If you didn’t watch the amazing live video with Izelle Hoffman, not to worry – we have a little summary for you, plus you can watch it below. Thank you to The Kitchen Collective for their beautiful kitchen studio.
“Remember, at the end of the day, if you feed your body with the right ingredients, it does have the ability to heal itself.” -Izelle Hoffman
Mindful Eating – What is Izelle’s journey and what brought her to mindful eating?
She was born disabled and has had 14 hip operations to date, so her eating journey was a must. She had to find inspiration from different foods depending on how certain foods or ingredients affected her body and how she feels. So Izelle has figured out her perfect foods for her own body, and includes mainly anti-inflammatory foods, and started experimenting as a home cook.
Mindful Eating (the name of her new cookbook) means you need to be mindful of what you are putting in your mouth. Healthy doesn’t have to be boring. It’s about a balanced plate of food and enjoying every bite. A balanced plate is how each ingredient affects your body and works together to give you optimal benefits.
Can healthy and mindful eating still be budget-friendly?!
YES! People think cooking healthy needs to be expensive. If you are being more mindful about it, you can plan better. Raw honey is a bit more expensive, but it has all the good benefits.
Immune Boosting Tips from Izelle:
- Ground Black Pepper & Turmeric:
- Turmeric contains an anti-inflammatory called curcumin. Your body only absorbs curcumin when combined with an oil/fat like olive oil, or when combined with black pepper.
- Citrus
- Onions are anti-viral, anti-inflammatory
- Blue Gum Honey – works best with savoury or sweet dishes!
- Macadamia Honey is amazing in peppermint tea. Peppermint tea is great for bloating.
- Quinoa – ultimate favourite grain! Red Quinoa is a pantry essential – the colour adds a great colour combination (like replacing biltong in a dish), and it creates interest in the dish. About 120g is a good portion for one person.
- Sesame seeds are high in fibre, protein, and anti-inflammatory and add a little bit of crunch!
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil is alkaline and anti-inflammatory. Add it with fresh herbs to garnish to infuse it.
- Parsley is anti-inflammatory, as well as coriander. So include your fresh herbs!
- Read labels – make sure you’re getting the right thing.
- Almond Flour – one of those ingredients that is more versatile than you think. It makes a beautiful salad sprinkle, or sprinkle over the dishes as a garnish.
- Lime/Lemon Juice – buy fresh limes/lemons rather than concentrate. The fresh has the Vitamin C you need.
PS: Make sure you keep washing your hands and clean up as you go!
Presentation Tip:
Think colour – colour of the bowl and what you’re cooking! Showcase all the beautiful colours you cook. Make a little bit of effort, even if it’s just for yourself.
Izelle’s secret ingredient!
Caramel essence! Add it with some citrus, olive oil, raw honey and use it as a salad dressing!
Lastly, THE RECIPE!
Roasted Pepper, Caramelised Onion & Quinoa Salad. Click here for the full recipe.
We adapted Izelle’s recipe to add more immune-boosting ingredients and what’s fresh in seasons! Not only is this immune-boosting, but it’s packed with anti-inflammatories.
For more beautiful, anti-inflammatory and delicious recipes, get your hands on Izelle Hoffman’s new cookbook.
