I absolutely adore soup and it is my go-to lunch in winter. Soups are a great way of getting in more plant foods in an aim to get to the target of 30 different plant foods across the week. Why 30 plant foods? This is to support the microbes living in our gut which need a diverse range of plant foods to flourish. These soup recipes are delicious, healthy and filling from the plant protein.

If your goal is to improve your health the number one thing you can do is add more vegetables to your diet. We know that eating plants is good, but eating a big VARIETY of plant foods is better, as it seems to encourage the growth of different species of helpful bacteria in our gut. So add flavour to your plants with extra virgin olive oil, herbs and spices and add some different varieties to your trolley each week. Here’s 6 of my current favourite salad recipes.

As the weather warms up I’m always on the lookout for new substantial salads. I’m a huge fan of the Community cookbook by Hetty McKinnon and this recipe is a favourite, with the hot flavoured oil poured over the freshly grilled broccolini. The original recipe uses broccoli, but I have a bit of a childhood trauma from broccoli so use broccolini instead! This just goes to show it’s really important to try different cooking techniques to find a way to change the taste of vegetables you dislike - in general though, extra virgin olive oil, parmesan, garlic and chilli all work wonders!

In a busy family on top of having to manage various food preferences and eating styles, one of the challenges can be managing portion sizes for differing energy needs across a range of people.  The ideal amount of food for each family member will depend on their age, sex, height and how active they are across the day. 

What to do do when you’re tired, hungry but know you should have a salad with dinner? Enter my super speedy thai quinoa salad! This plant powered salad packs in a load of different veggies plus plant protein and is ready in 5 minutes, plus holds up in the fridge for leftover the next day. Winner!

It's heating up here in Sydney!  With a newly vegetarian teenager in my house I'm trying to get in the habit of creating a big, substantial salad on a Sunday that can work as leftovers for the week. Or I get on the #meatfreemonday bandwagon.  Here's 6 of my favourite salads, and one little extra.

Green vegetables are one of the veggies that many people dislike and so don’t eat enough of. But there’s some simple ways to add flavour to greens, making them more enjoyable so you’ll want to eat them more often. And this is one of my favourite ways... SteamedGreens with Dukkah and Lemon.

We love soup for Meatless Monday or after Saturday morning sport.  However often a plain vegetable soup can be low in protein and leave you hungry later on, so I’ve added chickpeas which are a terrific source of plant based protein and fibre.  Adding pear brings a beautiful sweetness to this dish.  This soup is very simple to put together with the oven doing the bulk of the work.

Perfect for entertaining, or for a family dinner with the hopes of leftovers, here's how we've been enjoying our grilled veggies.  Our secret is to include a punnet of figs (so cheap at the moment - and they used to be such a luxury!) and to marinade before grilling.  This is a delicious side to barbecued steaks, sausages or halloumi.

In worrying news for hummus fans the world over - we are facing a GLOBAL SHORTAGE OF CHICKPEAS! After the avocado crisis I'm not sure how I'll cope! In the meantime, while tinned chickpeas are still cheap I'll stock up. Here's how we had them last night - roasted til crispy tossed with coriander, cumin and oregano, roasted along side some pumpkin. Served with rocket, mint, toasted pepitas, pomegranate seeds and some halloumi too. 

If you are asked to bring a salad to a BBQ or Christmas party - this one is a winner!  Look at those colours!  And yum, any salad with pomegranate and feta is a winner in my books.  Then add in that beautiful refreshing watermelon and the crunch of almonds, so good.  

Hot summer evenings are calling for this divine BUN CHA bowl with a warm dipping sauce.  

Healthy, low carb, high protein, with heaps of veggies, Gluten Free and FODMAP friendly!