Green entrepreneur and pioneer of healthy living, Emma Sawko has a lot to teach us about taking care of ourselves through what we eat.
Emma Sawko is one of those people you picture in your head when you think of the modern Parisienne. A fearless businesswoman, a natural beauty and, of course, a living lesson in class. Founder of the very successful healthy restaurant Wild & the Moon – in Dubai and Paris – Emma has just released her first cookbook.
This first book is a mixture between a memoir and a cookery book. In it, Emma dives into her experience of living in Switzerland, New York and Paris, her journey to find balance and learn how to live in harmony with herself and the challenges of starting a green business in the Middle East first and then in Europe.
Emma shared with us two of her favourite recipes ahead of the launch of her book, available everywhere – in English and French – from the 7th of October, 2020.
The Green Polenta
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 4 tbsp (60 ml) olive oil
- ⅔ cup (160 ml) coconut milk
- 3¼ cups (800 ml) almond milk (SEE SEPARATE RECIPE) / OR BOUGHT ALMOND MILK
- 1 cup (5 oz./140 g) polenta
- A few sage leaves, washed and finely chopped
- 4½ oz. (120 g) vegan Parmesan-style cheese, grated
- 3 or 4 red-skinned radishes, washed
- 1 small sweet potato, peeled
- 1 small beet, washed
- 2 oz. (60 g) fresh peas
- Salt and pepper
To serve:
- Sunflower seeds
- Pumpkin seeds
Method
Briefly fry the garlic and onion in a little of the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Deglaze with the coconut milk and almond milk and bring to a boil. Add the polenta in a steady stream, stirring constantly, followed by the sage, and let cook over medium heat until the polenta comes away from the sides of the saucepan. Add the vegan Parmesan-style cheese, season with salt and pepper, and remove from the heat.
Using a mandolin or sharp knife, cut the radishes, sweet potato, and beet into thin slices. Add the peas to a saucepan of boiling, salted water, cook for a few seconds, and then drain. Mix the sliced vegetables, peas, and remaining olive oil together in a bowl, and season with salt and pepper.
Serve the polenta topped with the vegetable salad and sprinkled with sunflower and pumpkin seeds.
Rawliflower
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 small cauliflower, washed
- 2 red apples, washed, cored, and cut into sticks
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice
- 7 oz. (200 g) vegan blue cheese
- 6 tbsp (90 ml) olive oil
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) cider vinegar
- ¼ red cabbage, washed and finely shredded
- 1 good handful walnuts, roughly chopped
- 3½ oz. (100 g) pomegranate seeds
- 20 mint leaves, washed and chopped
- 20 flat-leaf parsley leaves, washed and chopped
- 20 chive stems, washed and chopped
- Salt and pepper
To serve (optional):
- Edible flowers, washed
METHOD
Finely grate the cauliflower so it has the texture of tabbouleh grains. Toss the apple sticks with the lemon juice to prevent them discoloring. Cut the vegan blue cheese into bite-sized cubes.
Make a dressing with the olive oil and cider vinegar and season with salt and pepper. In a bowl, lightly mix together the cauliflower, apple sticks, red cabbage, walnuts, pomegranate seeds, chopped herbs, and the dressing. Season with salt and pepper.
Divide the salad between 4 serving plates and add the cheese cubes to each one. Garnish with a few edible flowers, if using.
