September 19 2016News

Crisp x Melbourne Foodies: An Interview with Lisa Crooks.

‘ This food is meant to be consumed messily, passionately, and in good company. Or by yourself. In a beanbag. Binging Netflix.. There’ll be laughs, there’ll be probably tears, there’ll definitely be avocado.’

Lisa Crooks (Lisa Brooke) is talented Melbourne ‘foodie’ whom is the brains behind the ‘Spoonful of Pixels’. She works as a graphic designer but also a freelance photographer- combining these two fields with her passion for food. She is an extremely busy individual, and although she loves to cook sometimes she just doesn’t have the time to meal prep, and thus became one of our many fantastic customers. Crisp sat down with Lisa, speaking all about her passion for food, for design and exploring one of her favourite recipes, Chana Dal.

She describes her love for food by the way it makes her feel. To Lisa, ‘there is nothing like a hearty bowl of soup to make you feel better’ when the weather gets cold; or, eating watermelon on your neighbours lawn on a warm sunny day. She admits that coming from a European background, her family were great cooks. But, as a vegetarian, her love for food and cooking grew from the desire to show that plant based diets don’t have to be boring and can still give a balanced lifestyle.

To Lisa, food is truly about comfort and enjoyment, and nourishing the body, and we couldn’t agree more!

Lisa made a red lentil and pumpkin Chana Dal, which is a modern twist to a traditional Chana Dal recipe. This is the perfect quick dinner after a busy day, or a nourishing lunch to pre-prepare. But, when you don’t have time to prepare lunch or dinner, come in store and try our Lentil Dal, filled with nourishing kale, brown rice, almonds, and green peas and topped with coriander and Greek yoghurt.

To see more of Lisa’s work, check our her website http://spoonfulofpixels.com or

follow @spoonfulofpixels on Instagram.

Red Lentil and Pumpkin Dal:

1 cup of red lentils

1 cup of split Bengal gram (split chickpeas)

1 quarter teaspoon of turmeric powder

2 tablespoons of ghee

1 tablespoon of butter

1 teaspoon of cumin

1 medium onion, chopped

2 medium tomatoes, chopped.

1 inch piece of ginger, chopped.

Method:

1. Pre-soak the lentils and split chickpeas in 4 cups of water for 1 hour. Drain
2. Place soaked mix into 4 cups of water, add salt, turmeric powder and half of the ginger. Green chillies can also be added according to your tastes.
3. Cover and cook on a low heat until the lentils and chickpeas are tender.
4. Heat ghee and butter in a pan, add cumin, and remaining ginger.
5. Add onions to the mix and sauté until brown.
6. Add tomatoes and the chilli powder, sauté until tomatoes soften.
7. Next add the mix to the lentils and chickpea mix and simmer for a few minutes.
8. Garnish with roasted pumpkin and a generous amount of coriander.

For something extra, add some cashews, lime juice or Greek yoghurt!.

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