Cooking – The Art of Life – The Organic Gardener, Autumn 2000

In 1986, Sandra Dubs established the Melbourne Japanese cooking school and has for the last two decades been deeply involved in the field of natural foods and nutrition. For many years she has been running classes in vegetarian and macrobiotic-style cooking Now she has transferred her knowledge and talents to a new video titled ‘Sandra’s Whole Cuisine’. It is full of plant based, vegan, dairy free and gluten free recipes.The video provides an inspiring introduction to whole food cooking, from shopping to nutritional background and healthy recipes.

This video begins with an educational walk through a health food store and a visit to an organic fruit and vegetable market where Sandra explains the healing, nutritional and environmental benefits of using organic and naturally produced foods. For anyone who is wanting to change their eating habits from conventional, over-processed and refined foods, this video is an excellent start, with Sandra describing clearly and simply, a wide range of essential foods basic to a nourishing, wholefood cuisine. She then takes the viewer step by step through the preparation and cooking of 27 recipes, covering whole grains, sauces, pulses, noodles and desserts. Adzuki bean and pumpkin stew, spicy tofu burgers, miso pesto, skillet corn bread and cashew almond cream are among the fare presented. There is a Japanese influence in many of the recipes.

The video comes with a booklet containing the recipes and nutritional information – all of which are of value to beginners and experienced cooks. Sandra believes that cooking has developed as an art along with culture “Keeping in balance with the foods we eat is the first step to improving the way we live,” she says. “What we eat and drink affects us physically. emotionally and spiritually”