Food From a Loving Home : A Collection of Vegetarian Recipes

Lauren Burns is best known for winning an Olympic gold medal in taekwondo when the sport made its debut at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

Now a qualified naturopath, nutritionist and herbalist, motivational speaker and mother of two small children, Lauren has written Food from a Loving Home, a new vegetarian cookbook to be published in April 2011.

This book is a project of love made by two friends, home cook Lauren Burns and designer Sarah Rudledge, who have collaborated to produce a work with local origins.

It represents handcrafted food and design and aims to encompass the pleasure and beauty of cooking and sharing food.

Lauren has always been passionate about food. She became a vegetarian at the age of three and is proud that, despite many nutritionists telling her it simply wasn't possible, she was able to continue being a vegetarian throughout her elite sporting career.

Her new book contains 100 mouth-watering vegetarian recipes that have been tried, tested and enjoyed in her own home.

From breakfast dishes to desserts, through soups, salads and small treats, the recipes are healthy, accessible and imaginative.

Readers can make Pumpkin Hotcakes for breakfast, Pomegranate and Haloumi Salad for lunch, Playgroup Soup for the kids, Tofu in Tomato Sauce with Coconut Lime Rice for dinner, or Poached Pears with Cardamom Cream for dessert.

The book is illustrated throughout with colour photographs of the food.

Lauren's enthusiasm for health and nutrition, and her respect for the human body and the mechanisms that govern it, drew her to become a naturopath.

In addition to the recipes in her book, Lauren has drawn on her naturopathy training to include a chapter called 'Home Apothecary', which provides simple home remedies for common ailments as well as instructions on making your own lip balm and moisturiser.

Whole organic foods and food preparation bring Lauren much joy and she always feels happy in the kitchen in a warm house, sharing plentiful home-cooked meals with friends and family.

The proof of this is in Food from a Loving Home.