of 1⁄2 chickpeas, 1⁄2 edame, peas or fresh greens and add lots of lemon, raw tahini and garlic. Voila!  Tasty, healthy an (naturally!) high-raw

• Nicest Noodles. Whether you prefer spiraled veggies, kelp, or alkaline, soba buckwheat noodles, there's something extra sumptuous about long strands soaking up your favourite tasty sauce

• Super Sprouts. Alfalfa, mung beans, baby radish, broccoli, and lentils are easily sprouted in jam jars and can be added to nearly everything for protein power

• Quickest Kale Salad. De-vein your kale. Rub with avocado/flax oil. Allow to wilt. Enjoy. What could be simpler?

• Extra-power in your water. Add lemon to your glass and drink up

• Magic Almond Dip. Mix almond (or other nut) butter (1:1 ratio) with any raw nut mylk. Dip-able and delicious

What are your favourite tips for plant-powered kitchen fun?