The Help Yourself Cookbook for Kids: 60 Easy Plant-Based Recipes Kids Can Make to Stay Healthy and Save the Earth
INTRODUCTIONS Tell me and I forget teach me and I may remember involve me and I learn Anonymous A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR probably since you were born someone has been making your meals and feeding you that's the life But wait a minute what's that there on the end of your arm Why it's a HELPING HAND your name here You are a very strong and capable person You have a LOT of power You hardly need anything more than your own two hands and a few ingredients to help save the world and feed yourself This book is called Help Yourself because it turns out that helping yourself to healthy food actually helps animals and the planet too The recipes in this book are VEGAN which means they use only ingredients that come from plants no animals or animal products Here's the deal From the tip of your nose to the tip of an iceberg the foods we eat affect our bodies animals the environment and even strangers on the other side of the planet It sounds impossible but it's the VI truth
HOW EATING PLANTS CAN HELP SAVE THE WORLD 1 Plant foods help us stay healthy 2 Growing plants uses up less land water and energy than raising animals does and causes less pollution too 3 No animals suffer when we eat plants 4 Plants can feed more people around the world than meat or dairy can 5 Plants contain more nutrients than animal products do Aaand making meals out of plant foods is like doing an art project but instead of glue scissors and paint you’ve got THiS to play with Read the recipes but feel free to be creative and use your imagination too Remember we are all connected If we make the a happier kinder cleaner safer place for all life gets better for us too I believe in you Now go Ruby Roth HELP YOURSELF VII
MEET SOME INGREDIENTS One minute these foods are new the next minute they're old favorites They are all easy to find at health food stores more and more at big-name grocery stores and online if you want them delivered to your door and they last a long time Once you buy them you'll use them a LOT in this book See Resources page 118 for my favorite brands AGAVE Similar to maple syrup which comes from a maple tree agave is a Sweet Syrup that comes from a cactus nature is so cool right Your body Soaks up agave much more slowly than sugar so you won't go so crazy when you eat it ALGAE are tiny plants that grow in ponds and lakes and are some of nature's most perfect foods containing a high amount of protein plus a long list of vitamins minerals and nutrients for your energy heart blood eyes brain and immune System Algae are dried and ground to a powder and can be found in the vitamin section of health food stores or online A bottle can seem expensive but it lasts a very long time so each nutritious use costs only a few cents Algae are super helpful for your nutrition and health We use two kinds in this book BLUE-GREEN ALGAE are named for their beautiful color Get as much in your body as you can by sprinkling the algae in juices water they will turn it the most beautiful turquoise on salads in chocolate recipes or in guacamole SPIRULINA is named for its shape under a microscope it looks like tiny spirals This green black powder is fun to sprinkle on everything from smoothies to popcorn because it turns everything VIII green
ALMOND FLOUR is simply almonds ground into a powder One package goes a long way and we use it in several recipes in this book Plus it’s good sprinkled on everything from fruit bowls to ice cream yogurt or oatmeal or in smoothies BOUILLON CUBES are little squares of oil herbs and salt all packed together They melt into soups to make them super tasty and flavorful Note Most bouillon is made with palm oil which often comes from farms that destroy forests to plant their crops but I use Rapunzel brand because it’s vegan organic fair-trade habitat-friendly and sustainable I wrote to them to find out You can find Rapunzel cubes in health food stores or online Once you get the hang of making the soups in this book you can flavor them with dried or fresh herbs garlic salt and a drizzle of oil instead Toss the herbs into the soup loose or pack a large handful into a mesh spice ball and soak it inside the pot of soup as it cooks BRAGG LIQUID AMINOS Bragg’s for short looks and tastes like soy sauce see shoyu page xii It gives soups salads and sauces a yummy salty flavor and is full of healthy amino acids proteins I always have it in my kitchen and we will use it a lOt in this book You can find it at nearly every health food store CACAO rhymes with ka-POW is the seed of the fruit of chocolate tree yes chocolate grows powder whole beans or nibs crushed up pieces on trees Raw cacao isn’t sweet on its own but has the chocolaty taste we all love and is one of the most nutritious foods on the planet with lots of antioxidants cell protectors vitamins and minerals like magnesium iron vitamin C and omega-6 Lucky us We use it mostly in powder form in this book but you can buy cacao iX
