Monika's Introduction - Monika Korngut's Delicious Living

There comes a time in everyone's life when healthy living becomes a priority. Healthy living is especially important as our Canadian society becomes more and more educated on the health risks of obesity and unhealthy lifestyles. As we all age we become more susceptible to illness and it is important to reduce our health risks through healthy eating and living.

My husband and I often discuss health and healthy living. As a physician he counsels patients on reducing the risks of future disease. As a couple we also try to live healthy and eat right. We found there was a great deal of misinformation on the internet regarding what is healthy. We decided to start this website to share our experiences from the point of view of a health professional, my husband, and from my point of view, translating what we know about healthy eating into tasty delicious recipes that we don't feel guilty about eating.

From a very young age I was always interested in cooking and culinary creations. I guess that is easy when your mom is an excellent cook. I am constantly looking into modifying and creating recipes into delicious meals that are health conscious and easy to prepare. As I have become older, and my friends have become more health conscious they started to ask me to write down my recipes for them. And here we are, I'm sharing them with you as well.

My culinary philosophy is inspired by my many travels and adventures around the world. From the Zanzibar Pepper Steak that is based on a local favorite that I enjoyed the night before we began our climb to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro to the Tuscany-inspired dishes enjoyed in many piazza’s as well on hillsides of wine country with a perfect glass of vino. My own roots are from Eastern Europe having grown up in Poland where simple home-cooked meals with variations on several staple foods are most common. My culinary experiences are from summers spent in Dubrovnik, Croatia enjoying wild mussels, northern Greece watching fisherman go out to sea and bringing back octopus and days spent in Turkish bazaars consumed by rich Turkish culture and love for their apple tea. All of these experiences have formed my philosophy of healthy eating, and dining with pizzazz. In this unique manner I have become savvy on how various cultures perceive health and nutrition, their unique views of ingredients, and the role of style in meal preparation. I love to cook! When I travel I try traditional dishes and drinks, as well modern takes on what is traditional. Food must not only taste good, but it must look amazing. Eyes are first to excite our palette and produce a need to try something new.

Healthy eating doesn’t have to be boring, nor does it have to take a long time to make. Here I share with you many of my own home cooked recipes that are tested as I prepare them for my family and friends. These meals are tasty, nutritious, many of them take less than 30 minutes to put together and look very elegant. Many of these recipes are for everyday but you will also find recipes that can be made for those special occasions when you want to impress company or that special someone in your life. Most spices and food products are available in your near by supermarkets however don't be afraid to take a trip to an ethnic store, its like taking a trip to a different country. I really enjoy visiting them, you really can learn a lot about different culture in your own city.

My aim is also to point out specific food items that are delicious and can be a staple to build healthy meals around. We will discuss current scientific evidence behind our selected healthy food items. There comes a time in everyone's life when healthy living becomes a priority. I create meal ideas that reflect a wide range of tastes and are healthy and can be effortlessly re-created by you.

The first step towards a healthier lifestyle is education. I hope you find the information on this website useful. The secret to a good and healthy living is a diverse diet and health conscious diet, exercise, lots of smiles and hugs, and seeing a doctor regularly. Don’t give up on things you love, but utilize them along with the healthy ingredients we suggest in a conscientious way.