IN CONVERSATION: In the (Cruelty-Free) Kitchen
I WENT TO THE STUNNING K'GARI (FRASER ISLAND) IN SEPTEMBER THIS YEAR, ON A YOGA RETREAT WITH THE VERY INSPIRING ASHLEY FREEMAN + A BUNCH OF BEAUTIFUL WOMEN, ALL OF US INTENT ON RECHARGING, MOVING OUR BODIES, SOAKING UP THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT....AND EATING MOUTH WATERING VEGAN FOOD FOR 7 DAYS + NIGHTS. JOSH, OF @TWOCONSCIOUSCOOKS WAS OUR CHEF FOR THE WEEK, AND SUFFICE TO SAY, IT WAS LUCKY WE DID SO MUCH EXERCISE THAT WEEK, AS JOSH FED + WATERED US WITH AMAZING OFFERINGS, SEVERAL TIMES A DAY. CHECK OUT JOSH + ELISE'S IG HERE; WARNING, YOU'LL WANT TO TRY ALL THE RECIPES THEY'RE GENEROUS ENOUGH TO SHARE...AND YOU'LL POSSIBLY WANT TO GET YOURSELF A VAN, AND TAKE OFF INTO THE WILD BLUE YONDER.
CW: We loved having you cook for us on the K’Gari retreat - how did you go about planning the menu for 13 hungry women daily? Do calories come into it, or is it all about nutritional balance?
CW: Yourself + Elise have spent the last two years travelling in your converted van - this looks like ’the dream’ to so many - what are the steps you went through in converting your life down to a limited space?
Josh: For us it was pretty simple. But living in a van is definitely not for everyone. I originally bought the van without the intention of moving into it permanently. Growing up as a surfer in South Australia means long drives, weeks in the desert and very cold and windy winters in a tent. Eventually enough was enough, I got the van as a means of shelter during the harsh winters, my wetsuits could dry and I could cook out of the wind. Those week long camps really set the tone for a minimal outlook on life. As our uni degrees came to an end we decided to convert the van into a motor home and hit the road for a year, we aimed to loop around Australia in a year, then come back to Adelaide and settle down. Now we are a couple of years in and nowhere near finished. As the departure date got closer we knew everything had to fit, so there were definitely some harsh truths about what we did and didn’t need. Since being on the road we have really found an appreciation for the small things in life, just being grateful for the time we have together and really understanding the worth of our few possessions. The past two years everything we have needed has fit into a van so we have realised we don’t actually need a lot to be happy.
CW: Go-to plant based recipes for keeping yourself healthy in body + mind?
Josh: This is a hard one, our go-to catalogue is about 20-30 recipes. So it’s hard to narrow down to just a couple. I would say something like lentil bolognese or chilli con carne. Our go-to is probably anything in our pressure cooker. You can cook anything in there and super useful for plant based recipes, lentils and other legumes cook super fast and lots of flavour gets added in the cooking process. For people transitioning to plant based diets I would say some staple meals to add that are full of flavour. And don’t be afraid to try something new.
Josh: Studying any sort of environmental science I think, seems to give you some sort of optimism, although at times it can seem like the future is bleak. You get introduced to a whole community of people aiming to fix or combat environmental challenges through science. People asking the questions that need to be asked and setting goals that need to be set. No matter how complex and fragile ecosystems are, life will always carry on. But, it seems with the way humanity is going, these ecosystems will become less and less diverse and complex. It is extremely concerning how quickly we are starting to see drastic change. Not only in the water but also on land. Weather patterns are becoming less and less predictable and for the past 15 years every year has consecutively beaten the previous year as the hottest on record. Climate change is undeniable, I believe that the most concerning thing is how many people refuse to believe it and how little some people are doing about it.
CW: The most common question on the retreat was ‘when are you writing an E-book for your recipes’?! No pressure, but seriously, when?
THANK YOU JOSH FOR GIVING US SOME INSIGHT INTO LIFE ON THE ROAD + ALL THE WAYS YOU MANAGE TO STAY HEALTHY + MINDFUL ON YOUR JOURNEY. I FOR ONE WILL BE ATTEMPTING THE BELOW DESSERT FOR CHRISTMAS DAY....I'M NOT THE CHEF IN OUR HOUSE, SO WE'LL SEE HOW WELL IT TURNS OUT AS TO WHETHER ANYONE WILL EVER SEE THE RESULT.