Growing up in Malaysia, studying in Australia, teaching in Canada and travelling in Europe has given Furry Creek resident Rita Brungs the ingredients to culinary delight.
Now the first-time author shares her gained wisdom with a health and taste inspired recipe book, Let Food Be Your Joy and Medicine.
The book has been available through online ordering since July 22, and Brungs said she hopes it will encourage people to realize the true value of learning to cook food that's healthy and delicious.
Raised surrounded by Chinese, Indian and Malaysian cooks, the recipes have a certain foreign taste.
"Western nutrition revolves around fats, carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, minerals and fibre," said Brungs.
"In this book I have collected recipes for menus that will provide food that is low in animal fats and calories, rich in tastes, nutrients and fibres. The calories in these dishes come mainly from vegetables, legumes and grains."
Brungs studied home economics and nutrition in Australia before teaching home economics for several decades in Canadian schools.
Her first teaching position was at Howe Sound Secondary in the late '60s before teaching in Alberta for several years and finally returning to the area to live in Furry Creek.
After three years spent compiling recipes and doing extensive nutritional research, her book is published and ready for the rest of the Sea to Sky Corridor, and the world to enjoy.
"I've tried to compile all my life experiences through cooking into this one book and I wanted to be able to share that with everyone," said Brungs.
Let Food Be Your Joy and Medicine contends that fresh, natural ingredients are the key to maintaining health, and the less kitchen gadgets and preservatives involved, the better.
"All ingredients should be as fresh as possible" is one of Brungs' mottos.
There are no saturated fats in the 250 pages and each recipe has its own nutritional information. The book is sprinkled with Brungs own experiences, anecdotes about the different recipes and mouth watering images.
The book has an entire section dedicated to different recipes for rice and grains and explanations for cooking each type: quinoa, thai red rice, vegetarian rice, bulgar, Spanish rice and more.
"Ama says that if rice is cooked correctly, a single grain can be picked up with a pair of chopsticks," states one anecdote in the rice and grains section.
The book also offers an entire section dedicated to the "revival of the culinary language," which Brungs considers a very important part of cooking.
"Each term has a very distinct mean and act tied to it," she said, "and it affects the essence of the food you're making."
The culinary language dictionary if followed by specific sections: soups, rice, chicken, lamb, pork, seafood, vegetables, salads and a very small dessert section.
The artichoke-roasted red bell pepper salad and the lentil soup with blackberry pesto are two of Brung's favourites, and salad dressing and jam recipes are also included in the book.
From the dessert recipes she includes, and her all-time favourite is crepes with chestnut sour strawberries.
Let food be your joy and medicine is now available online through the Xlibris bookstore by going to www.xlibris/letfoodbeyourjoy&medicine.html and will be available through Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble after Oct. 22.
Any local bookstore wishing to sell the book can contact Brung via email at brungs@ualberta.
