There are so many great reasons to eat more veg, more often. Reducing GHG emissions, improving health, saving money and preventing animal suffering are just some of the reasons for the growing interest in plant-based meals.

It can be a little daunting to get started - particularly if you usually cook with meat. To give you some inspiration, the VEG Action Group will be introducing some of our members and their favourite plant-based staples.

In the sixth post of our series, Katherine Bishop, market manager of the Woodend Farmer’s Market shares a little about herself and her staples.

Tell us a little about yourself

I have lived with my husband and four children aged 1 - 11 in Gisborne for the last 4 years. I am a Marketing & Events Consultant and I love my job as the Market Manager for the Woodend Community Farmers' Market. I started exploring a whole-foods and plant based diet when my first couple of children were younger and I loved finding new recipes and ways of using my Thermomix to make healthy (and yummy) meals for our family. I had a period of 6 months in 2018 when I was 100% vegan which was the healthiest I have ever felt. I joined the MRSG around the time I became vegan and started to explore more of the impact our family was having on the environment.

What are the main considerations you have when planning your meals?

I enjoy making healthy meals for my family and finding ways to include more veg in everything we eat. This often requires stealth moves to get my boys to eat veggies! Speed, cost and ensuring that good quality protein is included are things I always look for in a recipe. I also like to include fermented foods in our meals where ever possible - miso, yoghurt, sauerkraut, kimchi are favourites.

What are your favourite ingredients to work with and why?

I love root veggies and am always craving a hearty 'orange' soup which can contain a mix of pumpkin, sweet potato and carrot. Sweet potato also features in my favourite brownie recipe!

Can you tell us a little about one of your staple dishes?

Sweet Potato Brownies!

So decadent, yummy and healthy! You’ll find the recipe here. Gooey, rich, chocolaty and all-round indulgent. I promise you’d never know there was any veg in here at all!

I can even fool my 11-year-old with this one who is a ninja at sniffing out if I have included anything 'healthy' in my baking. :)

Is there anything you’d like to cook more of and why?

I would love to be fully vegan again (except I love eggs), as I adore the food but for now my time to cook seperate meals for myself is limited so I eat what the family eats.

Delicious VEG Staples #6: Sweet potato brownies