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Paisley Sage celebrates the pleasures of cookng and eating food that are wholesome, delicious, and simply-made from the source to the table.
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AT HOME IN PAISLEY SAGE WHOLE FOOD KITCHEN
Healthy living and eating are critical determining factors in living well as health plays a significant role in the quality of our life and life expectancy. What and how we eat matters a lot to our health and life.
Here at home in Paisley Sage Kitchen, sustainable healthy eating is of priority. We eat well. We eat right. We also have a discerning palate for fine, simple, aesthetically pleasing, delectable foods. Therefore, mindfully and simply prepared wholesome, delicious meals are the bedrock of Paisley Sage cooking—where purity, nutritional value, deliciousness, aesthetics, simplicity, and sustainability are whipped together and heartily savored.
Truth be told, "healthy" and "tasty" do go together and are inevitable outcomes in Paisley Sage Kitchen. Take control of your food choices and eating habits today, and embark on your personal journey to a healthier, more quality, and palatable life.
FOOD PHILOSOPHY
MINDFUL EATING
There are many kinds of diets out there. For example, Vegetarian, Gluten-Free, Raw Food, Paleo, Ketogenic, Mediterranean, and Weight-Watcher—to name a few. However, a diet that works for someone might not necessarily work for you, and vice versa. This is because each of us is created different, with unique DNA and physical makeup. I have seen some people thrive vibrantly on a strictly vegetarian diet and others who don't. I have also observed how some people take raw foods well, while others have a hard time with digestion and reaping its benefits. That said, I don't mean to deter anyone from dieting. In fact, I had tried a number of diets and had figured out what works for me or not through the experience. So, should you try and experiment with any of the diets out there, use the experience to learn more about yourself and your body. Find out what works for you and what doesn't. As for Paisley Sages, we'd rather not legalistically count calories or put our faith in a certain diet or be restricted by one kind of diet. We prefer to listen to our bodies, eat high quality ethically-and-sustainably-sourced foods as much as possible, be sensitive to the personal season of life we are in, and nourish ourselves accordingly.
HEALTHY ALTERNATIVES
When the best option is not available, be flexible. Choose healthy alternatives or the next best option. Don't beat yourself up if the next best choice you find falls below the mark. Extend grace to yourself. What matters is what you eat most of the time. So eat the best foods you can find most of the time, and let go of occasions that fall short and account for just 'some of the time.' Basically, don't sweat the small stuff. Be kind to yourself. You are still becoming.
GOOD EATING HABITS
Eating well aside, we have to eat right too. Practice healthy eating patterns and portion control. In other words, cultivate good eating habits. As a rule of thumb, don't wait to eat until you are too hungry as we tend to overeat and eat too quickly at times like this. Be sure to eat slowly and chew thoroughly since how we eat also affects our health. It is vital to break down all foods by chewing for the body to access their nutrition. Don’t shovel food in your mouth. Instead, sit down at a designated table for dining, take time to give thanks, taste, enjoy, and pleasurably savor the food before you—slowly and mindfully. Overeating, even the 'well foods’ will make us put on weight and wreak havoc to our digestive system and health. So, eat in moderation. Aim to eat as early as possible in the evening to leave plenty of time for digestion before bed. On top of that, be reminded to stay adequately hydrated throughout the day. Our body is made up of approximately sixty percent water. So ensure that you are drinking the purest water possible. I find that when water alone is unable to sufficiently hydrate the body (for some of us), it is wise and effective to supplement our daily water intake with natural coconut water.
COOK YOUR OWN MEALS
I encourage you to consider making your own meals so you have full control over what exactly goes into your body. The ‘best foods’ are making it yourself. It is really not that much of a hassle. For those of us who live on our own, I think all the more we should cook our own meals. Often, we would go to the trouble to cook for others but hesitate to cook for ourselves when we eat alone. To value ourselves more—what we would do for others, let’s do it for ourselves too. You will find many simple recipes here that are easy and quick to make and neither require advanced cooking skills, nor a long ingredient list, or too much washing up to do at the end. Who knows, you might even start making food from scratch and growing your very own fresh produce in your homes. Sustainable living requires us to become more of a producer and less of a consumer. I try to make food from scratch as much as possible. I find it satisfying and empowering. Like me, you would be surprised to find how therapeutic cooking can be. It is a celebratory expression of selfhood. It is possible to be healed and restored in the mind, body, and soul by simply cooking your own meals. There is comfort in the ritual.
I have been working on a ‘Cooking For One’ Video Series with recipes specially developed for those of us who live alone. It is derived from my personal experience of cooking for myself. Efficiency and ease is key when I cook for myself. I often streamline the making of these no-fuss, one-dish, one-pan or one-pot meals from start to finish with smart kitchen appliances such as the air fryer, pressure cooker, slow cooker, the good old oven, and even blender. I also use cookware such as the cast iron skillet, grill pan, sheet pan, baking dish and Dutch oven. These simple, small serving recipes are easy and enjoyable to prepare with few ingredients, no advanced cooking skills required, yield little to no leftovers and very minimal washing up at the end of each meal. I hope it would be of use to you.
