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The more I learn at university in my nutrition degree the more I see the evidence of how healthy a plant based diet really is. I have always known it instinctively but now it is wonderful to see the science to back it up. Having said this though it is important like with any food style you wish to follow that you ensure you are including all essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals in your cooking.

Another three day vegan foundation cooking course started today. Stoked to be with another group of people who are eager to learn how to cook nutritious and delicious food. Can’t wait to share the photos of what they create. The last course was only two weeks ago and there were some wonderful signature dishes created. One of which I will share with you today. I love the simplicity of this recipe. I love that this recipe makes use of miso which contains B vitamins, which are essential for energy production, brain function and cell metabolism. Miso also is a good source of folate (B9), which is necessary for red and white blood cell production in the bone marrow, converts carbs into energy and produces DNA and RNA. Vitamin A for eye health, vitamin k for bone health and blood clotting and vitamin E which is a great source of antioxidants. Sage is a great source of calcium

Taro is a new vegetable for me. I have seen it and heard people say how good it is but it wasn’t until Jimi who attended one of the courses I have run this year gifted me some that I got to cook with it.

I am writing to you on the eve of another Vegan Foundation Course starting. So blessed that this is the third course I have managed to run this year. Last year I got up to three then no more so fingers and toes crossed the next ones will run too. As I start to prepare 48 hours before the course (yep it takes me that long to get everything organised – they say for a teacher it takes one hour preparation for every hour taught, for a cooking facilitator it takes two hours set up for every hour taught.) I get more and more excited with each hour.

Isn’t it time for a sweet treat? I certainly think so, it feels like a very long time since I have shared a sweet treat recipe with you. This one was definitely worth waiting for. It was created on the last vegan foundation cooking school. You can make these orange, cranberry coconut crunch chocolates in a big batch and have them in a ready supply in your freezer. You will never want to run out of these. If you have a heart mold that is fabulous, otherwise any mold will do or you can just put in a baking paper lined tray and break pieces chocolate off.

It’s hard to believe that it will be five years this August that the first chefs graduated from the vegan chef training here in the Byron Shire. There were seven people graduate that year, all who have gone on to do wonderful things. Ebony was the youngest that graduated and she went on to become head chef of a café in Wollongong. Ebony attended the course as it was her dream to open her own café one day in her hometown of Dwellingup in Western Australia. In the middle of the Covid Lockdown she did just that. She set up a food stall in the garden of the Art Gallery in Dwellingup.

The last two days we have been preparing for the Three Day Vegan Foundation Cooking Course. It has been a lot of work and I have loved every minute of it as I am so ecstatic to be running these courses again. The last course was in March 2020 and it has been too long between drinks as they say. I can’t wait for tomorrow. Five participants are coming together and we are going to cook up some storms. The over 60 recipes we cover in these three days are not to be missed. The whole three days is a treat indeed. Can you tell I am super excited!!!!!!!!

What recipe would you like to nail once and for all. Here’s mine. It feels good! Pad Thai What recipe do you hope to nail? What recipe do you keep trying but it isn’t completely right? Pad Thai was my one recipe I needed to nail and recently did it. Congrats are in order. In the past I had made Pad Thai but it never quite made the bar that I was comparing it to until last week.

This is the first blog post for 2021 and I wish you all a happy new year and for those who didn’t receive the newsletter last week I have a super duper new years special on the online course. Check below for details. The course has no time limit so you may want to make the most of the cheap price even if you can’t start it straight away.

I had this idea that I would start this week’s blog with some healthy tips but hey who wants healthy at this time of the year. I’ll save that for the New Year. What I would like to say though is if you keep it vegan and keep it organic you really can’t go wrong. It’s non traditional fare I will share with my friends this Christmas and these are the recipes I bring to you this year. I’m making Mexican.