What I want to share with you...

I have always been interested in food and creative cooking. I was growing up in the 60s and 70s in the socialist Poland during the times of shortage economy, which led to scarcity of basic food products. At that time the food sector didn’t have much to offer and our meals were based on locally grown produce, meat, dairy and carbs. My country was almost completely cut off from foreign cuisines and exotic ingredients were out of our reach. But the scarcity of ingredients on the market didn’t discourage people from preparing their food from a scratch, following traditional Easter European recipes. Despite of many products deficiency, the diversity and uniqueness of the Polish dishes made me remember the food from that period as delicious. Even then cooking seemed to me an exciting adventure.

 When I was younger my focus was on preparing foods that would taste delicious and look attractive not necessarily using health promoting ingredients. I decided to turn my interest towards healthy, mostly plant-based diet in 2009 after an unexpected health crisis.

 In that year on one night in May, being healthy and fit, without any warning whatsoever I had a full heart block and collapsed on the floor in my apartment in Chicago. Within a few days I had a pacemaker implanted and was fortunate to quickly recover. It took me a little longer though, to snap out of the emotional shock caused by that unexpected event. For a while I let myself feel vulnerable and confused reflecting on how volatile our life can be. At one point I finally felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude for staying alive. And although my health problem wasn’t related to lifestyle or diet, I became increasingly drown to plant-based ingredients and decided to make the most out of that diet.

I've developed simple recipes that burst with flavor and color and are inspired by meal ideas from different cultures. My recipes don’t contain meat, dairy or other animal products. Diets that exclude animal products may not be appropriate for everyone, so if you eat meat, eggs or dairy and they serve you well, feel free to add those ingredients to my recipes. I encourage you, though, to first try them unchanged to see how you will like the vegan/vegetarian versions.

The dishes I want to share are simple and the preparation of most of them will be a breeze. I hope that they will give you ideas and inspiration on your journey to radiant health and glowing appearance.