Who
Sally Giblin
Sally first got into cooking during the first covid lockdown whilst living in London. Sally used cooking as a way to teach and spend time with her pre-schooler son. Around the same time, Sally took an interest in adopting a more sustainable plant-based diet for the whole family for environmental and health reasons. This transition was made fairly easy and enjoyable with the help of Pick Up Limes that provided her with creative ideas for cooking plant base meals that are delicious and nutritious.
As you scroll through the images below, you may recognise Sally as she is one of the “washed-up” reclaimed waste mermaids that was chilling on the shores of Bondi Beach in Sydney on the World Ocean Day 2023. While her co-founder of Be the Future, Helen Hill got washed up on Runswick Bay Beach over in England!
“You’d need 30 of our tails to mirror the amount of plastic waste that ends up in the ocean every second. Every second!”
These inspiring eco-warriors spent over 300 hours creating the tails from a variety of reclaimed plastic waste such as plastic bottles, balloons, lids, coffee pods, medicine blister packs, foam mats and broken toys. With Sally being based in Australia and Helen in the UK, they each provide immersive and inspiring eco experiences for kids through schools and early learning centres. Equipping the young generation with a sense of empowerment and agency that there are playful solutions that they can do with their parents.
Alongside Be the Future, Sally is also a spokesperson for Parents for Climate, a growing movement of parents and carers working together to secure a safe climate for the children through advocacies and community climate actions. There are currently 25 groups across Australia and you can join a group that’s closest to where you live.
Sally’s tips on how to do our bit for the environment:
“There are so many ways to contribute our part to better the environment on top of our individual everyday actions. Find something that resonates with you and you care about, join its community group(s) and give back what you can.”
Sally’s Food waste Tips
Create an “Eat Me First” shelf or box in your fridge. And nudge everyone in your house to head there first whenever they’re hungry!
When you have fruit or vegetables about to turn, give them a quick wash, chop them up and put them in the freezer. Great for pastas, smoothies, soups…
Keep a marker in your kitchen to write the date you open sauces, dips and jars. And try to get through them before the “Consume within x days of opening”.
Chilli Lentil Tacos
Prep time: | Cook time: | Serves 8-10
- Tortillas
- Corn Tortillas
- Chilli Lentil Base
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp paprika powder
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 500g mushrooms
- 1½ cups (400 g) lentils
- Plant Based Cheese Sauce
- ½ cup raw cashews
- ½ cup water
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp paprika powder
- Garnishes
- Avocado slices
- Chopped tomato
- Lime wedges
- Coriander
- To start the plant based cheese sauce, cover the cashews with boiling water and let them soak for at least 10 minutes.
- To make the chilli lentil base, add oil to a large pot on medium-high heat. When hot, add the onion and garlic, and cook for 3 – 4 minutes.
- Then add the spices. Cook for another 1 minute, stirring throughout.
- Then add the mushrooms. Cook for another 3 minutes, stirring throughout.
- Then add the lentils. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then set aside with a lid.
- To make the plant based cheese sauce, drain the cashews. Then add the drained cashews and remaining sauce ingredients to a high-speed blender. Blend until smooth.
- To prepare the tortillas, put a small saucepan on medium heat. When hot, warm each tortilla for 20 seconds on each side. Keep warm under a tea towel.
- Chop garnishes as desired.
- Assemble by placing warm tortillas on a taco stand or platter. Top with chilli.
- Drizzle over the plant based cheese sauce, and any other desired garnishes. Enjoy!
- Storage. Best if enjoyed immediately.
The Chilli Lentil Base and Plant Based Cheese Sauce can be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
