Gluten-free and vegan recipes to feed your mind

SIMPLE AND SATISFYING: Marinated cauliflower and red capsicum salad.

EATING the right foods can help you feel light, bright and ready to conquer anything, whereas the wrong foods can leave you feeling sluggish and unmotivated, finds Debbie Gregory.

Nutritonist Delia McCabe has broken down how different foods affect your brain.

Her new book, Feed Your Brain — The Cookbook has just been released and contains easy recipes plus answers to all your questions about what is actually good for you.

The author has a Masters in Psychology and completed her doctorate on the effects of certain nutrients on female stress. For the past 20 years she has combined her knowledge of the human brain with research into how food influences brain function.

She says the right diet can have a dramatic influence on our memory, moods, ability to focus and manage stress.

This book is more than just a recipe book. It has great content on food preparation and storage as well as mix and match options and a section on kitchen tools to make life simpler.

The frequently asked questions section has all the answers for a novice vegan and gluten-free cook.

There are more than 100 quick and simple recipes to try.

To whet your appetite, here’s a sample recipe from the new book.

MARINATED CAULIFLOWER & RED CAPSICIUM (BELL PEPPER) SALAD

Preparation: 20 minutes/serves 6.

This is a very simple but satisfying salad, and serving it with gluten-free flat bread and hummus makes for an ideal light meal. It’s also a really pretty salad and looks lovely spread on a bed of baby spinach or rocket (arugula) leaves topped with roasted garlic dressing.

Salad Ingredients

1 medium cauliflower, stem removed and florets thinly sliced

1 small leek, finely sliced

1 red capsicum (bell pepper), seeded and finely sliced

Dressing

Juice and rind of 1 medium lemon

1 tbsp mustard powder

½ cup olive oil

3 tbsp maple syrup

4 tbsp capers, rinsed and drained

½ cup parsley or coriander (cilantro), finely sliced

2 spring onions (shallots, scallions), finely chopped (including green tops)

Method

1. Steam the cauliflower lightly, maintaining a slight crunch, and set aside to cool.

2. Meanwhile, combine the lemon juice, mustard powder, olive oil and maple syrup in a blender or food processor and blend on high until smooth and creamy. Add the capers and pulse briefly to chop them roughly.

3. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl, then add the lemon rind, steamed cauliflower, parsley or coriander and spring onion. Toss evenly, then pour the dressing over the salad to serve.

4. If you don’t plan to serve the salad immediately, set aside the parsley or coriander and spring onion. You can refrigerate the salad in an airtight glass container for a few hours or overnight, then return to room temperature and toss the parsley or coriander and spring onions into the salad just before serving so that they retain their colour and crunch.

Variation:

Add a drained can (425gm) or 1? cups cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans) to transform this salad into a light meal.