Heal, Melissa Delport

In Heal, Melissa asks her readers to fall in love with cooking and fall in love with food. She advises people to find what works for them. To tune into their bodies and pay attention to how they feel with certain types of meal prep and what works best.

After the success of her first book  WHOLE – bowl food for balance,  which shares the journey of moving away from fad dieting and healing our relationship with food through mindful eating, Melissa decided to dive deeper into health and look at why we make the food choices we do. She discovered that understanding why we make the food choices that hinder health, cause inflammation and compound weight gain, and learning to connect with our emotions empowers us to make healthier decisions.

HEAL – begin with food  is about that journey and aims to share information on how to eat healthier, support the body’s various systems, heal ailments, and live a life of energy and abundance through beautiful whole food cooking. The close to 100 recipes in this book are beyond delicious and packed with whole foods that are nutritious and can be enjoyed without guilt, knowing that they are healthy for the mind, body and soul. The recipes are either vegetarian or vegan, but for those who enjoy meat, it can simply be added to the dish.

The recipes also feature pertinent health information and each chapter begins with questions that will help build awareness around your food choices. Healing your relationship with food is the first step in connecting to your health and  HEAL  will transform the way you look at food as a means to bring healing, lasting change and vitality into your life.

Chapters are divided into:

• smoothies and elixirs
• brunch
• a new way to salad
• sides
• broths and soups
• feasts
• healthy snacking and quick simple meals
• for the little ones
• dessert

Recipes that caught my eye:

• morning crunch (p48)
• buckwheat crêpes (p52)
• green eggs (p55)
• potato rösti (p56)
• crispy butter beans (p87)
• roasted sweet potato (p95)
• sourdough flatbread (p96)
• sweet potato and cauliflower soup (p107)
• healing broth (p108)
• roasted carrot and cardamom soup (p112)
• mushroom dumplings (p128)
• asparagus and leek pie (p132)
• caramel crunch (p150)
• buckwheat noodles (p153)
• grilled broccoli (p154)
• flower rolls (p161)
• healing hummus (p162)
• sourdough pancakes (p165)
• chocolate spread (p169)
• sneaky muffins (p173)
• chocolate bites (p177)
• choc maca milkshake (p185)
• lavender and honey white chocolates (p186)
• chocolate bars (p190)
• peanut butter and oat chocolate-dipped cookies (p193)
• spiced apple loaf with hazelnuts (p201)
• a nest of nice creams (p205)

My impressions:

Heal contains a lot of excellent information and I shall return to it to make more recipes. I am unfamiliar with some of the ingredients and would not use CBD so that limits my choice. The full page photographs are stunning.

What I made:

I baked the morning crunch the same day I did a batch of our regular toasted granola. We absolutely loved it and I would make it again for sure. The chocolate bites fall under the recipes for little ones and I wanted to make them with Hannah. However, I decided not to when I read just how much sugar went into the recipe. These proved however to be a great afternoon treat for Dave and I.

Publishing information:

Disclosure: I was sent the book to review by Penguin Random House South Africa. I was not required to write a positive review. This post is in line with my blogging policy.

Inspiration published on Lavender and Lime December 29:

• 2019: Shadow
• 2017: Blackberry Ripple Gelato
• 2014: Gingerbread
• 2010: A Foodie Quiz Thingy

Dave and I are away sightseeing with my parents. I will be back at work on the 5th of January and will reply to comments then.

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