When you think of a dietitian, what comes to mind? It’s usually not a food blogger or a plant-based chef…so I really love sharing the work of dietitians who inspire me. Miranda Hammer, Registered Dietitian and Founder of crunchyradish.com, is one of those dietitians. I started following her work after a student of mine tipped me off and both her blog and instagram account provide a delicious dose of inspiration that keeps me moving forward in my own healthy eating.
In addition to being a dietitian, Miranda is also a trained natural foods chef so you know this lady’s got some serious game in the (NYC-sized) kitchen. Let her inspire you to make the kitchen your playground!

Which came first, your dietetics career or your plant-centred diet? And how has one informed the other?

When I first began my career, I was not focused on plant-based nutrition as the corner stone of my ethos nor was I as focused on personally eating and living that way. As I began practicing, educating, and developing recipes and content, the importance of leading a plant-based lifestyle became more and more prominent for myself and in my writing and recipe creations.

You live in NYC – a city filled with tiny kitchens, super convenient takeout and meal delivery at every turn – what advice do you have to help get people cooking more often?

There are also amazing greenmarkets, CSAs, and speciality markets. I think the key is to make it work for you and place a priority on cooking. If you have a super busy schedule make the time to meal prep and set yourself up for success so you don’t turn to takeout or delivery when you get home late during the work week. Finding pleasure and reward in cooking and enjoying the process of purveying for ingredients and figuring out what to cook and experimenting, is all part of getting into the kitchen and finding fulfillment and enjoyment in cooking.

You’ve just finished your training as a natural foods chef; what new skill has seriously upped your kitchen intelligence?

I just finished the Chef’s Training Program at the Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts and it was an incredible experience. It really opened my eyes to a whole new way of cooking plant based. I learned a lot about cooking with seaweed, scratch cooking condiments, medicinal cooking, and making vegan desserts.

It used to be that salad was a “compromise” meal for a healthy eater…your instagram feed definitely squashes that notion. What makes a killer salad, in your opinion?

I love playing around with textures and crunch whether its from toasted nuts, shiitake bacon, chickpea poppers, or crunchy veggies. Also making things vibrant with a diversity of colors and of course acid. I love a zesty dressing with lemon juice, dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, and olive oil.

With all you have going on…how do you nourish your body and mind to stay well?

I always prioritize working out. I usually run in the park in the morning with my dog and husband and I will also sign up for a few HIIT classes at Refine Method during the week. I am learning more and more the importance of balance and how to embrace the slower moments which will then allow me to more skillfully ride through the intense busy times.

Learn more about Miranda on Crunchy Radish … or her lovely Instagram feed. She also has a fantastic course on plant-based eating available on MindBodyGreen.

Photo Credit: Sophie Mathewson

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