glutenfreelissy.com

When I worked at a cafe in Sydney my favourite thing to prepare was a fruit plate. I loved when customers asked for them. They make an awesome gluten free breaky!

Happy A’straya day everyone!

Lots of leafy greens, sprouts, tomatoes, cucumber, beans, pine nuts and macadamia and lemon myrtle dukkah. Was so filling and crunchy and juicy and naturally gluten free and delicious!

Many times over the last eight years people have asked me the question, ‘why are you a vegetarian?’ I can understand this question and I think it’s natural for people to be curious. I don’t, turn around and ask, ‘why do you eat meat?’ Which after learning more I am staring to think is a more interesting question.

More often than not I have come up against criticism and even lost friends over the point of being vegetarian. It surprises and delights me that on the flipside people can be very open-minded and generous when I tell them I prefer not to eat meat, but still there are people who feel the need to question my choice. To me it’s as clear as day. I recently travelled down the Gordon river in Tasmania and was so moved by the incredible unspoilt beauty there. It made me think about the part in the film Avatar when the characters swim through the pristine river and all the pretty lit up plants are all around them – how gorgeous! When I tell people what it was like to be there I usually start with, ‘it makes me realize how much humans are destroying our world.’ I have never been one to consider myself a greenie, but visiting that pristine place made me think just how much we have already ruined. So much of our land is now cleared for cattle grazing and growing crops to feed those cattle. People are obese in one part of the world and dying of hunger in other parts. I was really shocked to hear the other day that we could solve world hunger just by redistributing some of the grain that we produce for cattle. Hearing things like this makes me feel sad and hopeless for the future.

Now I am not sure that you will hear many vegetarians say this, but… I love that people enjoy eating meat and in fact I have been known to eat some while I am eating out on holidays if it’s the only thing that is gluten free. And I usually enjoy it. That’s not the point. The point is I know that there are so many more nutrients in fresh fruit and veggies that are easier for my body to absorb. Yes meat is tasty, but it should be the garnish to your meal not your whole meal.

As we all get older I think it’s so important that we take action where our health is so concerned. Who wants to live out their final days in a hospital or a nursing home sick with dietary related illnesses?

Not convinced have a look at this documentary film I saw over the weekend. It is changing my life everyday and is the inspiration along with a few special people in my life for this post. Dr Oz said ‘I love it and I need all of you to see it.’

http://www.forksoverknives.com/

Take care of your health peoples and eat more fruits and vegetables.

Lissy xx

A really easy salad I often make.

Photo of my trip to Cradle Mountain – breathtaking!

Some days are so busy I don’t get time to eat lunch. This is why having a good breakfast is so important to me.

Lately in the cooler, rainy weather we’ve been having I’ve been making rice porridge with linseeds. I boil this up on the stove same method as you cook rice. Eg 1/2 a cup of rice flakes (with linseeds) and 1 cup of boiling water. It cooks very quickly especially if you use the water you have boiled for your morning tea/coffee.

Then I add some toppings like banana, dates, (both high carb and high in natural sugar, excellent for getting your brain going in the morning!), toasted shredded coconut (smells amazing!) and almonds.

Serve with honey and a little almond milk to taste.

Quick, easy, nutritious a great start to the day.

What I love a lot about many Asian cuisines is that a lot of their dishes are gluten free. And recently at Eummarah in Hobart I came across this mung bean pasta. A great alternative.

Have been trying a few vegan chocolates lately since vegans often say the one thing they do miss eating is chocolate.

This one was really nice, but after opening I stored it in the fridge and it went white overnight, but it didn’t affect the flavour.

Last night we had to pick up five boxes of takeaway in the middle of the Chinatown mall in the middle of the dragon parade. It was a little bit of chaos and a lot fun. So glad I didn’t hit anyone! And it was fun seeing the dragon and hearing the parade. Happy New Year!

The Vegie Bar on brunswick st is one hip and happening restaurant full of really good veg food. I had a yummy Portobello mushroom stack thing swimming in a delicious tomato sauce.

We also had fresh juices. Way to go veggie bar with all your yummy things. Only problemo was the menu doesn’t list what’s gluten free. So that made it a bit tricky to navigate.

But we got there and while we waited there was this cool stack of books to peruse. What a fun place!

I had a really nice day yesterday. Pilates then coffee with a friend. Then lunch at The Cornerstore Cafe on Sylvan Rd, Toowong. This salad wasn’t on the menu, but when I asked for something vegetarian this was what I got and it was really nice. Thanks chef!

My friend tried their spelt chocolate brownie. Delicious!

It’s a really friendly cafe with an open kitchen where you can see what’s being made. A fun place to visit.

And the rosemary and thyme salt potatoes. Yumbo!!