Welcome!!
I’m Sarah; in love with tomatoes since childhood, I lately discovered my love for cauliflower too.
When a relative was diagnosed with cancer I started to ask myself how could I contribute family and friendsand reduce risk. My passion for food and flavours could help! As food itself is the most enjoyable answer I could find!
I wrote a book following the WCRF food and lifestyle guidelines trying to give smart suggestions. All recipes strictly follow these recommendations and you can find some of them in the Everyday category.
My Everyday meal is almost vegan, except for small, wild, Omega 3 rich fish: fresh seasonal vegetables, pulses (legumes), whole cereals, nuts and dried fruits.
Sugar or any kind of sweetener (honey, stevia, agave or maple syrup…) are banned from my recipes in order to keep low glycaemia levels. For the same reason I never use potatoes, refined flour or any kind of starch.
In terms of fats I only use Extra Virgin Olive Oil, the most stable fat during both cooking and out of the pan. I try to cook at medium heat or for a short period of time in order to prevent serious damages to its fatty acids and to prevent burning: that nice, barbeque smell that we all love is due to a chemical reaction, called Maillard, that transforms sugars and proteins. When brought to a dark brown colour a carcinogenic effect is produced.
Unfortunately sometimes it doesn’t need to burn to produce these unhealthy substances: such is the case of starch rich food like potatoes, when cooked at a high temperature (more than 180° C in the oven or fried).
Everyday category collects recipes which cannot hurt you in any direct or indirect, it being understood that you are in good health and have a balanced, varied diet with no particular allergies or needs.
Sometimes recipe category includes a ‘once a week’ meal with organic egg, white organic meat or low fat organic cheese. Occasionally a little amount of brown, unrefined sugar is used.
Through this blog I try to contribute to your daily efforts to introduce more vegetables into your diet sharing my easy and quick recipescreate to enhance my meal. My most important purpose is to enjoy my meal.
Is your cooking style vegan or vegetarian?
My cooking style is omnivore and is not strictly related to any ethic reason, even thoug I’m sensitive to a big range of environmental issues. I’m omnivore because I potentially eat everything, but my priority is to pick and choose whatever is good for me.Creating healthy recipesleads my choices in terms of products and cooking techniques. Being vegan or vegetarian doesn’t necessarily meanmaking a totally healthy choice. My cooking is preventive.
Do you eat everyday the way you show us in your blog(book)?
My priority is to enjoy my meals. I eat what I feel like to, frustrations don’t help my inner well-being. Over the time is has become an habit, I do not feel it like as a sacrifice or anything similar.
Why do you write in English too?
Because the ‘vegetal world’ in Italy is just at the beginning, it’s much more developed and popular in English spoken Countries. Besides because it helps me to compare and measure my skills beyond my borders. Not least it helps to practice my English, so please, feel free to correct me.
Sarah_tibs@yahoo.it