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What’s presented here are not hard and fast rules but merely principles for eating well. Take what works for you and apply it to your daily life. It is better to follow these guidelines some of the time, than not at all. It is your practice. You get to decide and control what outcomes you want.
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SIMPLE GUIDE TO COOKING AND EATING
SIMPLE | NATURAL
As close to nature and its rhythms as possible. Seasonal, fresh, unprocessed whole foods. Direct from the source, either from the wild or ethical farm to table.
This means choosing to eat foods based on seasons and doing our best to steer away from processed foods, refined carbohydrates, and sweeteners like refined white sugar that are stripped of their natural nutrients. Beware of chemically enhanced food products often heavily advertised as 'health foods,' 'low fat,' 'no fat,' or 'low calorie,' as well as commercially-produced chemical-laden fake foods, chemical sweeteners, and genetically-modified foods.
VARIETY
Eat an array of the highest quality ingredients and foods from the animal and plant kingdoms in season and within reach and budget. Our bodies benefits from variety. We need a rainbow of nutrients and colors for optimal health. Include sustainably and ethically caught wild fish and seafood, ethically and naturally reared meat, dairy products, and free-range egg, pulses, nuts, seeds, seasonal and organic fruits, colorful plants, vegetables, herbs, and spices. Eating a diversity of colorful foods according to their seasons is an easy way to get a complete range of the vitamins and minerals which our body needs to thrive. This is one of the reasons why you will find many recipes of food from different parts of the world on this space. We celebrate World cuisines. From today, intentionally include a diversity of foods from all cultures in your diet.
NUTRIENT-DENSE
The variety of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytochemicals have enormous healing powers and can be found in many foods. These include sprouted whole grains and pseudocereals such as brown rice, quinoa, and buckwheat; high-quality dairy; a full range of natural fats, including ghee and unrefined oils; bone broth; fermented foods packed with probiotics such as kimichi, yoghurt, and kefir; and natural sweeteners such as coconut sugar, raw honey and maple syrup. Don’t forget to include Superfoods such as acai, chia, spirulina, and seaweed to supercharge your daily nutrient-intake too.
HIGH QUALITY | FLAVORFUL
Food can be healthy and tasty at the same time. High-quality, fresh ingredients are flavorful and delicious on their own. Hence, they do not require much seasoning during cooking. Minimal seasonings such as naturally fermented tamari, freshly ground pepper, sea salt, and organic miso can be used to enhance their natural flavors and add interest and depth without overpowering the ingredients' inherent characteristics. Use sparingly as a finishing touch. Less is more. Let the ingredients speak for themselves.
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Make simple meals with wholesome and fresh ingredients
and as Hippocrates said, “let food be your medicine and medicine be your food”.
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INGREDIENTS
AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, CHOOSE INGREDIENTS THAT ARE:
Fresh, whole, and natural; Processed-free or least processed; Non-genetically modified.
Pure and organic; Free of toxins, pesticides, and fungicides.
Of the highest quality, most flavorful, and nutrient-dense.
Preservative-free and additive-free; Naturally preserved.
Free of artificial ingredients such as artificial flavors and colors.
Free of hydrogenated fats, high-fructose corn syrup, and artificial sweeteners.
Making the least carbon footprint; Traveled the least distance and come in green packaging or sold in bulk with zero packaging.
Ethically produced or sourced, without devaluing the integrity of the individual (both human and animal) or the planet's ecosystems.
From producers and companies that are socially responsible for their impact on food, health, the environment, local economy, and workforce; With operations that facilitate the making of a more sustainable future.
KITCHEN TOOLS
KEEP IT SIMPLE
Keep kitchen gadgets and appliances as simple as possible. Avoid clutter of unused appliances or single-use devices that occupy precious space both physically and mentally.
QUALITY OVER QUANTITY
Buy high quality kitchenware that is effective and durable from reputable companies, and buy only what you need. High quality cookware absorbs and spreads heat evenly, allowing food to cook long and slow without sticking to the bottom. Its tight-fitting lids trap flavor and steam in, ensuring flavorful meals. Consider good quality cast iron skillets, enamel-coated cast iron, stoneware or heavy-bottomed high-quality stainless steel pots. For baking, consider glass, ceramic or enamel-coated cast iron baking dishes. For serving and storing, choose ceramic, porcelain or enamel bowls and plates, and glass storage containers that are heat-and-cold-proof and allow freezing and reheating.
EFFICIENCY
It is alright to splurge and own a few luxury kitchen appliances. For example, a multi-purpose pressure cooker, a powerful blender, and a highly efficient food processor that produces excellent results in a fraction of the time. Useful kitchen devices make life easier and living more efficient. For the convenience, efforts and time saved, it is money well-spent in exchange for more quality time and life.
SAFETY
Avoid any synthetically coated and non-stick cookware coated with Teflon or materials that release toxic gases when heated and will eventually peel off and end up in the food. Also, avoid aluminium, copper, and plastic-made equipment in cooking and food preparation. These toxic metals and plastic chemicals are detrimental to health and the cause of many prevailing health problems.
