THRIVE 53
undeRused
Foods in the
kitchen
I think red cabbage and dill
are quite underused when we
cook. There are so many new
ingredients now that we often
forget about traditional ingredients.
In my country, everyone is crazy
about avocados or coconuts, but
at the farmers market, there are
some incredible red cabbages
from local farmers. You can
mix it with a nice dressing and
some other roots, and you get a
nourishing and delicious salad.
Same for the dill. It must be one
of my favorite herbs. It reminds
me of my grandmother’s soup
and baked potatoes. It’s full of
vitamins K and A and has such a
wonderful aroma. Why miss out
on these two? It makes no sense.latest Food
discoveRy
My latest discovery must be
kimchi. I’ve always had a thing
about fermented foods, maybe
because here, in Romania, we
tend to eat pickles with every
meal. Pickled cucumbers,
peppers, tomatoes, cauliflower—
we can pickle anything. But
kimchi is so special. It has so
much flavor and depth. I love its
sourness and “punch you in the
face” flavor. I find myself very
well in it as well as my cooking
style. You can find a few brands
that make vegan kimchi, but I
would strongly recommend to
make your own. The process is
wonderful, and you can experiment
with the flavor and create your
very own kimchi style.tips FoR RaW
Baking
I love raw baking, especially the
dessert area. If you are into raw
desserts, I think the best thing
you can do is experiment a lot,
like a lot! Read about ingredients
and their nutritional values.
Some nuts are hard to digest
and you need to pay attention
to what you are mixing in there.
But it’s fun, and raw desserts
can be as good as the traditional
ones, if not even better. I love
the freshness of the ingredients,
the striking aroma and pure
ingredients. Raw chocolate must
be the perfect example: high-
quality cocoa butter, raw cacao
powder, sea salt and coconut
sugar—four ingredients, well
ground, and you get the most
luxurious chocolate out here, and
you can make it yourself. Isn’t
that beautiful?1 2 3
ingRedients
1 cup spelt flour
½ cup rapadura sugar
2 tsp baking powder
2 apples
¾ cup coconut milk
¼ cup cacao powder
Vanilla extract
Saltmethod
Mix all the dry ingredients.
Blend the apples and milk.
Pour the mixture over the
dry ingredients. Pour the
batter into a loaf pan.
Garnish with almonds.Bake for 1 hour at
350°F/175°C.Double Chocolate Bread