KENKŌ KITCHEN COOKBOOK RELEASE
Coconut Ice Cream 6 Ways // Kenkō Kitchen. Image taken from the Kenkō Kitchen Cookbook. Australian edition out now through Hardie Grant, out March/April through Hardie Grant UK and Rizzoli USA. Photography by Elisa Watson, styling by Kate Bradley (Kenkō Kitchen) and Sally Bradley.
And so it is finally here, the Kenkō Kitchen cookbook has now officially hit stores across Australia. I am a mixture of both nervous and excited waiting to see everyones reactions to the book we worked so hard on. On the official day of the cookbooks release, Sunday February 1st, I went around to various bookstores with my parents (who were even more nervous than I was!). First we went to a shopping centre nearby to see if anyone had put it on the shelves (nobody had yet), and then went to Readings in St Kilda where they were already down to last two copies. It still hadn't sunk it yet that I was looking at my own book sitting next to Donna Hay and Jamie Oliver. We then went to check out another Readings where they had the book on display and then onto a David Jones store. This was when everything got a little too overwhelming. David Jones had it on display in four different spots! I went to buy a book and the lady asked me if the book was good, I said "I hope so as I made it!" and with that I completely burst into tears and the reality of the situation had sunk in. I made a book with my amazing photographer Elisa Watson and it was now on the shelves in stores. Something I had only dreamed of and never thought would ever become a reality.
I really cannot thank the team at Hardie Grant more for allowing me to create a book which I believe in so strongly. Although vegan, gluten free and refined sugar free recipes on their own are becoming more common in our society it is quite rare to find a recipe which accounts for all three. This is not to say only vegans, coeliacs or those with intolerances should or can buy my cookbook as it really was made for everyone. I tried to make a book which would be as inclusive as possible whilst remaining simple in it's methods and using easy to source ingredients. This accessibility factor is something I believe in very passionately and it is something we need to be more aware of. Not everyone can afford to do $300 grocery shops every week to feed their family and not everyone has the time to run from specialty shop to health food shop to track down niche expensive ingredients. For this reason in the Kenkō Kitchen cookbook I have used as many ingredients as I could which are easy to pick up from your local supermarket.
The Kenkō Kitchen cookbook is a collection of not only my favourite recipes with a healthy twist but also includes raw, detoxifying and macrobiotic recipes. I have tried to make this first cookbook for newcomers to healthy eating or those with speciality diets as well as being something which I hope will continue to inspire the long-term health conscious food lovers, vegans and those living with intolerances and allergies. From nutritious breakfast options such as porridges, waffles, granola and homemade vegan yoghurts, to light-but-filling lunch options and delicious dinners you should be able to find that there is something in the cookbook for every occasion.
I made this cookbook with love and passion for you. I wanted to create something which would inspire other young people and adults to cook and eat healthy nourishing dishes at home with ease. I want to get people away from thinking healthy means only eating lettuce, diet yoghurt and celery sticks (it certainly isn't!!) and I want to stop people being fearful of food. We need to get back to eating real food made using beautiful ingredients and taste the love and nourishment in each dish. I hope with this first cookbook I achieve this even if only on a small scale.
Kenkō Kitchen Cookbook // All images taken from the Kenkō Kitchen Cookbook. Australian edition out now through Hardie Grant, out March/April through Hardie Grant UK and Rizzoli USA. Photography by Elisa Watson, styling by Kate Bradley (Kenkō Kitchen) and Sally Bradley.
I want to thank a few beautiful bloggers who have featured the Kenkō Kitchen cookbook on their websites and have posted recipes from the book in honour of it's release. You can check out an interview with myself and a recipe for that amazing caramel slice on Jessica Cox Nutritionist's website, the recipe for the Rainbow Stirfry on George Eats and the recipe for those amazing Sweet Potato Mushroom burgers on The Holistic Ingredient. Alongside this I would also like to thank the numerous publications who have featured the cookbook such as Inside Out and Nourish magazine as well as Yen for publishing a very kind review!
Thank you to everyone who has supported me in the making of this book and been a huge help in the process. The biggest of thanks to my mum and dad who allowed me to turn the kitchen and house upside down for months and for always being their to lend a helping hand. I still am yet to catch my breath from it all and really come to the reality of this whole thing (I swear it's still not real!). I cannot wait to see what is next. xx